Meanstreak-Giant Speaks

Bio by She Rox, All Female Bands. Westchester, New York based Meanstreak begin in 1985 by guitarists Marlene Apuzzo (Portnoy) and Rena Sands (Petrucci) as a commercial friendly hard rock band, this idea was short lived though, as the band wanted to play a more aggressive heavy metal. As most bands starting out changes were needed to refine the line-up, powerhouse vocalist Bettina France replaced the band’s original vocalist and drummer Diane Keyser was brought in as the band’s permanent drummer. Securing a bass player however proved more difficult as several would come and go, most notably being Charisse Texeira, who years later resurfaced in the all-female thrash metal band Hari Kari. According to the band, bassist Lisa Martens Pace (Martens Myung) was a better fit and the Meanstreak line-up was secured. The early to mid-1980’s saw females emerging into the boys only heavy metal club, however predominately female vocalists, a band of women playing alongside with the likes of say, Anthrax was practically unheard of. The band spent the next few years earning their street cred with every show and winning over skeptics simply with their musical abilities and skills, all the while knowing there were no other female thrash metal bands during this time, at least not in the United States. Which in fact was correct, only one band rivaled as the very first all-female thrash metal band in music history, Swedish band Ice Age, but here in the states Meansteak was the sole band to break that barrier. The band built a large fan base during this time and were attaining interest from record labels, being asked to provide a track to the compilation album L’Amour Rocks, landed the band a record deal in 1988 with Mercenary Records. Produced by Alex Perillas known for his work with Anthrax and Testament to name a few, the debut album titled Roadkill received great reviews for it’s mix of and thrash and traditional heavy metal. Crunchy, dueling guitars, and commanding vocals, but the album was poorly promoted by the record label and the band parted ways with Mercenary soon after. Drummer Diane Keyser quit the band after the release of Roadkill, however not missing a beat hard hitting drummer Yael Devon (Rallis) was brought in and elevated the band ’s sound even further with her skill set, easily matching the other members as a highly trained technical player and has remained the band’s drummer ever since. By 1989 the band began working on their second album, The Other Side, however the album was never released as a full length offering instead a four-song demo was. Songs such as Giant Speaks and Rubberneck, solidified the band as true thrashers further earning their spot in this genre. Touring and playing with such heavy weight bands as Motorhead and Anthrax to name a few, gained the band an even larger fan base, however another record deal eluded the band still and a second demo, The Dark Gift was released instead in 1992. Bassist Lisa Martens Pace had left as this point with guitarist Marlene Apuzzo taking over the bass, now a four piece, the demo was a bit of a departure from the band’s previous sound. Produced by Dream Theater’s Mike Portnoy, the demo was more melodic heavy metal than thrash metal. Meanstreak would continue a few more years, but the band that crashed into the all-male world of thrash metal, in such a big way, sadly went out rather quietly. By 2022 the band would reunite for a tour and released the 2024 ep, Blood Moon, featuring new re-recorded versions of past demos and a new song has left fans wanting more and giving new fans a chance to discover these groundbreaking women. Giant Speaks, from the 2024 ep, Blood Moon. Bettina France-Vocals, Yael Rallis-Drums, Marlene Portnoy-Guitar, Martens Myoung-Bass, Rena Petrucci-Guitar. Like the band at