What we have here is another classic which, thanks to High Roller has been re-released in the vinyl format. This stuff was originally released in 1982 through Capitol Records. I am very sorry this reedition doesn’t include the original cover art with Wendy O. Williams sitting on a tank. Anyhow, this is one of more interesting albums of the band, and definitely more "metal" than other ones. As we must not forget that PLASMATICS was, back then, a band heavily influenced by MOTÖRHEAD, and KISS. Both bands affected PLASMATICS` music to a considerable degree, and maybe that was the reason there were fewer and fewer punk influences so distinctly hearable on band`s previous recordings.

It is also important to mention PLASMATICS was formed in New York in 1978 by Osao Swanson and Wendy, and were heavily influenced by punk music in the beginning of their career. Coup de Grace is something different. Classic heavy metal with naught queen Wendy O. Williams who shocked the audience with her Mohawk haircut and obscene image: her nipples were covered with some adhesive plaster only, and thus showing almost everything causing censor`s headache.

Yeah, those gigs were scandalous for a long time, however, as I already said, new members brought some metal elements to band`s music: specific aggressiveness and massive sound which Wendy developed in her solo project WOW sometime later. Apart from PLASMATICS` music, we can find some MOTÖRHEAD`s cover track titled No Class. Wendy and Lemmy were good buddies back then, they shared a lot, musically and privately. We all remember the famous 1985 video (Terror Unleashed Bump N Grind Live) where WOW and MOTÖRHEAD performed together two tracks: No Class and Jailbait

. Let alone the Lemmy birthday video with Wendy appearing from a birthday cake to play No Class with MOTÖRHEAD…sound-wise, Coup de Grace is very tight, catchy almost. Yet, it is still very aggressive, thanks to the guitars and harsh Wendy`s vocals. Yeah, she was able to utter every single word with a huge dose of hatred. Songs like Put Your Love in M, Stop, Country Fairs or immortal The Damned (covered by DESTRUCTION on Mad Butcher) are all radio hits, for sure. It was such a shock when on April 6, 1988 Wendy committed suicide. I could hardly believe my ears, really. She`d be 67 years old now…sadly, she left to early and all what we got is three PLASMATICS albums, plenty of compilations as well as four WOW solo albums, including a great debut album from 1984 with two KISS covers: Thief In The Night and It’s My Life.

Leszek Wojnicz-Sianożęcki