Metal Church

Biography

Metal Church is an American heavy metal band formed in 1980. Originally based in San Francisco, California, they relocated to Aberdeen, Washington the following year and briefly called themselves Shrapnel. Led by guitarist and songwriter Kurdt Vanderhoof, the band has released fourteen studio albums and is considered to be an integral part of the then-emerging Seattle heavy metal music scene of the 1980s, as well as pioneers of the thrash metal, speed metal and power metal genres. They achieved considerable popularity that decade, with two of their first three albums entering the Top 100 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. The band's early lyrical topics, such as conflict and paranoia, later expanded into philosophical, political and social commentary.
Metal Church has had a revolving lineup of vocalists, guitarists, bassists and drummers throughout its 46-year career, and Vanderhoof remains the band's sole consistent creative force, despite reducing his role strictly to composition in 1986 after tiring of performing live. The "classic" lineup of Vanderhoof, vocalist David Wayne, guitarist Craig Wells, bassist Duke Erickson, and drummer Kirk Arrington recorded the band's first two studio albums, Metal Church (1984) and their major breakthrough The Dark×The Dark6 October 1986 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Ton of Bricks3:002Start the Fire3:503Method to Your Madness4:524Watch the Children Pray5:575Over My Dead Body3:266The Dark4:117Psycho3:328Line of Death4:429Burial at Sea4:5810Western Alliance3:18 (1986). By the end of the 1980s, Vanderhoof and Wayne had parted ways with the band and were replaced by guitarist John Marshall and vocalist Mike Howe, respectively. Metal Church's popularity continued with its third album Blessing in Disguise×Blessing in Disguise7 February 1989 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Fake Healer5:552Rest in Pieces (April 15, 1912)6:393Of Unsound Mind4:444Anthem to the Estranged9:325Badlands7:246The Spell Can’t Be Broken6:487It’s a Secret3:498Cannot Tell a Lie4:179The Powers That Be5:22 (1989), which spawned one of their best-known songs "Badlands×Badlands1989 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Badlands (edit)5:15". After releasing two more studio albums with Howe, The Human Factor×The Human Factor26 March 1991 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1The Human FactorA2Date With PovertyA3The Final WordA4In MourningA5In Harm’s WayB1In Due TimeB2Agent GreenB3Flee From RealityB4BetrayedB5The Fight Song (1991) and Hanging in the Balance×Hanging in the Balance21 August 1993 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Gods of Second Chance5:242Losers in the Game5:083Hypnotized4:434No Friend of Mine3:585Waiting for a Savior5:486Conductor4:107Little Boy8:148Down to the River5:009End of the Age7:1710Lovers and Madmen2:5111A Subtle War4:1212Low to Overdrive4:27 (1993), the band first broke up in 1996.
Metal Church reformed in 1998 with most of their "classic" lineup, including Vanderhoof's return to performance, resulting in the band's sixth studio album Masterpeace×Masterpeace1999 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Sleeps With Thunder6:022Falldown4:373Into Dust4:154Kiss for the Dead6:505Lb. of Cure4:326Faster Than Life4:527Masterpeace1:548All Your Sorrows5:419They Signed in Blood7:2710Toys in the Attic3:1411Sand Kings4:37 (1999); however, internal conflicts and Wayne's second departure from the band in 2001 resulted in their second hiatus. Metal Church reunited in 2003, with Ronny Munroe replacing Wayne, and the band underwent a few lineup changes within the next six years, leaving Vanderhoof as the only remaining original member. Following their third disbandment in July 2009, the group reunited for the third time in October 2012, and released their tenth studio album Generation Nothing×Generation Nothing22 October 2013 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Bullet Proof4:102Dead City3:473Generation Nothing5:054Noises in the Wall8:575Jump the Gun5:376Suiciety5:447Scream4:248Hits Keep Comin’5:389Close to the Bone4:4310The Media Horse5:07 a year later. Following Munroe's departure in the fall of 2014, Metal Church considered disbanding for the third time before Howe was rehired in April 2015 as their lead singer. He recorded two more albums with the band, which had enjoyed a renewed popularity during the mid-to-late 2010s, before his death on July 26, 2021. Howe was replaced by Marc Lopes, who made his only appearance with Metal Church on their thirteenth studio album Congregation of Annihilation×Congregation of Annihilation26 May 2023 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Another Judgement Day3:382Congregation of Annihilation4:243Pick a God and Prey4:394Children of the Lie5:485Me the Nothing5:346Making Monsters5:307Say a Prayer With 7 Bullets3:358These Violent Thrills3:469All That We Destroy4:1210My Favorite Sin4:2511Salvation3:45 (2023). Another lineup change occurred in 2025, with former Vicious Rumors singer Brian Allen replacing Lopes, and original Megadeth bassist David Ellefson and drummer Ken Mary of Fifth Angel and Flotsam and Jetsam joining the fold.

Formative years (1980–1984)

Then-based in San Francisco, guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof formed Metal Church in 1980 with various musicians. This era included a brief audition period with future Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich. A three-song, instrumental Red Skies demo, was released in 1981, and featured Vanderhoof, guitarist Rick Condrin, bassist Steve Hott, and drummer Aaron Zimpel.
Vanderhoof relocated to his hometown of Aberdeen in 1981 and began the new group Shrapnel with Craig Wells, Duke Erickson, drummer Tom Weber, and vocalist Mike Murphy. Murphy departed before their next demo, which was recorded without vocals, and Weber departed shortly thereafter. The enlistment of drummer Kirk Arrington and vocalist David Wayne completed the group's classic lineup. They released the demo Four Hymns and spent following years touring and accruing material, readopting the Metal Church moniker in 1983. The song "Death Wish" is featured on the compilation album Northwest Metalfest.

First two albums and commercial success (1984–1988)

In July 1984, Metal Church released its self-titled debut album, which included three songs from the Four Hymns×Four HymnsOctober 1982 · EP · DemoSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Deathwish4:532The Brave4:473Battalions5:264Gods of Wrath6:49 demo and a cover version of Deep Purple's "Highway Star". They sold 70,000 copies of the album independently before signing to Elektra. According to Wayne, Ulrich and Metallica bandmate James Hetfield urged Elektra to sign the band before another label could.
By the time Metal Church released its second studio album, The Dark×The Dark6 October 1986 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Ton of Bricks3:002Start the Fire3:503Method to Your Madness4:524Watch the Children Pray5:575Over My Dead Body3:266The Dark4:117Psycho3:328Line of Death4:429Burial at Sea4:5810Western Alliance3:18, in October 1986, they were touring with high-profile acts including Metallica. The Dark was a commercial success, helped by the fact that the band's first music video, "Watch the Children Pray×Watch the Children Pray1986 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAWatch the Children Pray (vocal / edit of LP)4:53BWatch the Children Pray (vocal / edit of LP)4:53", received frequent airplay on MTV. As a result, the album managed to enter the US Billboard 200, and saw Metal Church support the album with a world tour that lasted from October 1986 to July 1987, playing with bands such as King Diamond, Celtic Frost, Testament, Overkill, D.R.I., Trouble and, individually, with all of the "Big Four" of thrash metal (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax).
Shortly after the album's release, however, they were plagued by lineup changes: Vanderhoof ceased performing live with the group in 1986, to be replaced briefly by Mark Baker and more permanently by former Metallica roadie John Marshall. Vanderhoof nonetheless continued to work with the group in composing thereafter, co-writing much of their subsequent material. By the end of 1987, while Metal Church was beginning work on their third album, Wayne was fired from the band due to substance abuse and creative differences with Vanderhoof. He was replaced by former Heretic singer Mike Howe, and later teamed up with the remaining members of Heretic to form Reverend.

Further albums and first breakup (1989–1996)

With Howe and Marshall, Metal Church released their third studio album, Blessing in Disguise×Blessing in Disguise7 February 1989 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Fake Healer5:552Rest in Pieces (April 15, 1912)6:393Of Unsound Mind4:444Anthem to the Estranged9:325Badlands7:246The Spell Can’t Be Broken6:487It’s a Secret3:498Cannot Tell a Lie4:179The Powers That Be5:22, in 1989. Critics responded favorably to the album, including some assertions that it was the band's strongest effort. Blessing in Disguise was even more successful than its predecessors, peaking at number 75 on the Billboard 200; this was Metal Church's highest chart position, until it was surpassed 27 years later by XI. The album's success was attributed to the music video for "Badlands×Badlands1989 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Badlands (edit)5:15" getting airplay on MTV's Headbangers Ball, and its opening track "Fake Healer×Fake Healer1989 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Fake Healer (edit)4:082Fake Healer (LP version)5:55" receiving some attention from mainstream radio stations, most notably KNAC and Z Rock; unlike "Badlands", however, there was no music video for "Fake Healer". After spending most of 1989 and 1990 touring heavily behind Blessing in Disguise (performing with numerous bands such as Metallica, W.A.S.P., Accept, Annihilator, Saxon, Meliah Rage, Forced Entry and D.B.C.), the band had switched labels from Elektra to Epic.
Metal Church released its fourth studio album, and only album on Epic, The Human Factor×The Human Factor26 March 1991 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1The Human FactorA2Date With PovertyA3The Final WordA4In MourningA5In Harm’s WayB1In Due TimeB2Agent GreenB3Flee From RealityB4BetrayedB5The Fight Song, in 1991. Critics applauded the group for transitioning to a major label and successfully retaining the vitality of their sound, while also releasing a record with conceptual accessibility beyond the heavy metal genre. While The Human Factor failed to chart on the Billboard 200, it was supported by two successful North American tours, one of which saw Metal Church appear on the Operation Rock & Roll tour (alongside Judas Priest, Alice Cooper, Motörhead and Dangerous Toys), and the band also supported Metallica on select dates of their Wherever We May Roam Tour.
The band followed with their fifth studio album, 1993's Hanging in the Balance×Hanging in the Balance21 August 1993 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Gods of Second Chance5:242Losers in the Game5:083Hypnotized4:434No Friend of Mine3:585Waiting for a Savior5:486Conductor4:107Little Boy8:148Down to the River5:009End of the Age7:1710Lovers and Madmen2:5111A Subtle War4:1212Low to Overdrive4:27, on Mercury Records. After touring almost non-stop in support of that album for about two years, Metal Church officially disbanded for the first time in 1996, citing management problems and poor record sales as factors.

Reunion of classic lineup and Masterpeace (1998–2001)

The members of Metal Church began compiling their first live album in 1998, Live, which featured songs from their first two records performed by their classic lineup. During the production of Live, Wayne, Vanderhoof, Wells, Arrington, and Erickson decided to reform the band and began work on a new studio album. Wells was forced to depart the band due to familial obligations, however, and was replaced by the returning Marshall. The live album Live in Japan×Live in Japan1998 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Introduction / No Friend of Mine4:222Start the Fire4:193Fake Healer5:304In Mourning5:415Little Boy8:186Losers in the Game5:087Watch the Children Pray6:008Hypnotized4:079Gods of Second Chance5:3110Waiting for a Savior5:4411Badlands6:46 (recorded on the band's 1995 Japanese tour) was also released in 1998, only in Japan.
The resulting album, Masterpeace×Masterpeace1999 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Sleeps With Thunder6:022Falldown4:373Into Dust4:154Kiss for the Dead6:505Lb. of Cure4:326Faster Than Life4:527Masterpeace1:548All Your Sorrows5:419They Signed in Blood7:2710Toys in the Attic3:1411Sand Kings4:37, was released in 1999 on Nuclear Blast Records. Critics responded positively, hailing it as a focused product that increased the energy over previous releases, despite it ultimately failing to break new ground. Arrington and Erickson were unable to tour behind the album, so the band enlisted members of Vanderhoof's side projects, bassist Brian Lake and drummer Jeff Wade, for live performances later that year.
Wayne expressed regret regarding Masterpeace, which influenced his musical output that followed. He departed from the band once again in June 2001, due to personal and creative differences, forming the group Wayne with Wells and releasing the curiously titled debut album Metal Church thereafter. Vanderhoof objected to the album's name and cover art; according to Wayne, the purpose of the album's name was to alert the audience of his involvement. Erickson and Marshall also ceased involvement with Metal Church after Wayne's departure, leading to the band's second hiatus.

Munroe-led lineup, Wayne's death, and second breakup (2002–2009)

Vanderhoof's eponymous band released A Blur in Time in 2002, and he began working on new material for Metal Church's next album thereafter. In following year, he and Arrington recruited singer Ronny Munroe, former Malice guitarist Jay Reynolds, and bassist Steve Unger to form a new lineup of Metal Church. The band's seventh studio album, The Weight of the World×The Weight of the World22 July 2004 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Leave Them Behind5:472Weight of the World5:243Hero’s Soul4:454Madman’s Overture8:355Sunless Sky5:286Cradle to Grave5:547Wings of Tomorrow6:168Time Will Tell5:119Bomb to Drop4:0710Blood Money5:07, was released in 2004. Critics generally reacted to the record with a lukewarm response, recognizing its accomplishments while noting its lack of consistency and innovation.
On May 9, 2005, former Metal Church singer David Wayne died from gangrene in his legs following a car crash. According to Reverend drummer Todd Stotz, Wayne had suffered from diabetes and leg trouble before the accident.
In 2006, Arrington left the band due to health complications with diabetes. His replacement was Jeff Plate from Savatage, Chris Caffery and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Later that year, the band released their eighth studio album, A Light in the Dark×A Light in the Dark16 June 2006 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1A Light in the Dark5:292Beyond All Reason5:403Mirror of Lies4:274Disappear6:035The Believer5:336Temples of the Sea9:487Pill for the Kill4:308Son of the Son4:449More Than Your Master4:4910Blinded by Life3:3311Watch the Children Pray 20065:50, which featured a re-recording of "Watch the Children Pray×Watch the Children Pray1986 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAWatch the Children Pray (vocal / edit of LP)4:53BWatch the Children Pray (vocal / edit of LP)4:53" as a tribute to Wayne. Vanderhoof said that the tribute was a way of showing fans that he harbored no ill will towards Wayne despite the contentious situation that existed between them before his death.
Reynolds left the group in 2008 and was replaced by Rick Van Zandt. The band's ninth studio album, This Present Wasteland×This Present Wasteland23 September 2008 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1The Company of Sorrow6:372The Perfect Crime4:373Deeds of a Dead Soul8:274Meet Your Maker5:355Monster6:256Crawling to Extinction4:117A War Never Won5:338Mass Hysteria4:419Breathe Again5:2310Congregation5:52, released that September, which was hailed generally as an effective release consistent with their previous material. After subsequent touring, the band took a hiatus from performing due to Vanderhoof's back problems. They nonetheless continued studio work, while Munroe and Vanderhoof also completed the former's solo album.
After Vanderhoof's health improved, they returned to performing and composing new material. On July 7, 2009, however, the band announced unexpectedly that they were disbanding following a final performance at Rocklahoma two days later, cancelling numerous further live dates. They cited industry frustrations as a major factor influencing the decision. Several former members remained musically active, including Munroe and Vanderhoof in Presto Ballet and Plate in Machines of Grace.

Second reformation, Generation Nothing and rotating singers (2012–2015)

In October 2012, the band announced resumption of activity around a lineup featuring Vanderhoof, Munroe, Unger, Reynolds (soon replaced by Van Zandt), and Plate. Their first performances came the following January during the 70000 Tons of Metal event, a heavy metal cruise. During one of these two shows, the band performed their debut album, Metal Church, in its entirety. Shortly thereafter, Vanderhoof told Music Life Radio that Metal Church had been working on a new album. In order to promote their tenth studio album, the band played festivals in the summer of 2013. The album, Generation Nothing×Generation Nothing22 October 2013 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Bullet Proof4:102Dead City3:473Generation Nothing5:054Noises in the Wall8:575Jump the Gun5:376Suiciety5:447Scream4:248Hits Keep Comin’5:389Close to the Bone4:4310The Media Horse5:07, was released in October.
Munroe left Metal Church in September 2014 to "pursue other interests". The band announced its plans to continue nonetheless. On April 30, 2015, Metal Church announced on their Facebook page that frontman Mike Howe had rejoined the band, nearly two decades after his first departure.
According to Howe, Metal Church was on the verge of disbanding once more before he agreed to rejoin the band. He explained to Spotlight Report in May 2016: "Kurdt Vanderhoof got ahold of me in August of 2014, and he proposed [me] coming back to the band. He said Ronny [Munroe] left the band and he didn't really wanna carry on with Metal Church unless maybe I would consider coming back. So I said, 'Well, I don't know. I'm open to it. But let's see what kind of music we can come up with.' So Kurdt went back to the studio and started writing songs in the vein of Hanging in the Balance, where we left off twenty years ago, and he sent them to me over the Internet. And I was, like, 'Damn! The guy still has it and he's doing great work.' So he sent me another batch, and that batch was just as good [as], if not better than, the other. So, from there, I said, 'Well, I can't say no to this. And let's just see how it goes.' And we started writing lyrics and getting together, and it's morphed into being back in Aberdeen in the studio making the new Metal Church record."

XI and Damned If You Do (2016–2020)

Metal Church released their eleventh studio album, XI, on March 25, 2016, and it was their first album with Howe on vocals since 1993's Hanging in the Balance×Hanging in the Balance21 August 1993 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Gods of Second Chance5:242Losers in the Game5:083Hypnotized4:434No Friend of Mine3:585Waiting for a Savior5:486Conductor4:107Little Boy8:148Down to the River5:009End of the Age7:1710Lovers and Madmen2:5111A Subtle War4:1212Low to Overdrive4:27. Hailed by some critics as a comeback album, XI received positive reviews from critics, and was Metal Church's first album in 27 years (since Blessing in Disguise×Blessing in Disguise7 February 1989 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Fake Healer5:552Rest in Pieces (April 15, 1912)6:393Of Unsound Mind4:444Anthem to the Estranged9:325Badlands7:246The Spell Can’t Be Broken6:487It’s a Secret3:498Cannot Tell a Lie4:179The Powers That Be5:22) to enter the Billboard 200; the album peaked at number 57, making it the band's highest chart position in their career. On the album's supporting tour, guitarist Rick Van Zandt had to go in for emergency eye surgery to repair a detached retina, and was temporarily replaced by former Firewolfe guitarist Paul Kleff, and Savatage guitarist Chris Caffery. The band co-headlined a West Coast North American tour with Armored Saint in June 2016, and along with Amon Amarth, Suicidal Tendencies and Butcher Babies, they supported Megadeth on the latter's U.S. Dystopia tour in September–October 2016.
When asked in October 2016 if he had intended to write another album with Metal Church, Howe stated, "We have every intention of doing that and that's what it's all about. If you're not putting on new music, then it's time to go away for me. In Metal Church... it's always been like a two-year cycle band, but we put our album out this year in March. So our album is actually only being out for six months. But we have plans on this fall getting back to writing and try to put something out next year. We're also looking at some dates for the spring possibly back in the States and maybe back over here. But our drummer Jeff, he's also on the TSO. He leaves from the end of October through December. So we might take that time to start writing new record."
Metal Church released a live album, titled Classic Live×Classic Live28 April 2017 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Beyond the Black6:532Date With Poverty5:383Gods of a Second Chance5:474In Mourning6:145Watch the Children Pray5:516Start the Fire3:567No Friend of Mine4:398Badlands7:459The Human Factor5:3810Fake Healer5:56, on April 28, 2017. Recorded on the 2016 XI tour, it was the band's first live album since 1998's Live in Japan×Live in Japan1998 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Introduction / No Friend of Mine4:222Start the Fire4:193Fake Healer5:304In Mourning5:415Little Boy8:186Losers in the Game5:087Watch the Children Pray6:008Hypnotized4:079Gods of Second Chance5:3110Waiting for a Savior5:4411Badlands6:46, and their only live album with Howe on vocals.
On March 21, 2017, drummer Jeff Plate announced his departure from Metal Church. As the result of his departure, the band withdrew from a North American tour with Alter Bridge and In Flames that was scheduled to take place in May 2017. Plate was replaced by former W.A.S.P. drummer Stet Howland.
In a May 2017 interview, Vanderhoof stated that Metal Church had begun writing and demoing their twelfth studio album, which was tentatively due for release in early 2018.
On October 1, 2018, Metal Church teased an audio sample of a song from their twelfth studio album. The album, Damned If You Do×Damned If You Do7 December 2018 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks · 2 discsDisc 1A1Damned If You Do4:37A2Into the Fold4:21A3Monkey Finger4:16B1The Black Things5:17B2Guillotine4:48Disc 2C1By the Numbers4:36C2Rot Away3:28C3Revolution Underway5:27D1Out of Balance4:27D2The War Electric4:10, was announced shortly after and it was released on December 7, 2018. In support of Damned If You Do, Metal Church co-headlined a North American tour with Doro in April–May 2019, and performed at Megadeth's first-ever Megacruise that October.
In a July 2019 interview with Italy's Metalforce, Howe said that Metal Church would likely begin writing new material in 2020. Vanderhoof stated in an interview with Metal Wani in April 2020 that Metal Church would "probably start writing that later in the summer." He concluded, "We're gonna sit and we're gonna wait till there's a new album, and then we'll go out and do the normal promoting it or backing it up by touring and playing shows. But we're gonna wait till there's a new record."
Metal Church released their first compilation album From the Vault×From the Vault10 April 2020 · Album · CompilationSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Dead on the Vine3:582For No Reason4:453Conductor (Redux)4:094Above the Madness5:425Mind Thief4:296Tell Lie Vision4:137False Flag4:298Insta Mental4:049432Hz3:5610Please Don't Judas Me6:5311Green Eyed Lady6:4112Black Betty3:5813Agent Green5:5214Anthem to the Estranged10:28 on April 10, 2020. It contains four new studio tracks, five B-side tracks from the Damned If You Do sessions, three song covers and two tracks culled from their performance at Club Citta in Kawasaki, Japan. The band stated on their Facebook page in July 2021 that their thirteenth studio album would be released in 2022.

Howe's death, arrival of Marc Lopes and Congregation of Annihilation (2021–2024)

On July 26, 2021, Metal Church announced Howe had died that morning at his home in Eureka, California, at the age of 55. His death was ruled to be a suicide by hanging. In October 2021, after announcing the return of his short-lived early 1990s band Hall Aflame, Vanderhoof hinted on his Facebook page that Metal Church would continue on with a yet-to-be-revealed replacement for Howe. A month later, drummer Stet Howland revealed that he and the remaining members of the band had started to "communicate again" following Howe's death. Although he did not specify the current state of Metal Church, Howland declared, "We're all slowly digesting. We just started talking again a few weeks ago, and we're barely talking about anything except making jokes, and we have our banter, we're starting to joke and communicated again together. Building on the future will come, but right now... we're just like hugging right now, we're all like 'I love you, man'. That's kind of where we're at. I know everybody wants to know more, when there's more you'll hear about it." By mid-2022, rumors had circulated that Ronny Munroe would rejoin the band, but resulted in him joining Vicious Rumors.
In a September 2022 interview with Metal Rules, Vanderhoof revealed that the band had found a replacement in Howe, but added that they were "keeping a lid" on the identity of their new singer "for the time being." He also revealed that a new Metal Church album, which they had begun writing just before Howe's death, would be released in 2023. The band played one of their first shows in four years at Belgium's Alcatraz Open Air in August 2023.
On February 2, 2023, Metal Church announced Marc Lopes as their new lead vocalist. A month later, the band announced that their thirteenth album, Congregation of Annihilation×Congregation of Annihilation26 May 2023 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Another Judgement Day3:382Congregation of Annihilation4:243Pick a God and Prey4:394Children of the Lie5:485Me the Nothing5:346Making Monsters5:307Say a Prayer With 7 Bullets3:358These Violent Thrills3:469All That We Destroy4:1210My Favorite Sin4:2511Salvation3:45, would be released on May 26. Four days prior to the album's release, former Metal Church drummer Kirk Arrington died at the age of 61. The band supported Congregation of Annihilation with a world tour, including a series of headlining tours in North America and Australia; Metal Church was scheduled to North America again in the spring of 2024, but it was cancelled due to Vanderhoof's "ongoing back issue." A live album featuring Howe's final live performances, The Final Sermon×The Final Sermon26 July 2024 · Album · LiveSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 20 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Damned If You Do4:372Needle and Suture4:443Fake Healer5:434In Mourning5:535Human Factor4:566Date With Poverty5:487The Black Things5:238Gods of a Second Chance6:099Start the Fire3:5210Watch the Children Pray5:5911Beyond the Black6:4512By the Numbers4:3413No Friend of Mine7:1414Badlands7:45Disc 21Agent Green5:522Anthem to the Estranged10:353Killing Your Time (alt studio mix)5:314Dead on the Vine (alt studio mix)3:585Needle and Suture (demo)5:286Never Grow Old (demo)3:57 (Live in Japan×Live in Japan1998 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Introduction / No Friend of Mine4:222Start the Fire4:193Fake Healer5:304In Mourning5:415Little Boy8:186Losers in the Game5:087Watch the Children Pray6:008Hypnotized4:079Gods of Second Chance5:3110Waiting for a Savior5:4411Badlands6:46 2019), was released on July 26, 2024 to coincide with the third anniversary of his death.
An authorized book by author James R. Beach and co-author and archivist Brian L. Naron, Beyond the Black: The Story of Metal Church, was released in November 2023. In addition to past and present members of Metal Church, the book includes interviews with the band's road crew members, record producers and contemporaries, and a foreword by former Grim Reaper guitarist Nick Bowcott.
In a December 2023 interview with Metal Wani, Lopes stated that Metal Church would begin working on new material for their fourteenth studio album in late 2024.

New lineup and Dead to Rights (2025–present)

When asked in January 2025 about the status of Metal Church, Lopes said, "I don't know anything about nothing. It was doing amazing, everything was going really good, and then stuff happens. [Laughs] I haven't heard from anybody in a long time. That happens. People sometimes, they've gotta go do their thing. So I don't know. I don't know. I have no idea… There's nothing to hide. I don't know anything. You know what I mean?"
On November 21, 2025, Metal Church announced that they had parted ways with Lopes, bassist Steve Unger and drummer Stet Howland, who were replaced by former Vicious Rumors frontman Brian Allen, original Megadeth bassist David Ellefson, and drummer Ken Mary of Fifth Angel and Flotsam and Jetsam, respectively. This new lineup recorded the band's upcoming fourteenth studio album, which was set for release in 2026. The album's first single "F.A.F.O.×F.a.F.O.21 November 2025 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1/1F.a.F.O3:47" was released the same day as the announcement. The resulting album, titled Dead to Rights×Dead to Rights10 April 2026 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Brainwash Game4:302F.a.F.O.3:493Dead to Rights6:094Deep Cover Shakedown4:255Feet to the Fire5:456The Show5:147Heaven Knows (Slip Away)4:378No Memory4:339Wasted Time4:0210My Wrath4:3611Blood and Water6:33, was released on April 10, 2026. The lineup of the album performed its first show together at the San Luis Metal Fest at Teatro del Pueblo in San Luis Potosí, Mexico on May 17, 2026. Metal Church toured in support of Dead to Rights, including touring with Heathen and All Sinners on the East Coast of the United States, opening for Testament in Europe, and will be co-headlining a North American tour with Armored Saint twice, first in November 2026 and again in March and April 2027.
A new live recording, Live at Rock Hard 2026, will be released on October 9, 2026 through MIG (Made in Germany Music), with the consent of guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof. To be released both as a live album and a live DVD, it contains the band's performance at the Rock Hard Festival from 2016 in its entirety.
A few months after the release of Dead to Rights, Ellefson confirmed that Metal Church plans to work on new material for their next album in 2027.

Musical style

Metal Church is considered one of the pioneers of the thrash metal genre. Steve Huey of AllMusic claimed the band's first two albums, Metal Church and The Dark×The Dark6 October 1986 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Ton of Bricks3:002Start the Fire3:503Method to Your Madness4:524Watch the Children Pray5:575Over My Dead Body3:266The Dark4:117Psycho3:328Line of Death4:429Burial at Sea4:5810Western Alliance3:18, "made a huge splash" on the 1980s thrash/speed metal scene. According to Screamer Magazine, "Initially playing an abrasive and fast rendition of the NWOBHM sound, they released a few demos which sounded not too dissimilar to what Metallica will later popularize as thrash metal." Cool Cleveland called them "one of the earliest thrash metal bands" from the Pacific Northwest and "a reliable and welcome presence on the metal circuit."
By the time of their third album Blessing in Disguise×Blessing in Disguise7 February 1989 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Fake Healer5:552Rest in Pieces (April 15, 1912)6:393Of Unsound Mind4:444Anthem to the Estranged9:325Badlands7:246The Spell Can’t Be Broken6:487It’s a Secret3:498Cannot Tell a Lie4:179The Powers That Be5:22, Metal Church's music had started to become more technical and melodic, mixing their thrash and speed metal sounds with elements and influences from a variety of musical styles, including progressive metal, power metal, and traditional heavy metal; this mixture of those genres would continue on many of the band's subsequent albums.

Members

Current

Kurdt Vanderhoof – rhythm guitar, keyboards (1980–1986, 1998–2001, 2003–2009, 2012–present)
Rick Van Zandt – lead guitar (2008–2009, 2012–present)
Brian Allen – lead vocals (2025–present)
David Ellefson – bass, backing vocals (2025–present)
Ken Mary – drums, percussion (2025–present)