Formed with the intent to create the most brutal music to ever come out of South Africa, Vulvodynia have arguably lived up to their intentions. Describing themselves as a "slam death bulldozer," the South African six-piece combines death metal, horrorcore and over-the-top heaviness.

Vulvodynia's intense, no-holds-barred, tongue-in-cheek approach (they have no qualms about describing their music as "skull splitting") resonates with fans around the world.

From their 2014 debut EP Lord of Plagues, Vulvodynia has showcased their impressive musical technicality alongside a heaviness very rare for an African band. Since then, the band has released numerous albums, toured the world extensively and played international festivals, including Deathfeast Open Air in Denmark and Fall In The Brawl in England.

Don't miss your chance to do some serious head banging with this unapologetically intense and brutal band when they come to a city near you.

Vulvodynia Live in Concert

Coming together over their love of extreme music, Vulvodynia formed in South Africa in 2014 to create some of the heaviest music on the African continent. Vocalist Duncan Bentley craved real heavy music growing up, but the local heavy music scene was very small, and he said, in a 2021 interview with Revolver, that a lot of bands "seemed to shy away from gutturals, blast beats, low tuned guitars, breakdowns, slams and other brutal aspects that we were dying to hear and see live."

Seeing this as a challenge, Bentley and guitarist Luke Haarhoff set out to recruit talented musicians with a similar vision to become Africa's heaviest rock band. They chose the name Vulvodynia for shock value while going through online gynecology textbooks for inspiration.

Putting their vision into motion, Vulvodynia quickly gained popularity, and their debut EP, Lord of Plagues, with abrasive song titles including "Drowned in Vomit" and "Forced Fecal Ingestion" gained them an enthusiastic international audience. Soon afterwards, the band signed a two-album contract with Australian Label Vicious Instinct Records, which put out their debut full-length album, Cognizant Castigation. Three more full-lengths followed, including the fan-favorite fourth album, 2021's Praenuntius Infiniti.

Vulvodynia FAQ

Where is Vulvodynia based out of?

Vulvodynia is from South Africa.

When was Vulvodynia formed?

Vulvodynia was formed in 2014.

What kind of music does Vulvodynia play?

Vulvodynia plays a combination of death metal, horrorcore, and heavy music.

What inspired the formation of Vulvodynia?

The formation of Vulvodynia was inspired by the love of extreme music and a desire to create the heaviest music on the African continent.

What was the reason behind choosing the name Vulvodynia?

The name Vulvodynia was chosen for shock value while going through online gynecology textbooks for inspiration.