the pinacle of their fame and high of their career this cd ruled!! - one of the most versile and heavy cds the ever recorded.hard,heavy,fast&well conceived songs this cd had many to be classics and the tour with metallica and the one guitarist even got to play for james(during this burn break form guitar)definitly as great guitarist and they were possibly better than metallica that day 55min metal church set to metallica 3hour 10min set.this cd had something for all fans their signature ballads,classic fury of thrash and they dropped a couple of heavy groovin -dtuned song and just good old fashion powerfull brutal metaltunez.buy it it s the last great cd they ll release for a decade or more.I thougth hangin in the balance was very weak except live no friend of mine was a ton heavier& faster than they recorded for the HITB cd.mike howe realy strengthens his voice in this cd.
great underrated album - along with Megadeth & Metallica, this release of Metal church is one of the best metal albums for that period.
Metal Church Human Factor 1991 Epic Records - I remember seeing and hearing this album my friend owned at a tennis center where we both worked back in the 1991. This album and the album s cover with Metal Church laying in between candles is totally awesome and one of my favorites as well. All songs on here are great. My favorites include Human Factor,Date with Poverty,In Due Time,and Agent Green. The song Agent Green what I believe is about the young soldiers who fought during the Vietnam War. Hence the name Agent Orange. This song Agent Green is incredible with the nice building intro. Probably the weakest song on Human Factor and it is pretty tough to decided is Fight Song. Fight Song is still a great song though almost punkish like. This albums release suffered during this greatly remembered time period (love the 90 s). Alternative rock...aka grunge was making the biggest impact in music at the time and who could not forget about Metallica s self title album having the crown in sales and recognition. Though Metallica s self titled album was released in the later part of 91 it still had an effect on Metal Church and some many other rock/metal bands during 91- 93. This album is well worth owning and it is highly recommended from a great band named Metal Church.
underrated trash metal band - Why bands like metal church and albums like this, were not as famous as metallica, during the 80 metal, the best era for this kind of music ? nobody knows the answer. no one will never know. who knows why ? big questions ? time did not tell us why, and never will. It is a shame that albums like this were not famous, because many people should have known this album. they would have loved, like I did. This is one of the best thrash metal album of the 80s, I d say. And I don t understand yet, why just a few people liked it. well, everybody has the right to like anything. but here, in this album, every song is like a fist in your face, but also with melody. it can be strange, but it is true. song by song, this album is a masterpiece. I can not explain what I feel everytime i listen to this album, but I can explain what I was doing while I was listening to it, for the very first time : headbanging, big time! Maybe it can be compared (almost) to Master Of Puppets. If you are a 80 trash metal lover, you have to buy it. I have so many memories with this album, but what here it only counts is talent. And, for that, the guitarist, John Marshall, a few years later, was a Metallica rodie, checking all guitars for Kirk & James. But, besides this, this will make your head bang like a crazy chicken among foxes. The guitar riffs are heavy like stones, and their melodies will make you scream til your death. Not so many bands can mix heavy guitar riffs with very good melodies as good as these guys. One milestone of heavy metal, underrated but very , very, very, very good. Excellent!
I just can t believe my ears, some music out these days... - Vocalist Mike Howe s sophomore release with those metal veterans Metal Church really drops a bomb on social issues, and the lyrics are so articulate on the variety of subject matter that I feel it is necessary to let them do the talking. In my opinion, In Harm s Way is the album s centerpiece--a very saddening description of child abuse and it s toll on a human life. A lonely child with battered eyesNo joy in innocence they cryAlways has to lie his way through lifeI ve fallen down while playing ballBut mom beat me up and down the hallJust because she had one of those nights...Sort of along those lines is In Mourning which brilliantly covers the topic of how music is blamed for kids committing suicide and rightfully redirects the blame to their upbringing. No doubt inspired by the Judas Priest court case, it presents its message clearly and desperately needed to be written.Maybe could it be that no one was there to hearDid you pay attention to their angers and their fears?You re trying to find someone to blame who can t be put on trialThe enemy you re looking for is laughing all the whileI mourn for those who have been so deceivedYou know the last words that they spoke were Who loves me? On the lighter side, the title track is a blast at phony corporate pop stars who have no real musical talent, use computer programs instead of instruments, and use samples of real musicians songs to scam their way to popularity. Sadly it is just as relevant today as it was in 1991 when it was written:I just can t believe my ears, some music out these daysThe human factor has diminished, in oh so many waysFancy footwork gets top bill and I ll put on such a showOne more Midi cable and my band is ready to goOne more money-maker and I m set for lifeStealing from others will make my future bright...This is going on longer than I anticipated so I ll cut it short. But I hope enough examples have been given to really express the importance of this record. Metal Church isn t talking about nuclear war anymore, they re covering topics that hit much closer to daily life and do it in a very effective way. Each song is equally strong in its message: Betrayed and its tale of alcoholism, Date with Poverty about being poor and hounded by collectors, The Final Word about American activists who rag on their own country, or Agent Green which seems to be about some sort of political espionage or something. Musically it s one of the best songs on here, but I ll be damned if I know what it s talking about. Interestingly, during the acoustic intro to this tune, Mike Howe s voice sounds alot like latter day Geddy Lee.Anyway, this is a great album with more typically great riffs written by Kurdt Vanderhoof (who was replaced by Metallica guitar tech John Marshall for the recording of this album, but still contributed songs) and stunningly poignant lyrics by Mike Howe. A very dramatic listening experience.