Meet Diamond Rowe – The First Black Woman In Heavy Metal With Her Own Signature Guitar

Black musicians in the world of Heavy Metal are a rarity, and Black women in the rock subgenre are even more of an anomaly. Diamond Rowe, the lead guitarist of the nu-metal band Tetrarch, is one of the few Black women making a name for herself in the genre – and now, she’s the first to have her own signature guitar.

Earlier this month, Jackson Guitars honored the musician with her own signature guitar model. The Jackson Pro Series Signature Diamond Rowe DR12MG EVTN6 Guitar provides for “modern metal players seeking precision and accuracy.” It is the first signature Jackson for a female musician and the first artist model for a Black woman in heavy metal.

In an interview with MusicRadar, Rowe discusses the excitement over her new signature instrument:

“Life is pretty crazy right now! It’s one of those things where I was talking to my Jackson rep Mike Tempesta and telling him it looked like I was the first female signature artist at Jackson. And then someone else who works with me pointed out that I was the first black female in heavy music with my own signature guitar. This is all very cool for me, that my passion brought me to this point.”

Rowe agrees that the new release will inspire other Black female guitarists to follow their path. However, when discussing her own journey into metal, she says she was fortunate to strive with like-minded individuals.

“I got into heavy metal the same way as everyone else. I found the first band I loved, just like we all do, and started going to all the shows. I followed that passion all the way to this point.

“When I was younger, I never thought about being different. I just loved the music so much and felt so comfortable that it quickly became my home.

“But I also know there are other people who did notice that they didn’t really see many people that looked like them. I would go see Metallica or Korn or whoever, and I’d probably be one of only three or four black people in the whole place. But I never thought about that because I felt so at home. I knew these were my people, even if my skin colour was different.”

Recently, Rowe was able to bless one of her musical heroes, guitarist Brian “Head” Welsh of the band Korn, with one of her guitars.

She tells MusicRadar:

“I asked Jackson about this, explaining that I wouldn’t be here without the musicians who inspired me in the first place. Korn had their 30th anniversary show and my guitar was launched the same week, so I took one over for Head and handed it to him after the set. It was an awesome experience. Honestly, one of the greatest moments of my life.”

The guitar is available for purchase on Jackson Guitars’ website.