Welcome to another edition of From My Collection. There’s no denying that in the annals of “best metal debut albums”, Metal Church’s self titled is among the greatest. In fact, many would argue it is the greatest. Metal Church’s debut gets so much praise, that many seem to forget their equally brilliant sophomore album, The Dark. It would be the band’s official major label debut, as well as their last album with original singer David Wayne until 1999’s Masterpeace. This week’s essay will explore the background behind this classic album, how it differs from its predecessor, and why more headbangers should mention it in the same breath as past and subsequent Metal Church releases. So please rise and open up your hymnals. Church is in session.
In the mid 80s, major labels were dying to sign any band adjacent to the ongoing metal craze. It didn’t matter whether you played traditional metal, glam metal, hard rock, or even thrash. If you had long hair and played music with loud guitars, chances were a major label deal would find you before you found it. Such was the case with Metal Church, who signed with Elektra Records after generating such a buzz with their debut album. The good word of rising stars James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich of Metallica helped as well, but at the end of the day, Metal Church earned their deal off hard work and determination. After all, the independent press of Metal Church sold 70,000 copies prior to Elektra coming in. Let that sink in for a second. 70,000 copies. Most major label artists today are lucky if they can push that many physical units in a year.
Upon signing with Elektra, the label reissued Metal Church to get kids ready for the band’s next full length onslaught: The Dark. Only a couple years had passed, but from a musical and songwriting perspective, Metal Church had grown dramatically. Whereas Metal Church is a raw, raging amalgamation of traditional, power, and thrash metal, The Dark is much more polished in certain aspects, doubling down on the traditional influences, and even incorporating progressive songwriting structures. Dare I say some moments even veer into commercial territory (More on that in a bit.)?
The Dark opens in classic Metal Church fashion with the fast, ripping, and anthemic “Ton of Bricks”. The production is certainly more crisp and refined than their debut, but the classic Metal Church ethos is on full display. It’s a pummeling slab of traditionally inclined pseudo-thrash that seems almost purposely written to be not just the album opener, but a concert opener too. The chorus-centric “Start the Fire” continues the mood, standing out as arguably the most conventional heavy metal/hard rock song Metal Church had released up until that point. It’s amazing it didn’t catch on rock radio, considering it’s essentially classic AC/DC worship with a turbo-charged US power metal kick.
It isn’t until we get to “Method to Your Madness” that things take a turn for the more serious. By ’86, thrash started to become more “socially conscious”, not in the late 60s hippie dippy way, but more as a reaction to the seeds of nuclear apocalypse being sown by leaders here in America and abroad. Whether it be Metallica (practically all of Master of Puppets), Megadeth (“Peace Sells”), or even Metal Church, the evils of man were becoming more prevalent than the evils of the supernatural world. “Method to Your Madness” is a thrashy prog metal opus that chronicles the horrors of war from the perspective of a forgotten soldier, disillusioned by such violence.
The dark, progressive mood continues on the album’s “hit single”, “Watch the Children Pray”. Clocking in at a little under 6 minutes, this dark, ominous ballad is more in line with those written by Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Mercyful Fate, than the fluff metal and hard rock bands would write in an effort to crossover to pop radio. Nevertheless, “Watch the Children Pray” achieved a strong following via rock radio and MTV, and rightfully so. This brilliantly written song showcases Wayne’s dynamic vocal range, as well as the band’s subtle musicianship, alternating between gentle and harsh passages. This is contrasted by side A’s closer, “Over My Dead Body”. One of the thrashiest songs on this album, “Over My Dead Body” absolutely smokes, emphasizing melody and technicality without sacrificing the brutality at the genre’s core.
As we flip over to side B, we’re greeted by my favorite cut of the album, the title track. Maybe it’s just me, but I always thought the intro sounded eerily similar to that of Slayer’s “Hell Awaits”. This comparison aside, “The Dark” is about as wicked and horrifying as 80s metal comes, thanks to Wayne’s shrill, unsetllintgvocal delivery. Think Mercyful Fate minus the aura of euro mysticism. “Psycho” continues the go for the throat, neck snapping attack, coming off as a musical and lyrical cousin of “Hitman” off the debut. Major label or not, Metal Church proved they could still hang with the top of the thrash crop of the era, like Exodus and Whiplash.
“Line of Death” sees the Metal Church returning to themes of violence and social unrest, specifically relating to Libyan hostilities in the Gulf of Sidra. The thrashing and bashing continues, albeit in a refined fashion. I’d go as far to argue that this album is one of the finest examples of polished thrash metal, if that makes any sense (Think along the lines of the first couple Annihilator albums.) The fantasy themed “Burial at Sea” yet again displays the band’s love for traditionalism, progressive musicianship, and atmosphere, while the closing “Western Alliance” sees the band go thrash for one final go-around, co-opting social themes yet again.
Although The Dark didn’t establish Metal Church as “superstars”, it did pave the way for all future commercial success. The band landed high profile touring slots for Metallica, Slayer, and Megadeth, as well as a spot on the inaugural Milwaukee Metalfest. Wayne would leave soon after, but the band would soldier on with new singer Mike Howe for a string of classic albums. Although both Wayne and Howe are unfortunately no longer with us, Metal Church has vowed to continue on, with a new album and tour on the horizon in 2023. We wish them all the best in their future efforts, and fully support them in such.