Singer Wendy O. Williams also broke ground for her unique singing style; she pushed her voice so hard she had to travel into Cologne each day for treatment to avoid permanent damage to her vocal cords.

Despite the band's rise in fame, they were dropped by Capitol Records shortly after the album's release when sales proved less than hoped for and their stage shows, which often featured Williams destroying tables, chairs, and other home furnishings with a chainsaw, created considerable controversy.

The Los Angeles Times called Coup d'Etat the "best slice of unrelenting heavy metal since the last AC/DC album", adding, "Williams makes Ann Wilson or Pat Benatar sound like Judy Collins".

"[4] In early 1983, as a part of the support for the album and an attempt to continue their transition toward a metal audience, the band opened for Kiss on their Creatures of the Night tour.

It was during this time that Gene Simmons approached manager Rod Swenson about producing the next Plasmatics album (ultimately becoming the initial Wendy O. Williams solo offering, WOW).