"Beyond the Black" is insanely noisy and heavy. De-tuned guitars crush skulls metaphorically, and cryptic vocals are very atmospheric. Vocalist David Wayne sounds like no other, melodic at times, yet capable of very horrific and brutal vocals. "Kirk Arrington" is an amazing drummer, and this was some of the heaviest double-bass drumming released in metal up until this point. The influence of punk can be heard all over the song. Lacking the refined production of mainstream 80s metal, it sounds really raw, and the Nirvana influence is very clear. A la Black Sabbath, Metal Church decided to release a self-titled song. Very heavy riffs slash through a solid drum beat. Wayne's vocals sound sick and demented, very creepy and unsettling. Metal Church's signature twin leads round out a very good song. "Merciless Onslaught" reveals the growing influence of thrash and speed metal. While not a thrash band themselves, this song could certainly fit into that category. Instrumental, I would have preferred vocals on this track, as you can imagine how amazing the vocals would have sounded. Fairly intricate, the musicianship is very high on this song, great stuff.
"God of Wrath" slows things down a bit, at least initially. A nice slow and "chorus-filled" verse sets a very atmospheric and desolate tone. The chorus sound is amazing. Metal Church's guitar sound was and always has been very influential for future generations of metal-heads, it's hard to believe that this album was recorded in 1984, it's very crisp and super heavy. "Hitman" comes next. Very Motorhead-esque, the song is fast and pounding. Heavier than Motorhead, it also brings in elements of thrash such as a white-hot solo from ace guitarist and band leader "Kurdt Vanderhoof". An amazing song, this is what heavy metal is all about, soaring vocals, pounding drums, and killer guitar solos and riffs. F-ing fantastic.
"In The Blood" reflects the growing influence of "King Diamond" on the metal scene. With its falsetto chorus, the range of David Wayne is tested to its limits, but his vocals are much better than the King himself, more elastic and consistent. The drums are a bit too busy for me, I would have preferred a simpler beat, but they still sound great. The denseness of Metal Church's sound is really apparent in this song, incredibly thick musically speaking. Good song. Next is "(My Favorite) Nightmare". Somewhat Alice Cooper-like, it takes Cooper's horror/shock metal concept to the next level, with pretty macabre lyrics about a killer seemingly having his way with victims. The chorus vocals sound a bit silly with their falsetto (never been a big falsetto fan), but otherwise the song really rips. "Battalions" is another pretty fast song. The most Metallica-like song on the album, it could have easily been recorded by San Francisco's metal masters. Not a bad song, but somewhat out of character for Metal Church, too thrash. Wayne's verse vocals sound a bit off with this style, showing that he excels more at performing higher "vocal gymnastics" that can be found on the chorus. A good song, but an odd duck on this album.
Metal Church decides next to cover Deep Purple's hit "Highway Star". Honestly, I don't really have a use for this song. Amazing vocals from Wayne, but that's all I can really say. Not necessary, and really no reason to listen to this, as the original is leaps and bounds better. Last up is "Big Guns". The most traditional metal song on the album, it heads into Judas Priest and Dio territory. Very power metal, it even shows some influence from the burgeoning Iron Maiden. I like the song, but not really a classic, again outside the bands bread and butter sound of crushing riffs and horrific vocals. But, a nice attempt at power metal.
"Metal Church" are criminally underrated. The fact that they are not as big as Metallica of Iron Maiden is shocking to me. They are a great band, and this is a great album. If you like heavy music, you owe it to yourself to listen to this masterpiece of American metal.
Rating-9.5/10
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