UMUR "Hanging in the Balance" is the 5th full-length studio album by US power/heavy metal act Metal Church. The album was released through Rising Sun Records in October 1993. It´s the successor to "The Human Factor" from 1991 and marks a change for the band after two major label releases, going back to releasing albums on smaller labels again.

Featuring the same five-piece lineup as the predecessor, very little has changed on "Hanging in the Balance" though, and Metal Church are still a guarantee for high quality US power/heavy metal. "Hanging in the Balance" features a raw, organic, and very well sounding production, which suits the material perfectly, and although the album was released in 1993 this sounds in every possible way like a 1980s release. Metal Church did not bow to the alternative heavy rock/metal sound which swept the world in those years, but held the US power/heavy metal flag high. It was probably a commercially unwise move, but the choice kept their integrity and authenticity intact.

12 tracks and a full playing time of 61:12 minutes is maybe a bit too long and the album could have been a little sharper and consistent if Metal Church had cut a few tracks. Some of the songwriting experiments that the band venture into, aren´t always successful either, and they are best when they just rock hard and deliver effectful US power/heavy metal tunes...which fortunately they do most of the time.

The musicianship is one of the features of the album which deserves a mention, because Metal Church are an incredibly well playing band. The rhythm section is hard pounding and organic, the guitar riffs are sharp and hard rocking, the solos are delivered with great passion and attention to detail, and Mike Howe is a skilled vocalist with a strong voice, who is perfect for the role as frontman for Metal Church. He has the right amount of roughness to his voice, but at the same time he is always conscious about the importance of melody. Upon conclusion "Hanging in the Balance" is another high quality US power/heavy metal release by Metal Church and a 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

Kingcrimsonprog I’m sure in 1993 after Badmotorfinger, Ten and Nevermind, this may not have been the most popular album out of Seattle, but looking back at this objectively through 2020 goggles it is a damn fine follow-up to their excellent Human Factor album.

This isn’t the album that makes it into all the top-metal album lists, like their earlier work, but it is a fine addition to the discography and one not to be overlooked. It has a fantastic production, partially from Paul O’Neill who was involved in many of the best Savatage albums. Mike Howe’s powerful vocal work is simply superb (shame he would leave after this record). The lead guitar work is very entertaining, a bit bluesier than their earlier albums. The lyrics are quite interesting too, ranging from topics of racism, nuclear bombs, alcoholism, politics and change.

Stylistically; like all Metal Church albums, it sounds different from the last one, but caries something over. They really never make the same album twice. This album doesn’t have the early-Queensryche meets early-Savatage similarities of the self-titled debut, or indeed the Thrash tinges of The Dark; but what it does have is a huge upswing in the level of Rush influence. Little guitar lines here and there, vocal melodies, even a whole vibe of a song (‘Waiting For A Savior’). There’s lots and lots of Rush inspiration coming out at all angles. Its arguably the least heavy and most melodic of their pre-breakup albums. There’s a real good acoustic/electric dynamic going on a lot of the time.

That’s not to say its all Rush all the time. Tracks like ‘Conductor’ & ‘Down To The River’ are still metallic and energetic, while ‘Losers In The Game’ even goes as far as to borrow a few vocal patterns from Judas Priest’s ‘Breaking The Law.’ On the other side of the spectrum, ‘Hypnotized’ seems to be attempting a tip of the hat to Alice In Chains. Speaking of which, Jerry Cantrell provides some guest guitar work on the opening track!

If I was to make a critique of the album, I would propose that it is a tad overlong, and could do with being maybe two tracks shorter, or having a minute shaved off a few of the songs instead to tighten it up a bit, but that’s just nit-picking.

Ps. If there has ever been a case for ‘’don’t judge a book by its cover’’ then this is it. If you didn’t know about this band and saw this ridiculous album art, well, it wouldn’t inspire you just to buy it on spec, now would it? Luckily, whatever they loose in artwork taste, they make up for in musical taste.