In a city known for its sonically polished and intellectually refined heavy metal bands (including such names as Queensrÿche, Metal Church, and Fifth Angel, to name but three), Seattle's Mace chose a decidedly rougher, more primitive sound as their calling card. Spiritually descended from the region's far less anal punk tradition, Mace formed in 1982 and followed an appearance on the Metal Massacre, Vol. 5 compilation (behind soon-to-depart singing drummer Vence La Rose) with two albums' worth of rambunctious, edgy, hardcore-bordering speed metal: 1985's Process of Elimination and 1987's The Evil in Good. Bandmates Kirk Verhey (vocals), Dave Hillis (guitar), Vern White (bass), and David Kopler (drums -- he'd replaced Shane White after the first LP) appeared to lose interest after the latter LP and broke up, but Hillis went on to play a major part in the subsequent rise of alternative rock, thanks to engineering credits for the likes of Alice in Chains, the Afghan Whigs, and Pearl Jam. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia