Metal Church

A fine metal band from Seattle, Metal Church never got the recognition they deserved. After two excellent albums, the band acquired new lead singer Mike Howe from Heretic, creating a sound that was downright PHENOMENAL! (Original singer David Wayne, plus the "leftovers" from Heretic, formed the band Reverend.) They also appeared on Metal Massacre V, with the song "The Brave"; I've also got "Big Guns" on the SPV import crappy vinyl copy of their debut, and also a crappy vinyl compilation called Northwest Metalfest (some kind of "battle of the bands" thing, so I've heard) which contains their song "Death Wish"! Those last two songs probably have no hope of making their way to CD, but you never know...

"Metal Church"

  1. "Beyond the Black" (6:21)
  2. "Metal Church" (5:00)
  3. "Merciless Onslaught"--instrumental (2:55)
  4. "Gods of Wrath" (6:42)
  5. "Hitman" (4:31)
  6. "In the Blood" (3:30)
  7. "(My Favorite) Nightmare" (3:10)
  8. "Battalions" (4:54)
  9. "Highway Star" (4:37)

A solid collection, one of the best debut albums ever made! The songs "Beyond the Black" and "Metal Church" start out slow and gloomy, but the band rocks out hard on later tracks. And of course there's the hilarious version of Deep Purple's "Highway Star"!

"The Dark"

  1. "Ton of Bricks" (3:00)
  2. "Start the Fire" (3:50)
  3. "Method to Your Madness" (4:52)
  4. "Watch the Children Pray" (5:57)
  5. "Over My Dead Body" (3:26)
  6. "The Dark" (4:11)
  7. "Psycho" (3:32)
  8. "Line of Death" (4:42)
  9. "Burial at Sea" (4:58)
  10. "Western Alliance" (3:18)

This was the first Metal Church album I ever heard, and once the monster-thrash song "Ton of Bricks" started, I was instantly hooked! The last few songs get kind of stale, though, perhaps a good reason why they decided to change lead singers...

"Blessing in Disguise"

  1. "Fake Healer" (5:55)
  2. "Rest in Pieces (April 15, 1912)" (6:38)
  3. "Of Unsound Mind" (4:44)
  4. "Anthem to the Estranged" (9:31)
  5. "Badlands" (7:21)
  6. "The Spell Can't Be Broken" (6:46)
  7. "It's a Secret"--instrumental (3:47)
  8. "Cannot Tell a Lie" (4:17)
  9. "The Powers That Be" (5:22)

Few bands manage to survive a change in lead singers, and fewer still come out better than before! This is one of those rare exceptions, and Mike Howe's tremendous vocal range allows for some amazing musical diversity, from the totally-heavy "Fake Healer" to the slower, more lyrical "Badlands". An amazing album!

"The Human Factor"

  1. "The Human Factor" (4:59)
  2. "Date with Poverty" (5:18)
  3. "The Final Word" (6:00)
  4. "In Mourning" (5:58)
  5. "In Harm's Way" (7:00)
  6. "In Due Time" (4:03)
  7. "Agent Green" (5:56)
  8. "Flee from Reality" (4:10)
  9. "Betrayed" (4:30)
  10. "The Fight Song" (3:27)

I bought this one the same day I moved into a new apartment, and stuck it in the CD player while I assembled a maddeningly annoying VCR case. I remember clearly, by the third song, looking up and thinking, "Damn, this album is good!" Of course, "masterpiece" is more like it! Ten tracks of blistering brilliance, not a weak song to be found. The lyrics can be quite scathing at times: the title track is a strong denunciation of the music industry, and "Final Word" basically says that if you're going to exercise your right to Free Speech, at least have something useful to say! (I wonder how Ice-T feels about that?) A remarkable piece of work.

"Hanging in the Balance"

  1. "Gods of Second Chance" (5:25)
  2. "Losers in the Game" (5:06)
  3. "Hypnotized" (4:40)
  4. "No Friend of Mine" (3:56)
  5. "Waiting for a Savior" (5:45)
  6. "Conductor" (4:08)
  7. "Little Boy" (8:12)
  8. "Down to the River" (4:58)
  9. "End of the Age" (7:17)
  10. "Lovers and Madmen"--instrumental (2:59)
  11. "A Subtle War" (4:05)

Not as good as Human Factor, and at times very similar to that album ("Waiting for a Savior", for example, is basically a retread of "In Harm's Way".) Still a strong performance, although the band's weariness shows at times. Unfortunately, there's a "special edition" of this CD with a 12th song, "Low to Overdrive" -- had to settle for an mp3 of that one.

Oh yeah, the band broke up shortly after this one, but then came down with a case of D.N.R.S. (Dreaded Nostalgic Reunion Syndrome) -- yes, the original Wayne/Vanderhoof lineup HAS REFORMED, and is working on a new album! They also released a live album from an '86 concert, but I'm not sweating that one at the moment...


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