Kurdt Vanderhoof founded the band in San Francisco, CA under the name of Shrapnel, but he soon relocated to Aberdeen, WA and eventually put together the lineup seen on this album. After changing their moniker to what may be the most metal band name ever, Metal Church independently released this self-titled record in '84. Despite being only their first album, Metal Church shows a massive amount of ambition in the songwriting. 'Beyond the Black' and 'Metal Church' both contain huge riffs and even bigger choruses, and in the case of the former track, nearly cinematic dynamics. Vanderhoof was and is the primary writer for Metal Church, and already he was showing confidence and extraordinary skill as a heavy metal songwriter. Really though, every musician in Metal Church was (and is) fantastic at what they do; drummer Kirk Arrington and bassist Duke Erickson had a real sense of swing, and wrote parts and fills that were anything but the norm for metal rhythm sections, Craig Wells was the perfect shreddy foil to Vanderhoof's more bluesy soloing, and singer David Wayne's screechy wailing oozed charisma and demonic power. Wayne really got to show his versatility and emotional range on the epic 'Gods of Wrath', while his awesome screams on the thrashy 'Hitman' are the kind that make you want to bust out the falsetto and wail along every time. The album was produced by a young Terry Date, who gave Metal Church a really warm and very analog sound. Apparently a lot of people weren't a fan of the production at the time, but I think it has aged remarkably well- far better than a couple other Metal Church albums anyway. The band's cover of 'Highway Star' is fun, but not really essential- I'll take the Deep Purple version any day.
Metal Church are an increasingly tough band to lump in a specific sub-genre of heavy metal. They're too melodic for thrash and too heavy for power metal- perhaps just plain old heavy metal music is what best describes them. Though Metal Church initially released this album independently, the guys from Metallica convinced their label Elektra Records to sign the band. Elektra did so, reissued Metal Church and the band stayed with them for the next couple of albums.
So the band signs with a major label, they're probably going to write a commercial record and hit the big time, right? Hell no, this is Metal Church, the band that opens their new studio album on their fancy record label with the pile-driving madness that is 'Ton of Bricks'. Yeah, that's pretty damn metal alright. Getting to the album itself though, the production on The Dark is far more "big-budget", with the guitars beefed up a bit and the drums having that huge '80s gated sound. Apparently the kicks and the snares were triggered on The Dark, but Arrington's sheer power and groove behind the drums managed to come through anyway. The guy was one of the best drummers in metal history, and he performs stunningly on every one of the tracks on this album. The songs here are much more direct and to the point than the ones on Metal Church, with only 'Watch the Children Pray' returning to the dark atmosphere felt on the first album. The band's at their all-time thrashiest on The Dark though, with 'Ton of Bricks', 'Over My Dead Body' and the infinitely badass 'Western Alliance' (Arrington and Wayne are total monsters on this gem) beating the listener senseless. The fist-pumping catchiness of 'Start the Fire' is also a great deal of fun, as is the the groovy 'Method to Your Madness'. Unlike Metal Church though, there is a bit of filler in the form of the clunky 'Psycho' and side two starting at the title track just isn't anywhere near as strong as side one. This is still a mostly killer album though, another record that's perfect for the kids with iPods who like to cherry-pick their songs.
Kurdt Vanderhoof became enamored with the recording studio during the sessions for The Dark, and left the band as a touring and performing member after the shows in support of the album. Vanderhoof would continue to act as Metal Church's primary songwriter however. He was temporarily replaced by some dude named Mark Baker, and then permanently replaced by an unknown Bay Area guitar hero/frighteningly tall guy by the name of John Marshall. David Wayne also parted company with Metal Church after touring for The Dark was finished; he was replaced by Mike Howe, who had become known for his awesome vocals in Heretic, an L.A. band that played a similar style of metal to Metal Church. Ironically, Wayne recruited the now singer-less Heretic members for a new band called Reverend, dubbed after his nickname during his time in Metal Church.
Three years had passed since The Dark, during which the band lost their original founding member and an iconic vocalist. Sounds like a recipe for disaster right? Metal Church said "NOPE!" and recorded Blessing in Disguise, an album that's their most ambitious and creative, and also was their strongest at the time. After hearing the titanic main riff of 'Fake Healer', Metal Church fans should rest easy. After hearing Mike Howe spit fire and hold screams that would make even the departed Wayne blush, Metal Church fans should have a big old grin on their faces. Vanderhoof and Howe upped their game on the lyrical end of things, choosing to cover more serious topics like doctors who conned their patients into expensive surgeries, the homeless and even the Titanic. This was a big step up from whatever the hell 'Ton of Bricks' was trying to get across. Arrington once again offered one of a kind beats and driving performances, and the other new guy John Marshall threw in plenty of quick solos. Blessing in Disguise is just an all-around stellar album with not a single lame track. The epic twists and turns of 'Rest in Pieces (April 15, 1912)', the pounding crawl of 'Anthem to the Estranged', and the acoustic guitar-laced 'Badlands' were risky, but they really paid off. 'Badlands' and 'Fake Healer' were especially armed with massive choruses that didn't forsake the band's heavy metal namesake, but were still insanely hooky. The bridge of 'The Powers That Be' is also one of Metal Church's most devastating moments, and one of Howe's career highlights. Terry Date returned to the board for Blessing, but somehow he fumbled really hard with the mix (or rather, perhaps I should say "the mixes"- the album is sonically all over the place), resulting in the entire band sounding trapped inside a warehouse. It's a testament to the quality of the performances and the songs that Blessing in Disguise is such an fantastic album in spite of the spotty sound though.
Metal Church filmed their first music for 'Badlands', and apparently it gained a decent amount of airplay on Headbanger's Ball on MTV. A giant cat randomly appears throughout the video for some reason, and Duke Erickson insists on walking aimlessly into the desert during his bass break. Gotta love the '80s!
Okay, it's 1991 you know what that means: thrash metal is dying a fiery death, and hip hop and grunge are taking over. Grunge was surely an especially sore spot for Metal Church as the sound originated from Seattle, which was practically home base for the band. Surely Metal Church will try and sell out by attempting a groove metal or alternative metal or even a grunge album with dumb sophomoric lyrics in order to adapt with the changing times right? Right? Metal Church said "NOPE!" once again, and released The Human Factor, an album that's so unapologetic in how fucking metal it is, socially conscious and so intelligent that it's nearly impossible to fathom it even existing in 1991. What's even more alarming is that the lyrics, while lacking in subtlety, still very much apply today for the most part. Though its stand against the practice of sampling dates it a bit, the title track's attack on the dehumanization of music is probably more relevant today than ever before. Not to mention, the debtor of "Date With Poverty" could be any one of thousands of credit card bill-addled Americans today. The same goes for the neglected and abused children of 'In Harms Way'. No other metal album has ever struck such a chord with me lyrically- maybe it's because of my age (take a guess folks!), maybe it has to do with the lives and struggles of my peers and friends, or maybe it's because of the events of my own life as well, but the words on The Human Factor really hit home for me.
Now for the music- The Human Factor also happens to be Metal Church's creative masterpiece. 'Date With Poverty' is just a total pounder of a track with a beyond hooky chorus, while Mike Howe gives a show-stopping performance on the epic and bludgeoning 'In Harms Way'. You can literally feel his seething rage in the growling menace he gives 'In Due Time' as well. Howe wasn't the only one who shined on The Human Factor, for Kirk Arrington attacked his drums like a rabid animal unleashed on this amazing record. Arrington's performance on the album is just stunning, as the guy alternates between massive grooves like the one that carries the gloriously riff-tastic 'In Mourning' to the wild-eyed d-beat thrashing of 'Flee From Reality'. Cut for cut, The Human Factor simply annihilates the competition. Even the production is one of the best ever done on a traditional heavy metal album. You can actually hear Duke Erickson's bass pulling and pushing the action throughout, and the guy reveals himself to be quite an underrated talent. Maybe only 'Betrayed' is a bit of a duff cut, but when the first eight of ten songs on the album are among the band's greatest ever (and track ten, 'The Fight Song', is still a delightfully blazing speedfest), it's impossible to not call The Human Factor Metal Church's greatest achievement. One of the finest American heavy metal albums ever made.
The band took a strong stance against sampling in the title track to The Human Factor but thanks to a hilariously ironic turn of events, they themselves were sampled when they collaborated with Sir Mix-A-Lot for a cover of Black Sabbath's 'Iron Man'. You can judge the quality of this song for yourself below; as for me, I'm still doing my best to process it.
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