The best band you've never heard of: My Ruin

Part goth, part thrash and 100 percent pure heavy metal attitude is what fuels U.K.-based group My Ruin.

The band has released four albums, including its viciously hard-edged debut Speak and Destroy and its current album The Horror of Beauty. The latter is 14 tracks of intense, ear-bleeding, head-banging, raucous hard rock. 



As is the case with most bands, the vocalist is the focal point of My Ruin. And Tairrie B., the band's singer, takes full advantage of her position of power. Nearly all the band's songs address poignant political issues ranging from feminism to censorship to religion. 



Strange as it may seem, Tairrie B.'s musical career began in hip-hop. She got her start in an all-female breakbeat group called The Candy Girls and became friends with none other than Dr. Dre. However, her true calling was elsewhere. She formed the rap-metal band Manhole in 1995 and its debut album All Is Not Well instantly became an underground classic. 



Tiarrie B. boldly proclaimed her pro-choice stance on abortion with the lyrics "My pussy/My choice" on "Put Your Head Out" and addressed rape by screaming "She didn't want to do it" on the track "Victim." The album rocked so hard, despite its feminist agenda, that the most macho metal heads could not deny its power. 



Think Rage Against The Machine fronted by a woman with chip on her shoulder the size of Texas, and you're almost there. But Manhole was not meant to be. Shortly after the release of All Is Not Well, the band had to change its name because another group with the same moniker was threatening to sue for copyright violation. 



The result is My Ruin, a newer version of the band formerly known as Manhole, with a few different members and Tairrie B. at the helm. Each of the group's albums uses dark and heavy undercurrents to carry the messages of one of the best female lead singers in the world of underground rock.



With The Horror of Beauty, Tairrie B. is up to her old tricks again, addressing body image, the media's misrepresentation of women and the evils of the record industry in her trademark over-the-top, mad-as-hell fashion.



While her approach might not be the most politically correct, the music speaks for itself, and its message is heard loud and clear over distorted guitars and crashing cymbals. She transforms the adage "I am woman, hear me roar" into "I am woman, hear me roar or I will kick your ass!" through the usage of her venom-spitting lyrics and heavy-metal backing.



For all of those women studies majors out there, forget registering for "Philosophy of Feminism," save yourself the tuition dollars and purchase any of My Ruin's albums at your local record store. You'll get the same message for a fraction of the price.