Artist: Metal Church
Label: Elektra
Release Date: 1985
Rating: 4 Skulls
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Title: Metal Church Artist: Metal Church Label: Elektra Release Date: 1985
Rating: 4 Skulls |
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Death's Review:
I remember first hearing about Metal Church and thinking the name was pretty silly. Plus, they seemed to come out of the blue, with their debut album released on major label Elektra Records in 1985, something metal bands just weren't doing back then. In fact, Metal Church was then referred to by some as merely "the other metal band on Elektra." In fact, Metallica seemed to almost artificially prop Metal Church up, taking the band on tour on multiple occasions. All in all, with their funny name (are they Christian or just religiously dedicated to metal?) and lack of underground cred, many were loathe at first to give the record a spin.That is, of course, until you heard it. In fact, the three and three-quarters songs which make up side one (I still think of albums from this period as having a "Side 1" and "Side 2" - I was listening to cassettes) of Metal Church can easily compete for the "top ten sides of music of the late-eighties" list. "Beyond the Black," which starts the album, is absolutely killer. Try listening to that thrash-march of an intro and not standing up and banging your head to worship metal gods every god damn day! The whole record really is almost a perfect mile-marker of the point where classic-style "heavy metal" a la Judas Priest met the emerging western U.S. style of full-adrenaline thrash. "Beyond the Black" totally sets the tone for this ominous metal journey. The simple chromatic thrash riffing of the next song, "Metal Church," really has to be included in my all-time list of favorite thrash riffing for its sickness and simplicity all rolled into one. When David Wayne busts out with the opening lines "Many, many years ago, on a a distant shore" his voice walks the line between Bobby Blitz and Udo Dirkschnieder so perfectly that it almost sets the standard for archetypal mid-eighties "thrash." And while the instrumental that follows ("Merciless Onslaught") is a 2:55 thrash attack, yet amounts to a relative non-event, "Gods of Wrath" is one of the best metal songs ever written, and Wayne stakes his claim to greatness forever with a killer dynamic presence that will never be forgotten. This song was clearly Metal Church's singular crowning achievement. Check out the live version on Nuclear Blast's recent, generally overlooked release Metal Church Live (featuring performances from 1986's The Dark tour) and you'll never doubt the fact that Wayne at least was a great vocalist, ever again (I'm still bitter at how unexciting the reunion Masterpeace turned out to be).
The balance of Metal Church is, sadly, a notch below. I dig "Hitman" and the actually killer cover of Deep Purple's "Highway Star" from Side 2, but I'll say it again fifteen years later, those songs just ain't no "Beyond the Black," "Metal Church," and "Gods of Wrath." Then again, not much else can compete with that, even today. That group of songs alone renders this one a classic.
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