Do you remember the good times when everybody was buying the LP’s of his favourite band and called his friends 10 minutes later and invite them to come over to his flat?
Then everybody was listening to it, drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette. It’s been similar with two American kids called David Wayne and Kurt Vanderhoof.
In their ramshackle hut in Seattle’s end seventies they celebrated many parties and so the place was called the Metal Church. Wayne and Vanderhoof were playing in a band and adopted the name for this. Until the release of the first album three musicians came to the band:
Craig Wells (guitar), Duke Erickson (bass) and drummer Kirk Arrington.
First they made some demos which can be found on compilations like Metal Massacre V or Northwest Metalfest. In 1985 they recorded the self-titled debut album which was released (due the help of their friends and supporters Metallica) on the major label Elektra. This album was an amazing success in America and Europe. After the sensational second album, Vanderhoof lost the interest in touring. Nevertheless he went on writing for the band and concentrated on the studio work. Wayne on the contrary had to hand the mic over to Mike Howe, a talented newcomer in the scene.
Thereupon David established a new band, he found some young musicians and perfected the typical Metal Church-style. This band got its name from David 'cause as the singer of the church he was called the Reverend. Unfortunately this band was only dealt as an insider tip although they made brilliant albums (“The World Won’t Miss You” and “Play God” affirm this!!). And it’s also a fact, that the boom of Grunge and Alternative sounds in the beginning of the 90ies made it hard for all traditional metal bands to strengthen their position in the international market.
The commercial success of David Wayne’s ex-mates also disappeared and so they split up in the middle of the 90's. David still did some sessions with Kurt and Craig but one sad day they met to take the banner off the wall and get the equipment out of their old rehearsal room.
Two years later Wayne, Vanderhoof and the other members of Metal Church helped to arrange a live album which had been sold by the ex-manager to a record company a short time before the split. “Indeed the recordings with Mike Howe haven’t been the best we could imagine so we started working with old recordings from the original line-up. It were segments that have been found in a studio. “While we were mixing the material we started looking at each other and asked ourselves how it could have ended like that. In memory of the old days we made up our minds and tried it again...”
Said and done! Out of this work developed an album called “Masterpeace”. It had all characteristics of the two predecessors. Especially Mr. Wayne demonstrated that there’s still enough fire to show young musicians how to make the best Heavy Metal. But a short time after the release, the incredible show at the Wacken Open Air in the summer and at their own headliner tour in autumn you could notice that the spirit was gone. Some of the members again got tired of all the business shit.
No reason for Wayne to give up. On the contrary: With his old Metal Church mate Craig Wells, guitar player and songwriter Jimi Bell, drummer B. J. Zampa and bass player Mark Franco he formed a band again to catch up the spirit of Metal Church. They recorded an album in the Silvercloud Studios in L.A. which now is the logical follow up to the Church-classic “The Dark”. Songs like the opener “The Choice” , the catchy “The Hammer Will Fall” or the “Heaven and Hell” sound-alike “D.S.D.” are typical songs in the tradition of the old classics. His distinctive voice is better than ever, you can hear this on songs like “Burning at the Stake” or “Nightmare Part II”. Produced by Warren Croyle and Joe Floyd, “Wayne” combines the spirit of the eighties with modern production values.
"Metal Church" picks up the legacy right where "The Dark" left off. Metal Church fans will not be disapointed.
