On June 13th, Portland doomsters Witch Mountain are coming to town, playing the Hard Luck Bar on Dundas.  I’ve been dying to see ‘em ever since I first heard South of Salem, their comeback album, which ended up topping my year-end list last year.  The sultry, soulful, otherworldly vocals of Uta Plotkin really give the songs a big boost.  And on this occasion, her band will be joined by another pair of female-fronted doom units in Blood Ceremony and Castle–a Toronto exclusive for both acts.  Thus, in anticipation of this estrogen-laced triple bill, I figured it was time to count down my Top 10 Female-Fronted Stoner/Doom Bands Going Today.

10. Castle

9. Cauchemar

8. Alunah

Birmingham was the birthplace of Black Sabbath, and thus, by extension, the doom metal genre.  But the English industrial city has also spawned some of the founding fathers of speed metal (Judas Priest) and grindcore (Napalm Death), so it’s not necessarily known as the doom capital of the world.  One band of Brummies that has chosen to follow in Sabbath’s footsteps, however, is Alunah.  After their Fall to Earth (2008) EP and Call of Avernus (2010) album, the band is preparing the release of their second full-length on PsycheDOOMelic records this summer.  And while they may hail from the same hometown, rest assured that frontwoman Soph Day doesn’t sing like Ozzy.  Here’s a clip of ‘em performing at DesertFest back in April: