METAL CHURCH @ The Chance, Poughkeepsie, NY - 11/23/04

Posted: 11/25/04

Reviewed by: Dirt

Category: Heavy Metal

Label URL: www.spvusa.com

Band URL:  www.metalchurch.com

Setlist: Ton Of Bricks / Start The Fire / Leave Them Behind / Watch The Children Pray / Battalions / The Dark / Cradle To Grave / Date With Poverty / Madman’s Overture / Badlands / Gods Of Wrath / Beyond The Black / Metal Church // (Encore) Highway Star

I was thrilled to hear that Metal Church was doing a U.S. tour in support of their new opus, The Weight Of The World.  2005 will mark the 20^th anniversary of the band’s debut and it’s terrific that fans will have a chance to hear some true metal classics once again. 

I was going to this show without having heard the new record, so I didn’t really know what to expect from the new lineup.  Although main-man and guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof and drummer Kirk Arrington are present, there is no sign of Craig Wells (guitar), John Marshall (guitar), Duke Erickson (bass), or either of the band’s previous vocalists, David Wayne or Mike Howe.  Instead, three new members have been recruited - vocalist Ronny Munroe, bassist Steve Unger, and former Malice guitarist Jay Reynolds. 

Metal Church is no stranger to lineup changes.  Vanderhoof and Wayne exited the band after supporting their breakthrough 1986 album, The Dark.  The band recruited Marshall and Howe and released several excellent opuses before calling it a day in 1993.  Vanderhoof took control of the reins again in 1999 for Masterpeace recruiting the original lineup (minus Craig Wells) plus Howe era guitarist Marshall.  Due to Arrington and Erickson’s inability to tour, and a later disagreement with Wayne, Vanderhoof was forced to revamp the lineup.  He asked Howe if he was interested in returning but Howe’s current commitments prevented that.  

While a new lineup might discourage some fans from seeing the band on this tour, two minutes of live air time will obliterate any and all reservations.  Opening their performance at The Chance in Poughkeepsie, NY, the band launched into The Dark’s “Ton Of Bricks” and by the time Ronny Munroe got to the chorus, I was convinced that Vanderhoof had made an excellent choice in vocalists.  While Howe was a totally different vocalist than Wayne, Ronny Munroe emulates Wayne in a way that is simply jaw dropping.  Let’s face it, Wayne’s tonal quality is hard to come close to, but Munroe does it.  Munroe sounds like Wayne circa 1985-1986.  Wayne didn’t even accomplish that on Masterpeace.

After my favorite Metal Church song, “Start The Fire,” the band introduced the audience to a new song from The Weight Of The World, “Leave Them Behind,” which showed Munroe’s ability to alter his vocal style.  The dark ballad, “Watch The Children Pray” (which was the band’s first video and also the first ‘thrash’ video to ever get played on MTV in the mid-80s), was up next and came off great.  I just love this song because it displays the diversity of this band.

The rest of the band’s set was shocking to say the least, as they tore through so many songs from the debut.  I never expected to hear “Battalions,” “Gods Of Wrath,” “Beyond The Black,” or their cover of Deep Purple’s “Highway Star.”  I had seen Metal Church twice with Mike Howe fronting the band, and during that time, the focus was clearly on the new incarnation.  While this new lineup clearly wanted to expose fans to the new material, they obviously love classic Church and knew that fans wanted to hear that as well.  The Howe era was briefly touched upon with killer versions of “Date With Poverty” (complete with the crowd handling the word “Poverty” during the chorus) and “Badlands.”  The two other new tracks were the rippin’ “Cradle To Grave” and the epic “Madman’s Overture,” which displayed the individual talents of each musician as they got into an instrumental portion.  I was most impressed with the double axe attack of Reynolds (cool stage stance too!) and Vanderhoof, the clear-as-a-bell bass playing of Unger, and the thunderously energetic pounding of Arrington.

The Bloody Truth:  I can’t stop thinking about this show.  The last time that I was in awe like this was when I saw Saxon on their Unleash The Best tour in 1998.  Before that, it was Vicious Rumors' 1991 tour in support of Welcome To The Ball.  I felt like a kid again!  A show like this renews my faith in metal, and I declare that Metal Church is the best live metal band to see in 2004.  Few metal singers raise the hair on the back of my neck these days but Munroe really is awe inspiring and one of the best live vocalists in the genre’s history.  That really says something.  Not only is his stage presence larger than life, but his pipes are mindblowing.  Clearly, Vanderhoof and Arrington were having the time of their life, and with good reason.  Now…all fans of real metal get off your asses and get to the remaining Metal Church performances.  You too will be a believer and become a member of this congregation.  Amen!!!