Metal Church

[Searched around for this and couldn't find it; if someone has tackled MC already than you have my apologies and will take this down]

Been doing this on my Facebook for some days now in anticipation of grabbing the new Generation Nothing record. So far I'm up to The Human Factor; trying to keep it once a day. Also I won't be going over Building the Church, since I haven't even heard it--yet. Anyway I always appreciate good discussion on this seminal band and their catalog. Here we go.

The Warehouse, 1994. Had some change stored up to buy a used cassette, looking for a new band. The name "Metal Church" stands out from the thousands of tapes in the used bin. Thought it was a cool name, and the cover was just beautiful with a Gibson Explorer forming a mossy cross amidst an ocean of fog and cool lighting. Even the jagged logo was perfect. Wondered why they never played these guys on the radio. Picked it up for a cool 99 cents and threw it on my Walkman for the drive home. My earphones never left my head that day.


I could discuss here how founder and guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof started the band in SF, 1980, the Red Skies demo, and Lars, but Wikipedia has it all up nice and neat; better to just discuss the album now.


The debut was a smoking platter of RAW, and I mean RAW heavy metal that bordered on the edge of thrash at times. It was a short offering--eight originals and one cover (Highway Star), and one of the originals being an instrumental--but it had all the energy of a suicide run. Ripping opener Beyond the Black actually made my palms sweat as a kid; the quiet intro, complete with mechanized (demonized, really) vocals took the piss from me right quick before knocking me out with the main riff. Hyperbole aside, there was something dark and sinister about this album, even when they slowed down for Gods of Wrath.

Here's what's considered to be their magnum opus of the debut, which I'm sure all of you have heard a hundred times a year. It shattered my skull at 14 years old and I still shamelessly bang my head to it. \m/

This is the only Metal Church album I own, and I only bought it fairly recently. I can't say I fully "get" the band and the raw production has made it hard to appreciate. I think I'll give it another spin tonight and see how it sounds now.

I met them with "The Dark". I only recently added this one in the last year..... but I do love it!
Favorite over all song - "Gods Of Wrath"
Favorite riff - "Metal Church"

I like this album quite a bit, and although they are a fairly new discovery for me I am trying to collect the entire discography. I had known OF Metal Church for a long time but Roch on RadioActive metal podcast raves about them. This piqued my curiosity and then they played the live version of Highway Star. I was hooked. A great band all around. This was the first album that I purchased.

I swear the Metal Church debut has actually gotten BETTER with age.

Not much to add because everything previously stated about this is true. One of the best debuts ever.Best song on it is the opener Beyond The Black ! It crushes !

I only got this one just a few years back myself, so I haven't lived with it nearly as long as some of their other discs. It's a killer debut for sure and holds up well though. Just pulled it off the shelf not to long ago actually.

Which also reminded me that I need new inserts for it. I bought mine used from FYE and although the disc is fine, the booklet & back inserts are water damaged. Anyone got a spare?

I don't think I've ever heard them. I've heard of them. Need to change that. Looking forward to this.

Killer work. Very raw, very intense, somewhat menacing. Like it a lot. And it only gets better with each listen, which is usually a promising sign of band breaking into your favorites.

The raw, powerful, aggressive sound of the debut is what I love about Metal Church...and also why I don't think they ever came anywhere close to capturing the power of that album. While there are other albums in their discography that I enjoy, the debut is the only one I would describe as essential. One of the most powerful debuts of the 80s and I just wish they had continued down that path a little longer.

Excellent album!

Great debut and probably would of done better business if on a different label.

James B. wrote:

Great debut and probably would of done better business if on a different label.

It got a decent promotional push from Elektra when they started distributing it. I had never heard it but I remember a promotion Elektra ran called "March is metal month". They were pushing Metallica's Ride The Lightning, Motley Crue's Theater Of Pain and the debut Metal Church record. I bought it as a blind purchase because of that promotion (it was budget priced which helped too).

Boy, that month had a lot of "m's."

Just to be sure here...the Elektra reissue and the Ground Zero release are virtually the same, correct?

Metal Church is a weird one for me, I first noticed them on the release of The Dark and promptly got this as well, I thought that both were great records. I saw them live and they completely blew me away, to this day one of the best live bands I have ever seen.

Then, they just faded away in my mind and I have never owned or felt the need to own any of their other records. I think it was just timing, I was getting more and more extreme in my tastes and they never went into the thrash thing despite being a really influential band to that scene.

Still a monster of an album though.

S.D. wrote:

James B. wrote:

Great debut and probably would of done better business if on a different label.

It got a decent promotional push from Elektra when they started distributing it.  I had never heard it but I remember a promotion Elektra ran called "March is metal month".  They were pushing Metallica's Ride The Lightning, Motley Crue's Theater Of Pain and the debut Metal Church record.  I bought it as a blind purchase because of that promotion (it was budget priced which helped too).  

I guess my meaning was more for the band in general and not this album. Being that Metallica began to take off and the Crue was a different demographic, they (Metal Church) got lost in the shuffle or so it seemed ?

One of my favorite albums of all time.... I have the European vinyl version with the bonus track Big Guns... And of course a CD.

corplhicks wrote:

Boy, that month had a lot of "m's."

Just to be sure here...the Elektra reissue and the Ground Zero release are virtually the same, correct?

The Ground Zero release didn't produce any cd's only cassette and vinyl. And as stated about the Euro vinyl version having Big Guns, the cassette version on Ground Zero, in the US had that cut on it as well (and yes I still have the tape).

I'd say, being from the same home town and seeing the band everywhere that they promoted their release MUCH more heavily than the later Elektra version got promoted, that graveyard destroyer cover and their logo was everywhere and it is still classic!

This is the only Metal Church album I currently own and its a monster. One of the best debut of the 80's in regards to the metal genre, and the album still holds up very well and kick your ass

manny wrote:

One of the best debut of the 80's in regards to the metal genre, and the album still  holds up very well and kick your ass

i agree very much.

martinsane wrote:

corplhicks wrote:

Boy, that month had a lot of "m's."

Just to be sure here...the Elektra reissue and the Ground Zero release are virtually the same, correct?

The Ground Zero release didn't produce any cd's only cassette and vinyl. And as stated about the Euro vinyl version having Big Guns, the cassette version on Ground Zero, in the US had that cut on it as well (and yes I still have the tape).

I'd say, being from the same home town and seeing the band everywhere that they promoted their release MUCH more heavily than the later Elektra version got promoted, that graveyard destroyer cover and their logo was everywhere and it is still classic!

Cool thanks man. Was the mix any different between the two as well? Other than some obvious differences in the format, that is.

corplhicks wrote:

martinsane wrote:

corplhicks wrote:

Boy, that month had a lot of "m's."

Just to be sure here...the Elektra reissue and the Ground Zero release are virtually the same, correct?

The Ground Zero release didn't produce any cd's only cassette and vinyl. And as stated about the Euro vinyl version having Big Guns, the cassette version on Ground Zero, in the US had that cut on it as well (and yes I still have the tape).

I'd say, being from the same home town and seeing the band everywhere that they promoted their release MUCH more heavily than the later Elektra version got promoted, that graveyard destroyer cover and their logo was everywhere and it is still classic!

Cool thanks man. Was the mix any different between the two as well? Other than some obvious differences in the format, that is.

I would have to revisit, my ears where a lot younger and naive back then, but I believe Elektra just repackaged and dropped Big Guns, I'd go out on a limb and say everything else is as the original...

I should re-visit the debut. I wasn't hugely into it when I got, which around 99 or so. I didn't hate it but it didn't really ever grab me. Around the same time I bought Blessing in Disguise and still listen to that one. I got The Dark at some point, but I barely remember that one either.

Their debut is a raging slab of metal! Classic album through and through!

BTW everyone here's the Big Guns track that was dropped. I always thought it a great mystery why this was dropped. It's a f*cking sweet song, would have rounded the tracks to 10, and hell there was plenty of time anyway: