One and Done? Pt. 15: Meanstreak

I am not really sure how to check this, but Meanstreak may have been the first U.S. all-female metal band.  Girlschool from the U.K. was likely the first all-female metal band, but it gets kind of fuzzy after that.  At some point, Phantom Blue arrived, but that seems to have been a couple of years after the formation of Meanstreak.  Also, Meanstreak was likely the first all-female thrash metal band, though the band was more of a borderline band, straddling the line between thrash and heavy metal.

Even more interesting is the fact that three of the members are married to three current and former members of Dream Theater.  Guitarist Rena Sands is married to John Petrucci.  Guitarist Marlene Apuzzo is married to Mike Portnoy.  Finally, bassist Lisa Pace is married to John Myung.  Sort of an odd fact there, but ultimately completely irrelevant to the music at hand.  Meanstreak sounds absolutely nothing like Dream Theater.

And of course the most interesting fact is that this album is fucking good.  Featuring big, meaty riffs and the howling vocals of Bettina France, this is a straightforward rocking album.  Meanstreak is at their best when they are playing the faster, more thrash-oriented stuff.  Songs like the title track, "Searching Forever", "Nostradamus" and "Lost Stranger" are terrific with loud and nasty guitar riffs
and the sneering vocals of France.  There are some weaker tracks here such as "Snake Pit" that just does not really do enough to keep the flow of the album, but the weaker moments are few and far between.

Unfortunately with just one full-length to their name, Meanstreak is kind of a forgotten band.  That's a shame because this is a very good album.