History
Reviews
METAL CHURCH - THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD - STEAMHAMMER
There is no reason for this band to exist with this revised line-up other than the fact that the members' other bands have failed to gain a traction. Nearly twenty years after the band's debut sparked much interest on the metal scene, Metal Church is still searching for a worthy follow-up. This album is not bad per se, but flounders in the sea of releases.
The album's opener is called Leave Them Behind and might refer to the band's previous members. It is a good song with very good dual-guitar interplay. It almost sounds like Iron Maiden circa Powerslave. That is about it though. The musicianship is solid, but listening to the first couple of minutes of Madman's Overture makes one wonder if the album came together accidentally. The music, as mentioned, has its moments, but songs like this or Sunless Sky only prove my point that the album is both lifeless and listless. The band has a former Malice/Megadeth guitarist, a dysfunctional drummer and an, at times, brooding singer in its ranks now and they simply don't measure up. The guitars do impress occasionally and the screams show some range, but frankly why would they call this Metal Church is a valid question. - Ali "The Metallian"
METAL CHURCH – LIGHT IN THE DARK – SPV 
The same, or at least one of the, guys responsible for the classic 1985 release is here again with Light In The Dark. The title track is very much a typical heavy metal yet uninspiring opener. Beyond All Reason features more melody and is somewhat catchy without being too heavy or soft. Mirror Of Lies is generally faster and its extended guitar solos are enjoyable to listen to. Disappear tries to capture the ‘80s formula of angry vocals interspersed with heavy riffs. The Believer is where the band try to create a mood, slowing down and using it to create effects ala the original title song of ’85, instead they somehow end up sounding like Iron Maiden’s Alexander The Great. The almost ten-minute Temples Of The Sea unsurprisingly has an acoustic opening and alternates between heavy riffs and acoustic passages throughout, not unlike Watch The Children Pray, covered later on as a tribute to the late vocalist David Wayne. Pill For The Kill is more typical heavy metal that would fit well on an Overkill album, not necessarily a bad thing but not really very effective either. Son Of The Son is not too different from its preceding song with more double guitar leads. More Than Your Master is a slightly less dated song compared to the rest with a more modern sounding bass sound. Blinded By Life, on the other hand is even more dated, the guitar solo and the vocals of the Ronny Munroe placing it perfectly in the ‘80’s realm. The album ends with the aforementioned cover dedicated to the ex-singer. – Anna Tergel
METAL CHURCH - THIS PRESENT WASTELAND – SPV
Existing in a post-David Wayne and post ‘80s climatic state for the third album running Metal Church struggle to define themselves. Not that there is anything wrong with being a solid heavy metal band. As such, there isn’t much in terms of ground breaking material here, The Company Of Sorrow opens this 10-song 57 minute release and is not exactly memorable. The Perfect Crime is a good showcase of Ronny Munroe’s vocals. Deeds Of A Dead Soul is an Iron Maiden style lengthy, over eight minute, song. Meet Your Maker is faster but pretty light weight at times. Monster’s opening vocal segment “We created a monster” is annoying, the song itself is solid but unspectacular. Crawling To Extinction features some thicker riffs, the song is catchy and flows more naturally. A War Never Won has an ‘80s hard rock feel to it, but on the whole it doesn’t sound as dated and ends on a higher tempo note. Ronny Munroe adds a few high pitched screams to the mix adding a bit of variation as well. Mass Hysteria is probably the most pure heavy metal song so far. Breathe Again is melodic heavy metal with guitars driving it from the heavy to the melodic, and acoustic and back. Congregation closes This Present Wasteland and is hard rock and heavy metal on the dated side. – Anna Tergel
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