Metal Church is the American heavy metal band Kurdt Vanderhoof formed in San Francisco in 1980 and rebuilt in Aberdeen, Washington. It is usually counted among the pioneers of thrash, speed and power metal. Start with The Dark (1986). A new lineup released Dead to Rights in April 2026 and plays Houston, Austin and Dallas in March 2027.
The Short Version
- Start with The Dark (1986), then Blessing in Disguise (1989).
- Latest album: Dead to Rights (April 10, 2026).
- As of November 2026: Houston March 18 to 20, Austin March 19 and Dallas March 21, 2027.
Who Are Metal Church?
The Metal Church band began in San Francisco in 1980, around guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof and a first lineup that kept changing. A three-song instrumental demo, Red Skies, followed in 1981.
In 1981 Vanderhoof moved to Aberdeen, Washington, and started a new group called Shrapnel with guitarist Craig Wells and bassist Duke Erickson. Drummer Kirk Arrington arrived in 1982 and singer David Wayne in 1983. The band took the Metal Church name back that same year, and those five are the classic lineup.
The 1984 Debut and Elektra
Metal Church came out in July 1984 on Ground Zero, an independent label. The band co-produced it with Terry Date in Seattle. It opens with “Beyond the Black,” carries “Merciless Onslaught” over from the Red Skies demo and closes with a cover of “Highway Star” by Deep Purple.
David Wayne told Metal Update, “We sold 70,000 on our own before we finally got signed.” Elektra reissued the album in 1985. Wayne said the label’s A&R man told the band that Lars Ulrich and Metallica bandmate James Hetfield said to sign Metal Church “before somebody else did.”
The Dark and 1986
The Dark is the Metal Church album to hear first. Elektra/Asylum released it on October 6, 1986, with Mark Dodson producing and Terry Date engineering. It peaked at No. 92 on the Billboard 200. It is dedicated to Metallica bassist Cliff Burton.
Start with “Ton of Bricks,” the opener, then “Start the Fire,” the single. Next comes “Watch the Children Pray,” the power ballad whose video got MTV airplay. It sits on our list of 1986 thrash metal albums, though it leans closer to heavy metal.
The band then supported Metallica, alongside Anthrax, on the fall and winter dates of the Damage, Inc. Tour. Its 1986 to 1987 touring also put it on bills with Megadeth and King Diamond.
Metal Church in Texas, 1986 to 2023
The two earliest Texas shows we can trace predate The Dark. In January 1986 Metal Church played Machinist Hall in Irving, and PAO Productions’ venue history describes “major label acts Metal Church and Omen, with Warlock serving as the opening act.”
Machinist Hall Closed
A former aerospace machinists’ union hall with a short 1980s run as a metal room, with KNON’s Jerry Warden, Warlock’s singer, booking many of its shows.
Not the hall: an archive flyer for Rotting Corpse, Warlock and Valkyrie at the Radiation Dump, Saturday June 14th. Rotting Corpse archive
Warlock
Formed in Arlington in 1981. Its own biography calls it the first all-metal band from D/FW. It shares flyers with Rotting Corpse in our archive, and our Warlock history has more.
Austin came on August 21, 1986. The 2023 liner notes for a Militia collection say the band opened for Metal Church and King Diamond at the Ritz that night. See our Militia history and King Diamond in Texas.
The Ritz Closed 2007
Austin’s metal room of the 1980s, and a Rotting Corpse room too, as this flyer and our venues page show. It became an Alamo Drafthouse cinema in 2007 and Comedy Mothership in 2023.
Militia, Rotting Corpse and Sentinel at the Ritz. Rotting Corpse archive
A February 2017 run took in the Austin room then called Grizzly Hall, now Come and Take It Live, on the 21st, Trees in Dallas on the 22nd, The Rock Box in San Antonio on the 24th and Scout Bar in Houston on the 26th. Mike Howe sang, and the Houston set opened with “Fake Healer,” closed its main set with “Beyond the Black” and encored with “Badlands” and “The Human Factor.”
April 2019 brought a U.S. tour shared with Doro. Riff Relevant’s tour listing shows five straight Texas nights without her: Jake’s in Lubbock on April 23, Come and Take It Live in Austin on April 24, Scout Bar on April 25, The Rock Box in San Antonio on April 26 and Trees in Dallas on April 27.
The latest Texas date we can trace is a return to Scout Bar on November 4, 2023.
Mike Howe and Blessing in Disguise
Vanderhoof stopped playing live with the band in 1986 but kept co-writing, and John Marshall took the guitar chair in 1987. Wayne left that same year. Mike Howe, who had sung on Breaking Point with Heretic, joined in 1988.
Blessing in Disguise followed on February 7, 1989, on Elektra/Asylum. It reached No. 75 on the Billboard 200, higher than The Dark. Hear “Fake Healer” first, then “Anthem to the Estranged,” the 9:31 epic.
Terry Date produced it. In 1990 he produced Cowboys From Hell for Pantera at Pantego Sound Studio.
Splits, Returns and XI
The Human Factor (Epic, 1991) is the record to hear after the first three. Howe sings, Mark Dodson produced, and Metal Nation calls it “arguably the strongest overall record of the band’s early career.” Start with “Date With Poverty.” It missed the Billboard 200, though the band supported Metallica on dates of the Wherever We May Roam Tour.
Hanging in the Balance followed on Blackheart in 1993. Howe stepped away in 1994, by his own account, and the band officially disbanded in 1996, citing management problems and poor record sales. Wayne, meanwhile, had formed Reverend in 1989 with former members of Heretic, Howe’s old band.
Metal Church re-formed in 1998 with most of the classic lineup, Vanderhoof back on stage, and made Masterpeace (Nuclear Blast, 1999). Wayne left again in 2001 and the band went on hiatus.
Ronny Munroe took over as singer when the band returned in 2003, and the place to begin is A Light in the Dark (2006), which Blabbermouth scored 8.5 out of 10.
The band announced on July 7, 2009, that it was stopping, citing industry frustrations, and played a final show at Rocklahoma two days later. A reunion followed in October 2012 and Generation Nothing in October 2013, a heavy record that Angry Metal Guy still found “one of their least interesting.”
The band announced Howe’s return on April 30, 2015, and XI followed on March 25, 2016. It reached No. 57, the band’s highest placing. Damned If You Do came out on December 7, 2018, and Congregation of Annihilation on May 26, 2023, with Marc Lopes singing. A March 2024 North American run was cancelled over what the band called Vanderhoof’s “ongoing back issue.”
Three longtime members have died. David Wayne died in 2005, Mike Howe on July 26, 2021, and Kirk Arrington in 2023.
Dead to Rights and the Current Members
The current Metal Church members, with Allen, Ellefson and Mary announced on November 21, 2025, are:
- Kurdt Vanderhoof: rhythm guitar, keyboards (the only founding member)
- Rick Van Zandt: lead guitar
- Brian Allen: lead vocals, known from Vicious Rumors
- David Ellefson: bass, formerly of Megadeth
- Ken Mary: drums
Past members from the album years, per Wikipedia’s member list, which ends the first era in 1994, two years before the official split:
- Singers: David Wayne (1983 to 1987, 1998 to 2001), Mike Howe (1988 to 1994, 2015 to 2021), Ronny Munroe (2003 to 2009, 2012 to 2014), Marc Lopes (2023 to 2025)
- Guitar: Craig Wells (1981 to 1994, 1998), John Marshall (1987 to 1994, 1998 to 2001), Jay Reynolds (2003 to 2008, 2012)
- Bass: Duke Erickson (1981 to 1994, 1998 to 1999, 2000 to 2001), Steve Unger (2003 to 2009, 2012 to 2025)
- Drums: Kirk Arrington (1982 to 1994, 1998 to 1999, 2000 to 2006), Jeff Plate (2006 to 2009, 2012 to 2017), Stet Howland (2017 to 2025)
Vanderhoof told The David Ellefson Show, per Blabbermouth, that the band “resurrected itself,” and he gave it a nickname:
“It’s the band that wouldn’t die.”
Dead to Rights came out on April 10, 2026, on Rat Pak Records in America and Reaper in Europe and the U.K. Vanderhoof produced it and Chris “Zeuss” Harris mixed and mastered it, per Blabbermouth. Angry Metal Guy called it “a good and at times very good album” and praised Allen’s singing.
The lineup first played live on May 17, 2026, at San Luis Metal Fest in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. The Metal Saint Tour with Armored Saint runs November 2 to 21, with no 2026 Texas dates.
Metal Church Albums, in Order
Our order for a new listener is The Dark, Blessing in Disguise, the debut, The Human Factor, XI, then Dead to Rights.
- Metal Church (Ground Zero, 1984; Elektra reissue, 1985): David Wayne.
- The Dark (Elektra, 1986): Wayne.
- Blessing in Disguise (Elektra, 1989): Mike Howe.
- The Human Factor (Epic, 1991): Howe.
- Hanging in the Balance (Blackheart, 1993): Howe.
- Masterpeace (Nuclear Blast, 1999): Wayne.
- The Weight of the World (SPV/Steamhammer, 2004): Ronny Munroe.
- A Light in the Dark (SPV/Steamhammer, 2006): Munroe.
- This Present Wasteland (SPV/Steamhammer, 2008): Munroe.
- Generation Nothing (Body of Work with Rat Pak, 2013): Munroe.
- XI (Rat Pak, 2016): Howe.
- Damned If You Do (Rat Pak, 2018): Howe.
- Congregation of Annihilation (Rat Pak, 2023): Marc Lopes.
- Dead to Rights (Rat Pak, 2026): Brian Allen.
Live and archive releases include Classic Live (2017), From the Vault (2020) and The Final Sermon (2024).
Metal Church
Formed in San Francisco, rebuilt in Aberdeen, Washington. Start with The Dark (1986).
Metal Church Tour 2027: Where to Hear It Live
The spring 2027 U.S. leg starts in Austin and closes in Las Vegas on April 10, per Blabbermouth, with One Machine in support, and Armored Saint on every Texas bill. As of November 2026, the band’s tour page lists these three Texas shows.
March 18 to 20, 2027: Hell’s Heroes IX, Houston
The bill includes Overkill playing an old-school set, Armored Saint and Omen’s final U.S. show, per Metal Centre. We found no day for Metal Church’s set, so check first. See Hell’s Heroes tickets and our Hell’s Heroes guide.
White Oak Music Hall Open
Houston’s home for Hell’s Heroes, with the IX pass listed in the Downstairs room.
Photo: slee158 via Google
Friday, March 19, 2027: Come and Take It Live, Austin
Show at 7 p.m., all ages, listed from $43.38 in advance and $48.54 on the day. See Austin tickets.
Come and Take It Live Open
A room that books touring metal, and a return after Metal Church’s 2017 and April 2019 dates here.
Photo: AC Davis via Google
Sunday, March 21, 2027: Granada Theater, Dallas
Doors at 6 p.m., show at 7, all ages. See Dallas tickets. The Granada has been sold, and NBC DFW reports shows only through April 17, 2027.
Granada Theater Open until April 2027
A 1946 cinema that returned to live concerts in 2002, with Mike Schoder and Julia Garton as owners since 2004. Rotting Corpse played a KNON benefit here in 2006, its first Dallas show since spring 1987 (see the timeline). See our Dallas metal venues guide.
The marquee in April 2005. Photo: Rich Anderson, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Armored Saint
The L.A. heavy metal band. Start with Symbol of Salvation (1991), and read our Armored Saint history.
Rotting Corpse’s own next dates are on our shows page.
Start with “Evolvement” (1987)
It’s the science-fiction song from the band’s summer 1987 tape, cut at Pantego Sound, where Terry Date later made Cowboys From Hell; see the lyrics and discography.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Metal Church
- Wikipedia: List of Metal Church members
- Metal Update: David Wayne interview
- Metal Kingdom: Red Skies demo (1981)
- Blabbermouth: Mike Howe (2017)
- Dig Me Out: Metal Church, The Dark
- Metal Nation: Metal Church (2018)
- Wikipedia: Metal Church discography
- Wikipedia: Metal Church (album)
- Wikipedia: The Dark
- Wikipedia: Blessing in Disguise
- Wikipedia: The Human Factor
- Wikipedia: Hanging in the Balance
- Limelight: Hanging in the Balance (2020)
- Wikipedia: Reverend (band)
- Wikipedia: Masterpeace
- Wikipedia: The Weight of the World
- Wikipedia: A Light in the Dark
- Blabbermouth: A Light in the Dark
- Wikipedia: This Present Wasteland
- Blabbermouth: Rat Pak signing (2013)
- Angry Metal Guy: Generation Nothing
- Wikipedia: XI
- Wikipedia: Damned If You Do
- Wikipedia: Congregation of Annihilation
- Blabbermouth: March 2024 tour dates
- Blabbermouth: 2024 cancellation
- Riff Relevant: 2019 Doro tour dates
- JamBase: Grizzly Hall, 2017
- JamBase: Trees, 2017
- JamBase: The Rock Box, 2017
- JamBase: Scout Bar, 2017
- JamBase: Scout Bar, 2023
- ReverbNation: Warlock biography
- Metal Blade: Heretic (1988)
- PAO Productions: West Side Haunts (2024)
- Nuclear War Now!: Militia liner notes (2023)
- Blabbermouth: Dead to Rights
- Blabbermouth: The new lineup
- Blabbermouth: First live show
- Blabbermouth: Spring 2027 U.S. leg
- Metal Blade: Metal Saint Tour
- Rockposer: Dead to Rights labels
- Angry Metal Guy: Dead to Rights
- Metal Church: Tour page
- Metal Centre: Hell’s Heroes IX
- Come and Take It: Metal Saint Tour
- Prekindle: Dallas show
- Granada Theater: About
- NBC DFW: Granada Theater sale
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the current members of Metal Church?
Kurdt Vanderhoof (rhythm guitar, keyboards), Rick Van Zandt (lead guitar), Brian Allen (vocals), David Ellefson (bass) and Ken Mary (drums). Allen, Ellefson and Mary were announced on November 21, 2025.
Which Metal Church album should I start with?
The Dark (1986). Elektra released it, it reached No. 92 on the Billboard 200, and it has the single Start the Fire and the video for Watch the Children Pray. Then go to Blessing in Disguise (1989).
When did Dead to Rights come out?
April 10, 2026, on Rat Pak Records in America. Kurdt Vanderhoof produced it, and Chris “Zeuss” Harris mixed and mastered it. It has ten tracks, including F.A.F.O. and the title track.
Is Metal Church playing Texas in 2027?
Yes. As of November 2026 the band’s tour page lists Hell’s Heroes in Houston (March 18 to 20, 2027), Come and Take It Live in Austin (March 19) and the Granada Theater in Dallas (March 21).
Where is Metal Church from?
Kurdt Vanderhoof formed the band in San Francisco in 1980. He moved to Aberdeen, Washington, in 1981 and started a group called Shrapnel, which took the Metal Church name in 1983.
Has Metal Church played Texas before?
Yes. The earliest shows we can trace are Machinist Hall in Irving in January 1986 with Omen and Warlock, and the Ritz in Austin on August 21, 1986, with King Diamond and Militia. Later dates include Scout Bar in Houston on February 26, 2017, and five Texas nights in April 2019: Lubbock, Austin, Houston, San Antonio and Dallas, and Scout Bar again on November 4, 2023.
