Seven years of FemMetal is a milestone that feels both surreal and incredibly rewarding. What began as a small vision grew into a space that celebrates talent, amplifies voices, and brings people together through music, passion, and purpose. Over the years, FemMetal has evolved into a lively community shaped by the dedication of the people who keep it moving forward.

As we celebrate this anniversary, we are taking a moment to reflect on the journey, the challenges, the victories, and the people who turned this project into something bigger than any of us imagined.

To mark the anniversary, we also spoke with Reuel, co-founder and editor of FemMetal, to revisit the early days, the defining moments, and the vision that shaped the webzine into what it is today. Here is his reflection on seven years of building, dreaming, and creating.

Lucy

Seven years of FemMetal — that’s a long journey. When you look back to the very beginning, what’s the first memory that flashes in your mind?

RW

There are so many powerful memories, but if I had to distill them into one defining moment, it would be the day Alexandra, the other co-founder, and I decided to create this platform. It happened right after a heated argument with a guy who insisted that “real metal needs strong male vocals.” One of his points was that festival headliners and major metal websites are overwhelmingly male-dominated. Unfortunately, he was not wrong. Female musicians, especially newer ones, rarely make it to the headlines, while men appear far more easily.
So we chose to become the counterpoint to that narrative. We built a platform that puts women in metal and rock at the forefront and shines a light on feminist social issues. That moment stays with me because I have always seen FemMetal as a form of activism, and activism is born out of confronting injustice. Realizing that injustice is what sparked the birth of FemMetal.

Lucy

How do you think FemMetal has evolved, not just as a webzine, but as a community, since those early days?

RW

We have a team of very talented and dedicated members who give their own personal time to this cause. They write reports, conduct interviews, and take photos to help promote the music they love, with little to no benefit for themselves.
We also have an amazing community of followers on social media who actively engage through their comments, messages, and requests. Their passion keeps this platform alive.

Lucy

You’ve interviewed and reviewed so many incredible artists. Is there one moment that made you stop and think, “This is why I do this”?

RW

There are many moments, but the one that comes to mind now is when I found an email from a musician who had sent me her debut album for review. The email had gone to spam and had been sitting there for a long time. I downloaded the album and ended up loving it. It was clear how talented she was and how much work she had poured into it, so I wrote the review and published it.
A little later, she sent me a message thanking me for the positive review. She told me she had been feeling really low because of a rough day at her job and because she felt her music was not making any impact. She said my review turned her day around and made her feel more confident about her work. That message made me smile for a whole week, and it still does whenever I think about it. It was a major “This is why I do this” moment.

Lucy

What’s the biggest challenge you faced running FemMetal, and what kept you pushing through?

RW

I think the biggest challenge is finding the time. Sometimes I come home from my day job and it is hard to sit down and write, even if it is about something I love. I also feel sad when I cannot cover all the releases that come my way, because I genuinely want to. What keeps me going is that I truly love what I am doing. I gather whatever energy I have left and try to do something for FemMetal, even if it is a small task.
Having amazing colleagues helps a lot as well. They not only step in and write about things I cannot cover, but they also motivate me to work harder and give my best.

Lucy

FemMetal has always stood for empowerment, creativity, and passion. How do you keep that spirit alive after all these years?

RW

I try to stay progressive in both my ideas and the way I do things. A good example is when we recently noticed that very few people actually read album reviews. The average reading time was about 12 seconds, which means many visitors opened the page, saw a long block of text, and left. Others maybe skimmed it. So we worked together on creating a more interactive style of review, something readers can connect with quickly and still form a clear idea about the album without needing to read a long essay.
We chose to keep paragraphs short and focus on what readers actually care about: how the album feels, what stands out, and what kind of experience it offers, instead of going too deep into technical details that only a small group understands or even wants to read.
Working on reviews in this more interactive way made the process more enjoyable for me, and I am genuinely happy to see that people are now spending more time on these articles. It shows that more readers are engaging with them and enjoying the new format.

Lucy

If FemMetal were a person, what kind of character would it have today compared to seven years ago?

RW

I think I would be a more confident and more self-aware person. And it would definitely be a “more songs on phone” person, thanks to all the amazing bands we discovered and covered.

Lucy

When you picture the next seven years, what do you hope FemMetal becomes?

RW

I hope the team will continue to grow so we can cover more releases and showcase more artists. I also hope we will be able to announce the winners of the FemMetal Awards at a major event that people can actually attend. One of my biggest dreams is to have our own festival that travels to a different city each year.