Ironically, I always associate Metal Church with Kurdt Vanderhoof, but he left after the first two albums and doesn’t appear on this – the band’s third release which came out in ’88. This is the MOV reissue and it sounds superb – it’s a great pressing.
Opening track, Fake Healer, sounds as though the band had been channeling their inner Judas Priest. A killer drum fill opens the following track, Rest In Pieces. It has a choppy riff and a groove that feels all of their own. It’s a great old school thrash track and my favourite on the album! Of Unsound Mind is textbook thrash – a fast chugga riff and double kicks are go. Side 1 closes out with the epic, Anthem To The Estranged. Weighing in at over 9 minutes, there are lots of time and mood changes to keep you happy.
Badlands opens up Side 2 and I think this was released as a single – in the US anyway. It reminds me a bit of Queensryche – especially the intro. The Spell Can’t Be Broken has a very hectic riff and groove. It’s A Secret is an instrumental and I get metal Stormbringer vibes from it – at least until the speed increases somewhat then it’s killer thrash-o-rama. Cannot Tell A Lie starts as though it’s trying to break the sound barrier, and carries on like that all the way through the song. The album closes out with The Powers That Be, and it’s that riff that you have heard variations of on every metal album ever.
I always thought Metal Church would be one of the big thrash bands, but I guess fate would have it differently.
8.5/10 from The Grooveman.
