Year : 2020 (Box Set Edition)
Style : Heavy Metal , Power Metal
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + scans
Size : 353 mb
Bio:
Born out of the West Coast Metal scene of the 80's, Metal Church quickly became one of the standout talents of the genre. After signing a deal with Elektra records, they released two critically acclaimed albums. Their self-titled release "Metal Church" postured the band as one of the pioneers of the thrash/metal scene. The All Music Guide had this to say about the debut: "The band's incredibly tight musicianship is a highlight all on it's own. This album remains an overlooked classic of straight-ahead American-bred heavy metal." With the heavy metal scene starting to rise in the U.S., Metal Church set out on a very successful tour with label mates Metallica.Next came "The Dark," the fury of its opening track, "Ton of Bricks" was championed as one of the premier metal releases of the 80's. The Dark also led to one of a few lineup changes with the departure of vocalist David Wayne. However, more success was yet to come. With the addition of former Heretic vocalist Mike Howe, and Metallica guitar tech extraordinaire John Marshall, the riffing became heavier and the subject matter deeper. They tackled political and social issues of the day with the releases of "Blessing In Disguise" and "The Human Factor." At a time when heavy metal bands moved from the underground and became part of the hair band/pop fad, Metal Church stayed true to their roots.During the mid 90's, the members of Metal Church headed in their own directions. Kurdt Vanderhoof worked on his namesake project, Vanderhoof, while Kirk Arrington was playing on various sessions including a recording with Sir Mix-A-Lot. 1999 led to a well-received reunion of the original Metal Church lineup with the release of "Masterpeace". The band went back to their classic sound and played several festivals overseas.2004 saw them back with new vocalist, Ronny Munroe, whose style has been described as "Rob Halford meets Dio", as well as Jay Reynolds (Malice) on guitar and Steve Unger on bass. With a new record "The Weight of the World" and some new blood, heavy metal legends Metal Church picked up where their aptly titled last release "Masterpeace" left off.In 2006, twenty years after their cult album "The Dark", Metal Church presented their brand new release, "A Light In The Dark", forging a creative arch that skillfully links the band's past with the present. Ten new tracks, (plus a new version of the classic "Watch The Children Pray", a tribute to original frontman David Wayne), document the development of a band that, despite all innovation, has never denied it's typical trademarks. The current lineup consists of Kurdt Vanderhoof, Ronny Munroe, Jay Reynolds, Steve Unger and new addition Jeff Plate on drums. "Jeff is an incredibly dynamic and professional drummer," Vanderhoof points out. "He has propelled us to a musical level that surprised even ourselves." Plate has replaced Kirk Arrington, who left the group for health reasons, and proves a real stroke of luck on "A Light In The Dark".In 2008, guitarist Jay Reynolds was replaced by Rottweiler guitar player Rick Van Zandt. This Present Wasteland, Metal Church's ninth release, is a return to their roots and contains some of their strongest material to date.In October 2012, the band announced resumption of activity around a lineup featuring Vanderhoof, Munroe, Unger, Reynolds (soon replaced by Van Zandt), and Plate. Their first performances came the following January during the 70,000 Tons of Metal event, a heavy metal cruise. During one of these two shows, the band played their debut album, Metal Church, in its entirety.Shortly thereafter, Vanderhoof told Music Life Radio that Metal Church has been working on a new album. In order to promote their new album, the band will be playing festivals in the summer of 2013.
Album:
METAL CHURCH are one of the few thrash metal bands outside of the so called Big 4 (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax) that is critically revered and loved by fans and it’s pretty easy to see why. A pioneer band in the genre without a doubt.As requested, here’s Cherry Red Records / Hear No Evil 3xCD Remastered Gatefold Digisleeve “The Elektra Years 1984-1989“ pulling together METAL CHURCH most acclaimed LP’s, their first 3 albums from the ’80s with Elektra Records, including bonus tracks.‘Metal Church’ (1984), ‘The Dark’ (1986) and ‘Blessing in Disguise’ (1989) are not only incredible sounding (thanks to the remaster) but still musically relevant today. They’re a fine example of mid to late ’80s thrash.The production of the 1st album may not be greatest in history, but the music is raw as hell thanks to the 3 tracks from their Four Hymns demo tape but also the cover of Deep Purple’s ‘Highway Star’. This was the introduction of Metal Church to the masses. Even though they had shifted 70,000 copies before signing to Elektra.CD 2 on this release featured Metal Church‘s classic album ‘The Dark’ which had better production value handled with Mark Dodson, known for his work with Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest and Ugly Kid Joe. The album made a significant dent on the Billboard Top 100 charts, aided by the video for ‘Watch The Children Pray’ plus the single ‘Start The Fire’.There’s some amazing kick ass tracks on this CD like ‘Watch The Children Pray’ (also included as bonus in its remixed version), ‘Start The Fire’ with its rangy swagger and amazing chorus, the horror movie ode extraordinaire title track, the killer ‘Ton of Bricks’, and more.The final CD on this collection is the critically acclaimed ‘Blessing In Disguise’. This is regarded as Metal Church‘s defining album. Changing vocalists was a challenge to get over, new guy Mike Howe clearly having less of an immediate sonic impact than David Wayne, yet adding another dimension to the band.Once again better production than the previous and also slightly heavier (yes, it’s possible). An absolute blinder of an album.
Line-Up:
David Wayne (R.I.P. 2005) – Vocals
Mike Howe (R.I.P. 2021) – Vocals
Kurdt Vanderhoof - Guitars (1982-1987, 1998-2009, 2012-present) - See also: Presto Ballet, ex-Vanderhoof, ex-Hall Aflame, ex-The Lewd
Craig Wells – Guitars
John Marshall – Guitars
Duke Erickson – Bass
Kirk Arrington (R.I.P. 2023) – Drums, Percussion
Tracklist:
CD1: Metal Church (1984)
01. Beyond the Black
02. Metal Church
03. Merciless Onslaught
04. Gods of Wrath
05. Hitman
06. In the Blood
07. (My Favorite) Nightmare
08. Battalions
09. Highway Star
CD2: The Dark (1986)
01. Ton of Bricks
02. Start the Fire
03. Method to My Madness
04. Watch the Children Pray
05. Over My Dead Body
06. The Dark
07. Psycho
08. Line of Death
09. Burial at Sea
10. Western Alliance
11. Watch the Children Play (Vocal Edit) (Bonus Track)
CD3: Blessing in Disguise (1989)
01. Fake Healer
02. Rest In Pieces (April 15, 1912)
03. Badlands
04. Of Unsound Mind
05. Anthem to the Estranged
06. The Spell Can’t Be Broken
07. It’s a Secret
08. Cannot Tell a Lie
09. The Powers That Be
10. Badlands (Edit) [Radio mix] (Bonus Track)
11. Fake Healer (Edit) [Radio mix] (Bonus Track)
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