Saint of the Pit, The Divine Punishment, and You Must Be Certain of the Devil comprise Galas' "Masque of the Red Death trilogy," three records about the treatment of AIDS victims and the predominant view of AIDS in late 80's, early '90s America. Angry and disgusted at the shunning of these victims, Galas unleashed her fury on those three records, and after their release put out Plague Mass, a live record consisting of songs from those records, as well as some other tracks (including bits of tracks which would later be released on her album The Singer). Galas performed the piece in a New York Catholic church, half-naked and covered in fake blood. The church walls reverberate her deathly wails and shrieks and the performance is intense and frightening. Galas' voice is incredibly powerful. The performance is largely a capella, but occasionally drums and other instrumentation enter the fold. Plague Mass is a difficult listen, but it is also a masterpiece.
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