One of metal's most underrated yet wonderfully talented acts. Here's a band who've grown from their thrash roots to incorporate a classical metal stance, but still remaining as powerful and intelligent as say, Megadeth. Terrible album (possibly influenced by the sickly alterno-metal scene at the time ?) cover hides another clinical record of power thrash. Mike Howe's remaining one of the best and most diverse vocalists in the genre, this is extremely progressive metal for anyone looking for thinking man's metal. In fact the intelligence shines through because after reading the seemingly cheesy lyrics to the title cut, one would think it difficult to get away with such an all too honest set of lyrics.
Metal Church may lack the imposing arrogance of other bands, especially those who sell out stadiums, but this is equally as energetic and important rock music. The instruments fuse together to erect a huge wall of searing sound for Howe to Sneer through. Cool grooves, memorable choruses and no issue excluded. It's a if the messages left by Priest in the '80s which I ignored, have now been polished and re-presented to me by Metal Church. Highly technical, refreshing, cold steel grooves, just check out the almost funky strut mid-section of 'Date With Poverty', but it's done for keeps, no slacking, just burning metal. Lyrically a superb record, but so much to take in, those crisp guitars, the ear-shredding bass and rumbling drums, a headbanger's paradise but maintaining a complexity of beauty. Cutting edge metal, 'In Due Time', 'In Mourning' and 'Agent Green', all slice and dice the brain like wire across cheese.
Cool band in a very metal way.
8/10
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