Metal Church - Hanging In The balance (1993)

Now, here's a band who are very hard to knock - their career, despite dropping from the Sony label, has always enabled metalheads to experience the sound of cold steel. Metal Church should have been in the big league, highly talented, and with Mike Howe on vocals their range of power metal has been inspiring. Somehow though they've remained an isolated bunch and their album covers can't really help the band - this time it's one of the least 'thrash', or even 'metal' covers ever drawn up, out of place alongside the very metal logo, but then again, 'The Human Factor' cover was also leaning towards that alterno-style. So, what d we get musically ? Well, again MC bow to no-one and once again they screech out a toxic set of tracks which put most other bands to shame. This is classic metal, real man's power metal, proper thinking metal. The band effortlessly drift between grunge-tinged grooves and sweep to classic metal, slow brooding atmospheres and thundering manifestations. Howe's vocals rise above the storm clouds and as usual the slightly grey edge of the sound enables us to ponder a darker landscape. 'Gods Of A Second Chance', 'Down To The River', 'End Of An Age', potent, fiery, but somehow rigid and cold ventures which make modern Metallica appear as no hopers. Metal Church is mature metal, doom-laden, bordering on thrash in the bass heavy department, but always soaring through the trends without batting an eyelid. Major respect for the band sticking to their guns but oh so tragic that they never shared the headlines with acts such as Megadeth. Just weep at that album cover though!

8/10