In a brand new interview with Ruben Mosqueda of We Go To 11, METAL CHURCH guitarist and founding member Kurdt Vanderhoof spoke about his disdain for lots of the newer excessive metallic bands, significantly teams of the “darker metallic” selection. He mentioned (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I hate it. I hate that black metallic, Satanic, screamo stuff. It is rubbish to me… I do not like black metallic. I do not like several of that sort of stuff. I just like the stuff that I initially preferred. The New Wave Of British Heavy Steel stuff — I really like that stuff. I do not hearken to the brand new Satanic stuff in any respect.”

When Mosqueda introduced up British black metallic pioneers VENOM as a band that had Satanic lyrics however that was “virtually cartoony” in its supply, Kurdt mentioned: “They have been terrible. However they have been humorous. They made you snicker. You hearken to the lyrics and also you’re, like, ‘Yeah, proper.’ … It is not my bag — by no means has been.”

METAL CHURCH made its reside debut with the band’s new vocalist Marc Lopes (ROSS THE BOSS, LET US PREY) on June 3 on the Legions Of Steel competition at Reggies in Chicago, Illinois.

Lopes joined METAL CHURCH in the summertime of 2022 because the substitute for Mike Howe, who tragically handed away in July of 2021. The band’s present lineup is rounded out by guitarist Rick Van Zandt, bassist Steve Unger and drummer Stet Howland.

Lopes‘s first studio album with METAL CHURCH, “Congregation Of Annihilation”, got here out on Could 26 by way of Rat Pak Data (America) and Reaper Leisure (Europe). The LP was produced by Vanderhoof.

Howe was discovered lifeless at his residence in Eureka, California in July 2021. In line with TMZ, Howe‘s official explanation for loss of life was decided to be asphyxia because of hanging. A spokesperson for the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Dept. instructed the location authorities are calling it a suicide. He was solely 55 years previous.

In line with police, medicine and alcohol will not be believed to be components within the loss of life and no managed substances or paraphernalia have been situated on the scene.

Howe, who fronted METAL CHURCH from 1988 till 1994, formally rejoined the band in April 2015.

Howe is just not the primary singer of METAL CHURCH to die. David Wayne handed away in Could 2005 from issues following a automobile crash. He was 47 years previous.

Wayne sang on METAL CHURCH‘s first two traditional choices (1984’s “Steel Church” and 1986’s “The Darkish”) earlier than leaving the group and being changed by Howe.