Late 70s Seattle isn't likely to be remembered as a heavy metal hot bed, but two friends from this damp city banded together in the decade of disco to dedicate themselves to the rock music they loved so much. Guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof and vocalist David Wayne held endless parties and jammed in a rehearsal room they affectionately dubbed the "Metal Church." The moniker eventually became the name of their band, whose seminal releases Metal Church (Elektra, 1985) and The Dark (Elektra, 1987) established them in the American thrash elite alongside Testament, Overkill, Anthrax and others. Wayne left Metal Church before the recording of the third album began and resurfaced in 1989 with Reverend, a name that played off Wayne?s own nickname in Metal Church.
The group went on to release a total of four albums, including a live record in 1992, before finally succumbing to the alternative and grunge trends that spelled the end for so many heavy metal bands. Metal Church also suffered the same fate and eventually called it quits in the mid ?90s. A few years later, Wayne, Vanderhoof and other members of Metal Church began working on a live album. The group concentrated on their salad days, culling material from their first two releases recorded on The Dark tour. The resulting record, Live, hit Europe in ?99 through SPV and North America the following year through Nuclear Blast. The excitement of having the original line-up back together led to the official reformation of Metal Church and the subsequent recording and release of Masterpeace (Nuclear Blast) in 1999. After a superior performance at the Wacken Open Air festival in Germany and a headlining tour in the fall of ?99, Wayne once again departed from the Metal Church ranks.
Reinvigorated by his second stint with Metal Church, Wayne assembled a talented group of musicians capable of capturing the spirit of vintage Metal Church, including guitarist Craig Wells (Metal Church), Jimi Bell (guitar), Mark Franco (bass) and B.J. Zampa (ex-Yngwie Malmstein and Thunderhead) on drums. Songs like opener "The Choice," the catchy "The Hammer Will Fall" of the "Heaven and Hell"-inspired "DSD" exemplify the tradition of old-school Metal Church classics, and Wayne?s voice harnesses the power of old as evident by crushers like "Burning at the Stake" or "Nightmare Part II." Metal Church captures the spirit of the ?80s, proving true metal is alive and well in this age of teen-queen pop and suburban rap disguised as "extreme music."
The group went on to release a total of four albums, including a live record in 1992, before finally succumbing to the alternative and grunge trends that spelled the end for so many heavy metal bands. Metal Church also suffered the same fate and eventually called it quits in the mid ?90s. A few years later, Wayne, Vanderhoof and other members of Metal Church began working on a live album. The group concentrated on their salad days, culling material from their first two releases recorded on The Dark tour. The resulting record, Live, hit Europe in ?99 through SPV and North America the following year through Nuclear Blast. The excitement of having the original line-up back together led to the official reformation of Metal Church and the subsequent recording and release of Masterpeace (Nuclear Blast) in 1999. After a superior performance at the Wacken Open Air festival in Germany and a headlining tour in the fall of ?99, Wayne once again departed from the Metal Church ranks.
Reinvigorated by his second stint with Metal Church, Wayne assembled a talented group of musicians capable of capturing the spirit of vintage Metal Church, including guitarist Craig Wells (Metal Church), Jimi Bell (guitar), Mark Franco (bass) and B.J. Zampa (ex-Yngwie Malmstein and Thunderhead) on drums. Songs like opener "The Choice," the catchy "The Hammer Will Fall" of the "Heaven and Hell"-inspired "DSD" exemplify the tradition of old-school Metal Church classics, and Wayne?s voice harnesses the power of old as evident by crushers like "Burning at the Stake" or "Nightmare Part II." Metal Church captures the spirit of the ?80s, proving true metal is alive and well in this age of teen-queen pop and suburban rap disguised as "extreme music."
