The Valkyries series at Heavy Metal Citadel is where we hand the mic to the women of Metal. Today, we summon Jamila Anahata, a spiritual teacher, Priestess, and content creator hailing from Baltimore, Maryland (within earshot of the legendary Maryland Deathfest).

Raised on Hendrix and Sabbath, forged in the flames of teenage deep dives into the underground, Jamila stands at the crossroads of metal and mysticism. Her story is one of ritual, resilience, and raw devotion, where blast beats meet shadow work, and stage lights burn as bright as sacred fire.

Here’s what Jamila had to share with Chort and Chern:

Can you introduce yourself to the Citadelians, who are you, where are you from, and how did metal become part of your world?

Firstly, thank you for the opportunity to share my passion and story. Hello everyone, I trust you’re having a divine and marvelous day. I’m Jamila Anahata, a spiritual teacher, Priestess, and content creator in Baltimore, Maryland (super close to the famous Maryland DeathFest!). Metal has honestly always been a part of my world.

I knew I had it in me as a small child, even before being raised on Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath, Carlos Santana, and other old school rockers. As far back as I can remember, I’ve always had that fire within me but didn’t develop my taste for metal until I was about 12 or 13, when I intuitively went down a full metal rabbit hole that grew into the lifestyle I still continue. Now it’s not only a part of my world, it’s a part of my calling.

What first pulled you toward metal, and how does it connect with your love of magic and mysticism?

The first time I can recall being pulled toward metal is when more and more rock bands began appearing on MTV back in the day lol. I would watch some music videos before going to school in the morning and there would be heavier metal bands playing that sparked intrigue within me. Naturally, I went on AOL Music and did a deep dive on some of the bands, and listened to them and other similar ones until I truly got a feel of what sounds, subgenres, and aesthetics of metal I felt aligned deeply with me.

Although I didn’t discover magick and mysticism until pretty recently in my timeline, it was ALWAYS a part of me. I didn’t realize I liked magickal, mystical, or witchy things until I saw the Sorgens Kammer del II music video by Dimmu Borgir when I was 13.

It was at that moment when metal became inseparable from my passion for mysticism, because it explores the darkest depths that humans can endure before that darkness inevitably transmutes into expansion. In other words, my love for metal and magick is interconnected with my will to consistently be authentic, as they both represent authenticity completely.

Do you see metal as a kind of ritual or spiritual experience, and if so, what does that look like for you?

I absolutely see metal as a ritual and spiritual experience! Not only do I put on metal music to accompany my yoga and exercise routines, it also goes alongside my daily rituals like creating content, mindfully driving, crafting delicious and nutritious food, ecstatic dancing, etc.

I also view going to metal shows as a ritual/spiritual experience, since those 3-4 hours are intentionally utilized to be wild, free, raw, and untamed as I move in any way I feel called to, which is also an awesome opportunity for alchemizing any unchecked darkness I’ve been carrying. In a lot of ways, metal is one of my avenues to practice Shadow Work.

Which bands or songs feel the most mystical, magical, or otherworldly to you?

I’ve always tended to lean more into the realms of brutal death, blackened death, and war metal, which constantly fulfills my craving of creating an eerie, dark, and otherworldly ambience whenever the mood strikes (which is quite often).

The bands who never cease to quench that thirst, and just so happen to be some of my favorites in general, are Incantion, Gorguts, Defeated Sanity, AntiChrist Siege Machine, Spiter, Black Witchery, Diocletian, Knoll, and Profanatica.

What was your first live metal show, and how did it impact you?

My first live metal show will always be my most memorable for several reasons, and it’s because it was with Iron Maiden! I saw them when I was 15 with my other rocker chick friends and I honestly couldn’t believe my eyes and ears.

It was an absolutely incredible experience and it made me even more hooked onto metal than I even thought was possible. The show itself was extravagant and mesmerizing, so I had a feeling at the time that the future shows I’d go to would have big shoes to fill lol.

What’s been your most unforgettable gig or festival, the one that felt almost transcendent?

There have been several for similar reasons, so I would say it was when I saw Incantation, AntiChrist Siege Machine, and Knoll for the first time live. My reactions to each of their sounds were pretty much the same, where I was just blown away by how unique, brutal, lively, eerie, dark, and twisted their songs could be.

Those shows felt transcendent because I could feel my essence truly resonating with those frequencies to such a high degree that I became instant fans after their sets.

As a Black woman in metal, what has your experience been like in the scene, both challenges and empowering moments?

I’m very grateful that as a Black woman in metal, I haven’t had many challenges in the scene other than the possible curious glances or energetic assumptions that I may not be as “metal” as I portray. However, I have experienced some racially charged comments being directed toward me in certain metal-related Facebook pages whenever my picture was featured on there, but I have put that behind me as the person responsible was removed from the group for their unconscious yet harmful actions.

And even as just a woman, I have been touched inappropriately by a drunken man at a show a few years back, and that has obviously left its mark and made me even more cautious while at shows that I attend without my husband (who is a fellow metalhead and metal musician).

Now let’s move onto the empowering ones because there are several! In the scene, especially here in Baltimore, more and more Black women are coming out to shows and making it known that they’re about the metal life which truly warms my heart.

As much as I’m used to being the only Black woman at the show, it feels fantastic to see other ones being there too in all their wildness, rawness, and authenticity. The most empowering part of it all is that most Black women in the online metal community make it a point to inspire other Black women to express their love for metal or support fellow similar artists, and there’s nothing more uplifting than that.

Who are the female or women-led bands and artists that inspire you, musically or spiritually?

Jessica Pimentel of Alekhine’s Gun and Brujeria, Cammie Beverley of Oceans of Slumber, and Kim Dylla (metal designer and artist) are women whose creations remind me to keep being authentic even when there’s not many people who are making my specific kind of art.

Each of these wondrous women are true motivations to continue creating and to make the process fun, not rigid or stiff. They have so much fun and you can’t help but adore it! So it’s musical and spiritual for me.

When it comes to style, do you lean toward leather, denim, flowing ritual robes, symbols, or a mix of everything?

Personal style means everything to me, so let’s get into it! Over the years, I’ve gone through a wild amount of changes with my style as I love to experiment with it, but I seemed to have found my signature look very recently. If I were to describe it, I would say it’s goth pinup, gothabilly, glamour ghoul-esque with a witchy/Priestessy and metal twist.

Think of Morticia Addams, Elvira, and Vampira but with a death metal tee, leather jacket, or spiky jewelry thrown in the mix. I honestly just wear what makes me feel as free and authentic as possible, and at the moment it’s to give off a vampiric, sensual, feminine, fierce, and ethereal vibe.

Do you practice magic or rituals outside of music, tarot, astrology, meditation, ancestral traditions, or something else?

Oh, I absolutely do. I practice all of the above and even read tarot within my business, but I create personal ceremonies and rituals on specific times of the day or month to celebrate the Beingness of all things and no-thing; of forms and the formless. This typically looks like giving thanks to the elements (Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Ether) that I use at certain moments, asking the trees or Sun for healing or insight, doing Shadow Work through lucid dreaming, allowing my Being to shine through completely by shifting into Presence, etc.

At the end of the day, all of my rituals and magickal practices are to work with the forces of Nature and the Divine (though they are one) to create Heaven on Earth and to share that joy with anyone aligned with it.

If you could design your own “mystical metal festival,” what would the lineup be, and what kind of atmosphere would you create?

Wow, it’s hard not to be too biased with the bands since the following are my favorites lol, but I’d want to have it pretty eclectic(ish) at my festival so there’s some variety for a lot of metalheads. The lineup would undoubtedly be: Incantation, AntiChrist Siege Machine, Spiter, Hellripper, Opeth, Goatwhore, Knoll, Defeated Sanity, Black Witchery, Portal, Angelcorpse, and Batushka (and more, but I could go on all day lol). And I would go all out with the atmosphere since ambience is my favorite thing to create!

There would be dark yet metallic sacred geometry, metaphysical, and occult symbols scattered about everywhere; a sense that the festival was contained inside of an abandoned ancient vampiric castle and/or forest (giving off vintage gothic horror vibes); velvet, lace, fishnet, spiderwebs, and other textured fabrics; candles, incense, sacred woods, and red and purple-tinted lanterns lit in specific parts of the fest to keep things dimly illuminated; witchy altars where all tabling would be placed; tarot and palm readers available; mystical-themed healthy food and drinks; masked burlesque/metalesque performers everywhere; maybe some firebreathers or sword swallowers walking around; just a very magickal place that feels like a sensual horror movie while enjoying eerie yet headbang-worthy music.

What message, mantra, or spell would you like to leave with other Valkyries and metal fans who walk the path of magic and music?

I would like to leave you all with a reminder: as Source energy expressing itself through your divine vessel, it is of major importance that you remain authentic, in your truth, and passionately creative. I’m so proud of you for expressing yourself to the fullest, so much so that you’re a part of this incredibly unique community, and showing the world what it truly means to be all of who you are without self-judgment or shame.

Continue to practice your magick, keep rocking out to metal, and always remember who you are at your core when things feel heavy. Much love and gratitude for taking the time to read my story. Have a wondrous and mystical rest of your day.

All Hails, Jamila!