Published on Jan 29, 2001
Despite the fact that I have all their albums, I’ve never been
into Metal Church that much. So why, you ask, do I have their
albums? Some of them I got as promos when I was in college radio
(usually from dipping into the drawers of the metal department’s
promo cabinet), some were sent to me in this job, still others I
bought at used stores in the clearance bins. (One major find was
landing the original
Metal Church album autographed by some of the members – as
well as a flyer in the record autographed by the whole band.)
So it may strike readers as odd when I admit that
Metal Church Live has an air of familiarity to it. Maybe
it’s because this disc is made up of concerts from 1986, when David
Wayne and crew were touring behind
The Dark. Maybe it’s because this features the original
Metal Church lineup. Maybe it’s because some of these songs I
remember hearing on the brokered metal show in Chicago when I was
in high school. Whatever the case, this ends up to be an
entertaining disc.
If
Metal Church Live does anything, it reaffirms for me why
this band was growing in popularity around the same time that
Metallica was becoming stars in their own right. Not that these
bands are the same, or even are polar opposites of each other. But
each group had their own unique markings. For Metal Church, it was
the screeching vocals of Wayne (who, when the chips were down,
could lay out a beautiful vocal) and the guitar work and
songwriting skills of Kurdt Vanderhoof. If there was one name I’d
put at the top of the list of underappreciated talents of the
genre, Vanderhoof would be near the top.
Musically,
Metal Church Live is not just a blast from the past, it’s a
reminder of how good ’80s metal could be. Tracks like “Ton Of
Bricks,” “Gods Of Wrath” and “Watch The Children Pray” all speak
volumes for what Metal Church was capable of, and why they should
have been a bigger name in the field than they were. (Personnel
shifts over their next two albums and musical tastes’ constant
changing didn’t help matters.) Even some of the “lesser” tracks
like “Start The Fire” and “Beyond The Black” are pretty damned
enjoyable in this setting.
Metal Church is even able to take a stale standard like Deep
Purple’s “Highway Star” and turn it into a barn burner. Loads of
fun!
Metal Church Live could be seen as a souvenir of days long
past; it could be seen as a closet-cleaning release to satisfy the
die-hard fans. Or, one could look at it as a snapshot of a band
ready to break into prime-time, hungry and eager to make a name for
themselves. Had this disc come out in 1987, it might just have been
the key to unlock all the doors for Metal Church. Now, it’s
enjoyable… but it leaves me asking what could have been for this
band.