There's a reason Nature is characterized as a Mother.
There's a reason the fierce volcano god Te K is portrayed as a woman in Polynesian legend.
It is the same reason roaring vocalist Kaija Kinney founded the Metalocalypstick festival and based it in the small Cariboo community of Lone Butte - a place otherwise famous for its stone column formed millions of years ago by a raging volcano system.
"What's more metal than partying on a volcano?" said Kinney, a Vancouver transplant from Prince George who fronts the popular B.C. metal band Anarcheon.
Part of her devotion to the craft emerged a few years ago when she decided to take action on behalf of the women in heavy forms of rock 'n' roll. She saw the female contribution to metal music, but she also saw a shortfall in recognition. She built Metalocalypstick (pronounced metal-local-lipstick) to hook the fans up to some high voltage girl power.
This is the third annual gathering and momentum is starting to build. Two of this year's headliners are coming all the way from Mexico: first-timers DelDesierto and returning act Cabrakan.
"We're trying to get new bands," Kinney said, outlining the main goal for each successive edition of the festival.
"I shoot for 75 per cent Canadian and then the rest from outside of the country who we don't get to see, usually. And we keep adding different little things to keep it interesting. I totally love all the bands we got, and it is super exciting to have DelDesierto the folk-metal band from Mexico, just because its so far away. It's super cool to be able to bring them here. They approached us, so that was a great sign for the festival, that we were heard of that far away."
The public's attention is growing. Kinney spent three hours on radio station CJSF, the voice of Simon Fraser University, talking about metal and commenting on the playlist. The festival even got some media attention last year because of the close call due to forest fires.
They managed to barely get through the event before wildfire hell broke loose all over the Cariboo region. Other festivals weren't so lucky and had to cancel.
Forest fires aside, the Lone Butte location turned out to be a winner. She can't wait to get back to site.
"It's hard to get somewhere that's a bit off-grid, away from residential areas, and has camping on-site. That's a big thing. Plus it's so beautiful there. It's a bit of a tourist attraction because it's a volcano plug."
An all-female music lineup is also a tourist draw. The music is appreciated by any true metal fan, but when it helps an important cause like gender equality and correcting cultural power imbalances, that brings out additional fans which also serves Kinney's mission of introducing heavy rock to a wider audience.
"It will always be important," she said, envisioning a never-ending need to celebrate women in the genre. "We will always have at least one female per band (in the Metalocalypstick roster). It's something cool we offer and sets us apart."
Some of these female performers are strong frontwomen with the mic, some are at the side playing the instruments. Some acts have more than one. A couple of the featured acts that pack some reputation are Mariam K, lead singer of Edmonton band Breaking The Silent, and Nikki Gould who played Grace Cardinal on Degrassi: Next Class and now plays the six-string bass for The Vth Circle. Anarcheon is a draw all of their own, having recently opened for big-name metal bands like The Agonist and Butcher Babies as well as headlining their own tour last summer with 2 Shadows opening.
Tickets to see Metalocalypstick are available online now at the event's website. A day-pass is $51.14 and a two-day pass is $91.14.
Metalocalypstick lineup
June 30th
Cabrakan
Obsidian
Siren's Rain
The Vth Circle
Breaking The Silent
HERON
Disturb The Dead
Sugarwash
Crimson Caliber
July 1st
DelDesierto
KOSM
Anarcheon
At Dawn's Edge
Juliet Ruin
Forsaken Ritee
Violent Betty
Opus Arise
Ophelia Falling
SYRYN
