Founded in the early eighties in Seattle, Metal Church are one of the best known Metal bands of all time. Their self titled 1985 debut and 1987 s The Dark are considered by Metal affectionados as true bona fide classics. S... more »ince signing with SPV they have continued the tradition of high quality Metal releases with 2004 s The Weight Of The World and 2006 s A Light In The Dark . This Present Wasteland , Metal Church s ninth release, is a return to their roots and contains some of their strongest material to date. All hail the true Church of Metal: The Metal Church!« less
Founded in the early eighties in Seattle, Metal Church are one of the best known Metal bands of all time. Their self titled 1985 debut and 1987 s The Dark are considered by Metal affectionados as true bona fide classics. Since signing with SPV they have continued the tradition of high quality Metal releases with 2004 s The Weight Of The World and 2006 s A Light In The Dark . This Present Wasteland , Metal Church s ninth release, is a return to their roots and contains some of their strongest material to date. All hail the true Church of Metal: The Metal Church!
"With the turnover this band has had over the years it has now become Vanderhoof's baby and whoever it seems he can recruit to play on it. This is the third album with Ronny Munroe singing, Jeff Plate returns on drums with Steve Unger on bass and adding Rick Van Zant on second guitar. This is straight ahead power metal with some thrash touches without any symphonics like so much European power metal. Somehow they manage to make very consistent albums which tells me Vanderhoof knows what he wants and how to get it out of the band. Many decry Ronnie's vocals not being Waynes or Howes but they should be measured on their own right and they fit very well. Listen to albums by all three and the music is right for each one. With new releases by Metallica and Testament getting the attention in thrash circle it's hoped this doesn't get overlooked as it's a quality slab of American heavy metal. The artwork is all done by fans which is a nice touch and there are actually some pictures inside that I think would have been better covers. Good stuff."
Another Solid & Dependable Offering by Metal Church
Mike | Milwaukee, WI | 10/02/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"You've got to give them credit where credit is due. Sure, just Kurdt Vanderhoof is the lone remaining original member, but Metal Church is still a real band, not just Vanderhoof and a bunch of studio "rented" musicians. Hell, this is singer Ronnie Munroe's 3rd album. As you know, not many bands from the early 80's are still around playing, let alone releasing new material every other year.
The music itself you ask? If you are a fan of Metal Church, then you'll enjoy this disc. Is the music just a carbon copy of previous releases? A bit Yes, which is a good thing, and a bit No, which is a great thing. This Present Wasteland is far better than their last effort called A Light in the Dark (which was still good stuff). Kurdt and the boys decided to turn it up a notch or two on the heaviness, distortion, and overall "metal" sound. There are some killer riffs, solos, memorable choruses, heavy drums, and outstanding singing on ALL tracks! Easily the BEST Monroe has done with Metal Church. Also, the songs themselves are well written lyrically and musically. You can tell they took a bit more time in the studio with this one....no filler whatsoever. On many songs, you get that classic "Metal Church" intro sound (before the heavy riff comes in) that could be right out of their S/T album 25+ years ago.
In my mind, this band will always have the title of "Most Underated Metal Band". They'll get no airplay or recognition by any magazines, but any real metal fan knows this doesn't matter, and only makes it better. Metal Church once again delivers. Pick this one up and keep giving them your support. I hope they keep it going for many more years."
Decent, but not great
Chris Lund | Seattle, WA United States | 10/22/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"My quick thoughts are this - it's a good offering of new Metal Church, but other than a few songs (In the company of sorrow, monster and war never won), it's kind of lacking. Nothing jumps out at you or says "yes, this is awesome."
I'm sure I will listen to this CD from time to time, but in reality....there isn't anything to make someone come back to it. No killer riffs, catchy choruses, etc...
I will say, the cover (done by a fan), is awesome!"
Good Music, Bad Singer
Karl Schubert | Milwaukee, WI USA | 04/29/2009
(1 out of 5 stars)
"Way back in 1986 when I was only 13 I bought a CD called The Dark and to this day I still enjoy that CD. There are very few albums that can stand the test of time like that. Most things become so dated and you lose interest in them, but that Metal Church CD seems timeless.
That's what inspired me to try their latest release. Unfortunately, it was a sad disappointment. I knew that the singer had changed due to the unfortunate demise of their original singer, but I had hoped they picked a good replacement. They didn't. To me vocals are vitally important. To me they really make or break a band and I understand that not everyone agrees with me on that. I personally rank Bruce Dickinson as the best vocalist of all time with his stunning vocal range. I'd rank Axl Rose as #2. Ozzy would get the #3 spot, being a very good singer even if he lacks the incredible vocal range of a guy like Dickinson. I like singers who sing loud & clear so that you can easily make out the words after a few listens and looking at the liner notes to clarify anything that you didn't get at first.
The problem is that Ronny Munroe simply doesn't sing very clearly. He's certainly not the worst singer I've ever heard, though that's not saying much giving that some think that screaming incoherently in something that one presumes (though you can't be sure) to be English is "singing".
He's a mediocre singer at best backed by a decent band. They ought to dump him and get somebody who can sing well, somebody who is deserving of the position of lead singer for Metal Church.
I wish I hadn't wasted my money on this. This CD definitely is a Wasteland."
Metal Church's Last release....for now.
Deimos | Alberta | 08/13/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"After this album was released Metal Church called it quits due to poor album sales and poor concert ticket sales. How the hell does that happen, this band is heavier and true to the classic thrash than Metallica but they get ignored, it's truly sad, this album needed more advertising and it would have been big in the metal community. Great solid album from an awesome metal band, lets hope we have not seen the doors closed to the Metal Church forever."