3.5 out of 5 Stars!

Although all-female bands were always a rarity, and considered nothing more than “quaint novelty acts” by many people, the few groups that emerged through the decades were, by and large, highly talented. Yet shamefully, only a handful of them (Girlschool, Vixen, and The Runaways) seemed to gain any sort of name recognition and they continue, for the most part, to remain horribly obscure to the average Rock ‘n’ Roll fans.

Unfortunately, this lack of general audience acceptance (ie. near-total apathy) also befell Rock Goddess, a power trio of talented females led by two sisters, that emerged during England’s often exciting and celebrated “New Wave of British Heavy Metal” period. Although plagued by various line-up changes throughout its existence, the band initially solidified long enough to release two enjoyable albums (both issued in 1983) to some marginal acclaim.

The band’s debut is probably my favorite of these two, which featured driving and fairly catchy Heavy Metal/Hard Rock (not unlike Girlschool’s early material) on slamming tracks such as “Heavy Metal Rock ‘n’ Roll,” “To Be Betrayed,” “Start Running,” “Heartache,” “Satisfied With Crucified,” and “One Way Love,” which all displayed Jody Turner’s demanding & commanding vocals and monster guitar riffs, Tracey Lamb’s often-frantic bass playing, and Julie Turner’s thundering percussion.

The band’s sophomore release, Hell Hath No Fury, nearly equaled the debut’s raw power, but was a bit more polished, more experimental, yet proved nearly as engaging.

Unfortunately, Rock Goddess didn’t hold together, with bassist Tracey Lamb (who would eventually join Girlschool) leaving, and although the group released an additional album several years later with a new bassist (and a “lost album” appearing years after that), the magic, the sheer energy, had sadly disappeared. A shame!

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