Judas Priest: The Subliminal Message Trial
On December 23, 1985, two heavy metal fans spent the day drinking, smoking marijuana, and listening to Judas Priest. Throughout the course of their party, the troubled friends formed a suicide pact. Raymond Belknap died instantly from a self-inflicted shotgun blast. James Vance survived his suicide attempt. The shotgun left Vance grossly disfigured.
Grieving parents struggled to make sense of tragedy. Rather than focus on substance abuse and a trouble past, they blamed music. Both kids had been listening to the classic Judas Priest album Stained Class before taking their own lives.
Parents accused Judas Priest of inserting subliminal messages into the record. These latent cues allegedly told their sons to kill themselves. The family hired lawyers and sued the band in Nevada District Court. In the summer of 1990, Judas Priest appeared in court to defend themselves.
Two songs in particular were singled out. Vance provided testimony that “Beyond the Realms of Death” had inspired the two friends to enter a suicide pact. The core of the prosecution’s argument centered on “Better by You, Better Than Me.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqAPVB4u9Zs
According to attorneys, “Better by You, Better Than Me,” contained subliminal messages promoting suicide. An “expert” claimed to have discovered an assortment of hidden phrases like “try suicide” and “let’s be dead.” Much of the case centered on the perceived command “do it.”
https://youtu.be/Jl4EFThO1e4
The case was highly publicized and media groups covered the trial extensively. A wealth of footage remains. Prosecutors and the family make preposterous claims and the band vigorously denies the existence of subliminal messages. “Experts” offer “evidence” of hidden messages. The band employs the same methods to find ridiculous phrases like “Help me keep a job” and “Give me a peppermint.”
https://youtu.be/WaU4GlOO400
Although the case was dismissed, the outcome was not truly desirable. The judge calimed that subliminal messages DID exist in Stained Class. Ultimately, he conceded their presence could not be responsible for the suicides. Judas Priest were exonerated but CBS records was fined $40,000 for delaying delivery of the master tapes to prosecuting attorneys.
In 1991, the documentary Dream Deceivers: The Story Behind James Vance v Judas Priest provided a detailed account of the trial. The video is available to rent or purchase online. For those that don’t mind Spanish subtitles, Dream Deceivers can be viewed on You Tube.
https://youtu.be/8CHlMnwocVI
Judas Priest emerged free men but the entire ordeal was emotionally scathing. The experience affected K.K. Downing so deeply that his recent biography opens with a prologue detailing the emotional impact of appearing in court.
Rob Halford has expressed concern regarding the open-ended nature of the judge’s ruling. Speaking to Rolling Stone magazine, Halford claims the court left musicians “in limbo” regarding subliminal messages and feared that “it might occur again.” Almost thirty years have passed since the infamous trial. We can only hope that sanity continues to prevail.
