Thrash metal was still in its first wave when Meanstreak formed in New York. The genre had already emerged from the 70s European metal scene, expanding into the U.S. in the early 80s and leading to the formation of the Big Four: Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, and Megadeth. These bands, in turn, would help spark mainstream success for thrash that lasted into the late 90s.
A simple fact of thrash metal, however, is that it was mostly a male-dominated genre. So when Meanstreak debuted in 1988 after forming three years earlier, they blazed an unexpected trail for women in the thrash metal scene. Not only was Meanstreak female-fronted, but it was also completely female-centric.
Marlene Apuzzo and Rena Sands initially formed the band, adding Bettina France as vocalist and Lisa Pace on bass. Diane Keyser joined on drums, but left after 1988 and was replaced by Yael Rallis. The band went through several drummers and bassists over the years, and both Apuzzo and Pace retired in 2024. But the current lineup retains several original members: France, Sands, and Rallis remain, with Irene Eliopoulos most recently joining on bass.
Meanstreak Attempted to Fill The Still-Present Void of Women in Thrash Metal
Meanstreak released their debut album, Roadkill, in 1988, and it currently remains their only full-length album. While promotion for the album wasn’t up to par, Meanstreak still shared stages with bands like Manowar, Overkill, Motörhead, Anthrax, and Dream Theater. Later, Sands, Pace, and Apuzzo would each marry a member of Dream Theater: John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy. These romantic partnerships even led to professional collaborations, including the 1992 demo tape The Dark Gift, produced by Portnoy.
Considering their style, Meanstreak brings to mind British heavy metal band Girlschool, another early all-female band in the metal scene. Girlschool formed in 1978 and were contemporaries of Motörhead after being discovered by Lemmy Kilmister. The two bands released a collaborative EP, St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, in 1980, which earned them both their best sales performance to date.
Girlschool broke out during the new wave of British heavy metal, coming on strong in the similarly male-dominated scene. There were other female-led rock bands at that time, like She, Heart, and The Runaways. But heavy metal in particular was lacking. When thrash evolved, there was yet another void in the scene, one that Meanstreak attempted to fill.
How Women-Led Rock Bands Influenced the Heavy Metal Scene
Girlschool eventually succumbed to pressure from their label to change their style from heavy metal biker rock to the more commercially successful glam rock upon shifting to the U.S. market. Similarly, Meanstreak suffered from a general lack of promotional support. These things, among others, eventually led to both bands’ downfall. Girlschool is still active, but not with the same attention that they had early on.
Their legacies are important in retrospect when considering women in rock. But, at the time, they weren’t really associated with the feminist movement. Not like the later riot grrrl scene, at least.
In fact, Meanstreak and Girlschool didn’t have much of a visible impact on gender equality in heavy metal at the time. They were more silently influential, paving the way just by existing. All-girl rock band The Donnas specifically named Girlschool as an influence when they formed in 1993, and Meanstreak even reunited in 2023. They released the EP Blood Moon in 2024 and have shared plans to make new music.
With the emergence of heavy metal subgenres like metalcore, industrial, kawaii, and symphonic metal, many more female-led bands have emerged alongside them. Spiritbox immediately comes to mind, along with Evanescence, Nightwish, Babymetal, Within Temptation, Jinjer, and many more. Now, there are plenty more opportunities for an all-female metal band to gain success, and that’s thanks in part to early bands like Meanstreak and Girlschool.
Photo by Marissa Ann
The post The One-Album Wonder of Meanstreak, the First All-Girl Thrash Band appeared first on VICE.
