Metal Church were formed way back in 1980, although it wasn’t until ’84 when their debut album saw the light of day. Originally released on independent label Ground Zero, this is a reissue by MOV on 180g. Also, this was Terry Date’s first production job and he would go on to produce many great albums, most notably Pantera’s Cowboys From Hell and A Vulgar Display Of Power.
For ’84 there are some seriously technical grooves on this album, away from the straight up thrash that was growing popularity at the time. The title track is a beast of a tune, with some excellent full on riffing, a slower main groove to add some great dynamics, and an added touch of Maiden thrown in. If you want some good old speed added to the grooves then the instrumental Merciless Onslaught should shake the dandruff away.
My favourite track is Hitman. Some great chugga riffing and there is a definite nod to NWOBHM on this as the similarities are very close. Big shout out to the cover of Deep Purple’s Highway Star. A slightly sped up version but I just find it a great and fun listen.
A very enjoyable romp, and this band were quite important in the whole USA metal scene of the time.
8/10 from The Grooveman.
