Tag: metal church

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.

Right up to date with studio releases anyway, as this was Metal Church’s last studio recording, released in 2018. It was also vocalist Mike Howe’s last recording before he sadly committed suicide.

The album opens with the title track, and man what a killer riff and groove to blast your ears open. Even though the riff and groove smoke, the hook and chorus are superb with just the right amount of melody. The Black Things is next up and boom, another killer opening which reminds me of early Annihilator. That picked guitar riff is killer and gives the song that touch of the epic. By The Number starts as though it’s life depended on it with some old school Bay Area thrash vibes. It’s great to see a metal band still thinking that a great hook and chorus is not just for pop bands.

That’s Side 1 done and Revolution Underway kicks off Side 2. The underlying groove is a gallop and it’s the most commercial song so far, I love the middle section. Guillotine follows and the intro brings the drama big time. It’s back to 86′ with a riff and groove worthy of that period. Next up is  Rot Away. Killer old school riffage with chuggas a plenty. Old school metal rules! Great guitar sound to the intro of Into The Fold, double kicks pounding with monster riffage. Monkey Finger has that Judas Priest groove thing going down. Out Of Balance rips in at a fair old pace with a super cool descending riff, I love the hook and chorus, and it’s my favourite track. The album closes out with The War Electric, another chunk of old school thrash. Epic stuff!

It’s great to see a band over forty years into their career come out with an album like this. Great album!

9/10 from The Grooveman.

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.