Biography:
Formed Seattle in 1982, Metal Church consisted of vocalist David Wayne, guitarists Kurdt Vanderhoof and Craig Wells, bassist Duke Erickson, and drummer Kirk Arrington. Their 1985 self-titled debut album, recorded when the thrash/speed metal genre was still evolving, made a huge splash on the scene, as did its similar follow-up, The Dark. However, the band really hit its stride when Wayne left and was replaced by Mike Howe on 1989`s Blessing In Disguise; Vanderhoof left after the album due to his dislike of touring and was replaced by Metallica guitar tech John Marshall. Vanderhoof remained the group`s designated composer on 1991`s The Human Factor, possibly the band`s most socially conscious album. However, the advent of alternative rock and problems with their record label contributed to a loss of direction on 1993`s Hanging in the Balance, and Metal Church ended up disbanding. In 1999, the group`s original lineup -- Wayne, Vanderhoof, Wells, Erickson, and Arrington -- reunited and released the album Masterpeace. Live appeared early the following year.
