Metal
Priestess - An Essay by Anna Sthetic
The
Metal Priestess six-track EP is the companion volume to the Beyond
the Valley of 1984 album. Both were released in 1981.
Metal
Priestess is a title worthy of some analysis. At first sight it might
not appear particularly significant, merely a link between heavy
metal and Wendy O' Williams. There is however a deeper meaning. A priest, and
hence a priestess, is someone authorised by the church to administer,
on behalf of God, baptisms, confirmations, the eucharist, penance,
extreme unction, orders, and matrimony. And also to pronounce
absolution, in which sins are forgiven. The priestess acts as the
link between the physical world in which we live, bound by the laws
of space and time, and the mysteries of eternity known only to God.
On
the cover, Wendy is pictured on stage on her knees, leaning
backwards. At first sight this is simply a good photo - and a sexy
one! But it has a religious aspect. Wendy - the priestess - can be
seen as subordinate to a superior being or set of beliefs.
This
becomes clear when we examine the tracks. The first - 'Lunacy' - begins
with a fairly long instrumental prologue, which is somewhat
mantra-like. Lunacy means insanity or madness, and in the past
intermittent lunacy was attributed to the cycles of the moon. This
lunar aspect features clearly in the song. Wendy is describing some
form of cosmic power which is given to people, and which they can use
for good or evil effect. This is entirely consistent with Christian
teaching, in which people have free will to choose between good and
evil and the future is not predetermined.
The
next track - 'Doom Song' - maintains the religious theme with an organ
introduction. Doom Song is a kind of alternative Lord's Prayer. The
priestess - Wendy - is administering a form of eucharist. Casual
listening to the record can lead to the mistaken impression that she
is swnmoning up dark forces, but the opposite is actually the case.
The condemnation of hypocrites echoes the words of Jesus, and the
priestess has been given considerable power to use some force against
the enemies of good. The hypocrites are described as "filthy",
and some mysterious crawling, oozing, slimy "something" is
going to deal with them.
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| PLASMATICS - 'Metal Priestess' Original Can-Am 1981 Stiff Records Pressing (WOW666) |
The
reference to the Prince of Darkness is curious. Superficially, Satan
is being invoked, and that is why the song can easily be
misinterpreted as a form of Black Mass. But the figure of Satan is
always a baffling one; if Satan is in charge of Hell - the purpose of
which is supposedly to punish sinners for all eternity - he is
clearly acting on behalf of Ciod and is hardly the sinner's friend.
In fact, Satan would be one of God's key workers, albeit with a
rather hot and unpleasant working enviromnent! The concept of Hell
does not derive from the Bible but from later ideas, and Satan is an
ambivalent figure. It is possible that the "something"
referred to above is Satan - and therefore the priestess, acting on
Go&s authority, has summoned Satan from the underworld to punish
the hypocrites. The reference to "YI"" at the end of
the song, i.e. to Jehovah, confirms the fascinating religious theme
of this song.
The
third track - 'Sex Junkie' - also appears on the album 'Beyond the Valley of 1984'
and is a condemnation of sex-obsessed American culture (see the
analysis of this song in the section about the 1984 album)
The
fourth track - 'Black Leather Monster' - follows the same theme as Sex
Junkie. The meaning of the title refers is unclear; it could be a
phallic reference, or maybe even to the priestess herself, the song
being sung in the third person i.e. Wendy is taking the role of one
of the sex junides who is at the mercy of the priestess/dominatrix.
The
fifth track - '12 Noon' - is in many ways a prologue for the excellent
'Maggots' album that would follow some six years later. Wendy is
describing the corruption and pollution in modern society. The song
is very interesting because it takes the opposite line to the
stereotypical warnings of "destruction just around the corner".
For it is corruption and pollution - rather than civilised society -
which is about to be destroyed. Whether this destruction will result
in the restoration of morality, or simply the end of human life,
isn't clear. In a way, the priestess may be giving the world an
opportunity to confess sins and make peace with God before possible
annihilation, the suggestion being that the world has been given 24
hours or so to do this.
The
final song - 'Masterplan' - is also on the 'Beyond the Valley of 1984'
album and an analysis of the song is in the commentary on that album.
The song suggests that society had it made, but ruined everything.
This echoes the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
Metal
Priestess is very clearly an album with a strong religious theme. It
can be interpreted as the priestess - Wendy - describing how mankind
has been given the power to choose between Good and Evil, but has
chosen Evil. She has summoned the forces of destruction to sweep the
corruption away, and has given the world time to make peace with God
and seek absolution of its sins.
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