METAL CHURCH
(first show in the world with new singer, first show anywhere in over 3 years)
Formed in San Francisco in 1980, Metal Church consisted of vocalist David Wayne, guitarists Kurdt Vanderhoof and Craig Wells, bassist Duke Erickson, and drummer Kirk Arrington. Their 1985 self-titled debut album, recorded when the thrash/speed metal genre was still evolving, made a huge splash on the scene, as did its follow-up, The Dark. However, the band really hit its stride when Wayne left and was replaced by Mike Howe on 1989’s Blessing in Disguise; Vanderhoof left after the album due to his dislike of touring and was replaced by Metallica guitar tech John Marshall. Vanderhoof remained the group’s designated composer on 1991’s The Human Factor, possibly the band’s most socially conscious album yet. However, the advent of alternative rock and problems with their record label contributed to a loss of direction on 1993’s Hanging in the Balance, and Metal Church ended up disbanding. In 1999, the group’s original lineup — Wayne, Vanderhoof, Wells, Erickson, and Arrington — reunited and released the album Masterpeace. The ensuing years saw the group undergoing numerous lineup changes and assorted members tending to other projects. In 2004, the band issued their seventh full-length LP, the critically acclaimed Weight of the World, which marked the debut of new vocalist Ronny Munroe. Tragically, former vocalist David Wayne died the following year from complications resulting from a car accident. 2006’s A Light in the Dark included a re-recording of 1986’s “Watch the Children Pray” as a tribute to their fallen comrade. Shortly after the release of 2009’s This Present Wasteland, the band announced that they would be going their separate ways once again. A reunion show in 2012 eventually led them back to the studio. The resulting Generation Nothing, their tenth studio long-player, arrived the following year, and the aptly named XI appeared in early 2016, marking the return of vocalist Mike Howe. A concert album culled from the XI tour featuring Howe appeared the following year under the title Classic Live. Continuing their prolific run, they issued their 12th set, Damned If You Do, in late 2018. Vocalist Mike Howe died at his home in Eureka, California on July 26, 2021. He was 55 years old. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi
HATCHET
Growing up in the San Francisco area suburbs as young metal heads can make it quite likely to take influence from the pioneers of metal that spanned the area in the 1980’s. So it’s no surprise that Hatchet describes their sound as “Pure, Uncompromising, Bay Area Thrash Metal”.
Since hitting the Bay Area Metal scene in early 2007, Hatchet quickly made a name for itself. They worked hard to gig as often as they could and also not compete with, but group together bands of the like to help strengthen the scene. Focusing on playing with other young starting thrash bands in their area, the fan base grew. Eventually they reached out to the neighboring Los Angeles thrash scene which was also flourishing and invited various bands up to the bay area to diversify their shows, and spread overall thrash metal awareness.
After self-releasing two demos, the band’s debut album, “Awaiting Evil”, was released in mid-2008 via Metal Blade Records. The album was well-received by thrash enthusiasts around the globe and proved a great beginning for Hatchet. Since the release of the debut, the band has completed 3 full DIY U.S. tours that have helped put them on the map for up and coming thrash metal bands. Unfortunately in this time, the band also saw its share of lineup changes, which stalled overall progress of the group. Throughout the changes, founding member Julz Ramos always had the passion to keep the band going, even moving to take on vocal duties. Now in 2012, the band has never been stronger with its most dedicated, mature, and musically inclined members since its birth.
Their sophomore effort, “Dawn of the End”, released on their new label, The End Records, showcases a much more aggressive and professionally oriented band. The group has stated its hunger to hit the road and prove that thrash metal is still a force to be reckoned with.
TESTIMONY
Hailing from Indiana, TESTIMONY was formed in late 2009 by drummer Taylor Lambacher who later went on to draft guitarist Michael Gawel, his older brother Derek Lambacher on bass and vocalist Adrian Harris. With their line-up cemented, TESTIMONY set out to create complex, challenging metal music that, while rooted in tradition, has a quality and sound all its own.
With influences that range from musical genres like jazz and funk to legendary metal bands such as Death, Voivod, Iron Maiden, Metallica and Megadeth, TESTIMONY combines elements of thrash and progressive metal, yielding a sort of spacey travel through time that rips like any other band from the ‘80s, but has an artistic flair of its own. In January 2012, TESTIMONY released their debut EP, Transcending Reality. The six track album puts a twist on the classic thrash sound that came out of the 1980s with its dazzling and sometimes drawn out technical performances that truly capture the minds of listeners.
Transcending Reality was a hit and almost overnight the name TESTIMONY began to spread like wild fire amongst the legions of underground thrashers around the world. The album’s success opened new doors for TESTIMONY and soon after Transcending Reality was released TESTIMONY went on to share the stage with national acts like D.R.I., Lazarus AD, Vektor and Revocation. While TESTIMONY was enjoying their new found success the band never once lost focus or let things go to their head, instead TESTIMONY remained hungry, diligently taking notes and learning as much as they could from bands that were on the “next level” while constantly looking to improve on every single song, riff, fill and solo.
In late 2013, nearly two years after the release of Transcending Reality, TESTIMONY announced they would be releasing a brand new EP entitled “The Beast That Prays” in 2014. Following the success of Transcending Reality, TESTIMONY is more motivated than ever before and looks to put the progress in progressive with The Beast That Prays by creating an album that is more complex, better thought out, and heavier than its predecessor.
Look for The Beast That Prays to be released on Tuesday, September 16th.
