new music: happy halloween! stream the latest ep from metal singer militia vox #soundcheck

Some of you may know Militia Vox as the frontwoman for the all-female Judas Priest tribute act Judas Priestess, others as the MC for the 2012 Afropunk Festival. The singer and multi-hyphenate has been a mainstay of the metal scene, working with everyone from Living Colour to Dee Snyder. Her latest BAIT EP is the first part of a multi-part series called The Villainess.

Words by Nathan Leigh, AFROPUNK Contributor

Militia Vox’s BAIT features covers of tracks by some of metal and hard rock’s greats. Tool’s “46 & 2” opens the EP, with a harp taking over for the guitar, while electronic stabs percolate underneath. Opening an EP with a cover of one of the best singers in hard rock can be a dangerous proposition. There aren’t many people who can invite comparisons to Maynard and walk away unscathed, but Militia not only knocks it out of the park, she adds new depth to the song. “Reptile” re-works Nine Inch Nail’s The Downward Spiral classic as a metal tune with equally strong results. Her whispered “kill it” right before the synth lead makes it.

It’s the tracks where MilitiA deviates from the original arrangement most where BAIT shines brightest. On her epic gothic re-imagining of Ozzy’s “No More Tears,” she trades out Mike Inez’s iconic bass riff for a fuzzed out synth. MilitiA’s powerhouse vocals carry the song, bringing out the passion and fury of a jilted lover. Speaking of which, that PJ Harvey tune that closes the record needs to be heard to be believed. Militia Vox and her band build an unbearable tension behind her massive vocals on “Rid of Me” bringing the song’s unhinged obsessive ex to life.

Militia Vox’s BAIT is currently available for purchase at major online retailers, and streaming via SoundCloud. Check out her release show at Times Scare on November 2nd in New York.