All-girl thrash metal band

Channing Concho

Thrash metal and girl power

By Kelly Koepke“My mom wanted me to play violin, and I did from the sixth grade through my senior year,” said Concho, Acoma/Hopi/Laguna Pueblo, whose long black hair is streaked with purple. “Then my friend Amanda’s father bought her guitars and drums and she invited some friends to play. We played the Beatles as our first song.”

The Beatles didn’t last long for Suspended. More than eight years after their debut in a local high school talent show, they have become the only all-girl “thrash metal” band, a musical genre known for its fast tempo and aggressive lyrics and playing style. Concho’s taken up her father’s instrument, the drums, in the three girl group.

“It’s the most unique music we’ve ever heard,” she said. “It’s got elements of thrash, of rock, of black metal, of everything we know. Mandy (the aforementioned Amanda Castillo) writes the most intricate music. It’s grab the bull by the horns music.” Suspended’s lead singer and bass player is Melynda “Mimo” Montaño, another of Concho and Castillo’s former classmates.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Metal-Punk Concert at Navajo Fair and Medicine Man Saved Thrash Band.