Way Too Ahead of Their Time

1979. Disco at it's height, new wave coming to be and metal gods Page and Plant were sold out.

In the dark, lurking in the shadows and sounding like something from the 21st century were a group of misfits and anarchists - The Plasmatics.

"Butcher baby, they're gonna put you away!"
"Ni, si, su, chi"

Slam!

What was it? Punk-metal, metal, the apocalypse? Nothing sounded like that before and hasn't since. Even in 2008, with it's pseudo punk Fall Out Boy top 10 trash, the music from "New Hope for the Wretched" and "Beyond the Valley of 1984" still defies full classification. "Metal Priestess" and "Coup D'Etat", though more metal still lay beyond Metallica and have yet to be reproduced by any band around.

Today, hearing a Plasmatics tune, the sound is still fresh but almost contemporary. Not that it's mainstream or radio-friendly, but today's hordes of poser teens may find some recognizable roots in the tune.

The true anarchists, punks and deathheads would immediately recognize the spirit in which the songs were written. Yet still, much of the Plasmatics work is still ahead of it's time.

The last album returned to the anarchist roots of the band and, though much more complex than "Wretched," somehow manages to assert the Plasmatics lasting place in music history as the band way too ahead of their time.