Metal Revisited: Metal Church

Speed metal, thrash metal, power metal, heavy metal; these are all terms that could be used to describe Northwest legends Metal Church. The band formed in 1980 and lasted on and off through 2009, and consistently creating epic metal anthems throughout their long and arduous career.  The band was the brainchild of Kurdt Vanderhoof in 1980 during an inspired time when metal was really coming on as a force all on its own. Traditional metal and punk were forming to create thrash and Kurdt created a band that ambitiously fused both sounds to form something amazing. Their career started off with two remarkable albums, 1984’s Metal Church and 1986’s The Dark which heralded such classics as “Beyond the Black,” “Hitman,” “The Dark,” and “Watch The Children Pray.” Those two albums skyrocketed the band to underground fame which led to tours with Metallica, Judas Priest, and Overkill as well heavy rotation for their videos on MTV. As the band’s career continue to move forward, so did the number of people passing through their ranks.  Metal Church has seen enough lineup changes that could fill almost 5 completely separate bands which is something that most other bands would crumble in the midst of. Singers Ronnie Munroe and David Wayne belted out venomous lyrics while Kurdt, Craig Wells, and John Marshall all shredded through the memorable melodies that made the band who they were during all of their incarnations.  The power of the music as well as the dedication of its founder was the driving force to continue the band through those tumultuous times. Throughout the nineties and the 2000’s Metal Church continued to release quality outputs but never reached the stardom that seemed inevitable to the band in the eighties.  Their influence today is immeasurable within the likes of the retro thrash bands and the new wave of traditional metal bands that are popping up everywhere. Their sound can be linked to the original thrash bands as well as the newest group recently busting out in the scene. So at this time we need to pay homage to one of the greatest metal bands ever to grace our world. Metal Church never quite reached the heights that they should have ascended to, but those who know the band understand that this is a band that could have been one of the all-time greats.