Metal church
is an interesting topic for metal. What other band can go
through three different vocalists not to mention other
members, and still have their followers. Even Iron Maiden
suffered greatly with the introduction of a third vocalist.
That said, Metal church is not Iron Maiden. Metal Church are
not the big shots of metal. Why? Hmm….. not sure! The works
from this band are so underrated it is unbelievable. The
reason they hold onto their fans is that even with three
different vocalists the core sound remained Metal Church. If
you don’t already know, the vocalists are all exceptional.
Each having a range fit for any type of mood or project. Mike Howe will always be my favorite, Mike! Where are you?
Come back to metal!
However, the
real kicker that kept me wanting more was the drumming of
former member Kurt Arrington. Who until the release of
"A Light In the Dark" was one mainstay of the band the other being
Vanderhof on guitars. It is said that Lars of Metallica was
slated to be the drummer. Thank the metal gods that didn’t
happen. Listen to the first four albums from Metal Church
compared and you will see what I mean. It is funny too.
Arrington will probably never make it into anyone’s top
drummer list (Except mine in my head). This is the problem
of some bands. They never get the recognition they deserve.
No matter how great they are, they never make it to the
masses. I will say the members of Metal Church probably do
not have any side jobs outside of music like Anvil or some
of the others I know, but are definitely blue collar
musicians.
I you do not
have the early releases from this band get out and get them.
Some of their releases like “Hanging in the Balance” can
only be found online. If you want something current from a
band that has been around the block and will put most other
new bands to shame get the later releases as well.
