UMUR "A Light in the Dark" is the 8th full-length studio album by US power/heavy metal act Metal Church. The album was released through Steamhammer Records in June 2006. It´s the successor to "The Weight of the World" from 2004 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as drummer Kirk Arrington has been replaced by Jeff Plate (Savatage, Chris Caffery, Trans-Siberian Orchestra). Arrington had been a member of Metal Church since 1982, with only a few short breaks from the band in those years, but he had to leave Metal Church due to health complications from his diabetes. "A Light in the Dark" features a re-recorded version of "Watch the Children Pray" from "The Dark (1986)", which is dedicated to former Metal Church vocalist David Wayne, who died in 2005 from gangrene after being involved in an automobile accident.

"A Light in the Dark" is the second Metal Church album featuring lead vocalist Ronny Munroe, and although he is no David Wayne (Mike Howe isn´t either), he is still a skilled singer with the ability to sing both relatively high pitched and mid-range raw vocals. He predominantly performs the latter style. Stylistically there are very few surprises here if you are familiar with the preceding releases by Metal Church. US power/heavy metal with both traditional heavy metal riffs, harmonies, and guitar solos with the occasionally harder edged thrash metal moments. The rhythm section deliver a powerful and organic attack, the guitarists are well playing, and Munroe puts on a good performance too.

I´m not completely sure why but to my ears "A Light in the Dark" is a slightly less interesting release than "The Weight of the World (2004)". The melody lines are maybe a little less memorable, and the songwriting not quite as catchy and varied, but when that is said "A Light in the Dark" is still a good quality release by Metal Church, featuring a well sounding production job, strong musicianship, and professional songwriting. At 60 minutes it´s slightly too long for its own good, and it is to my ears an album featuring a few issues. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is still deserved though, and it speaks volumes of the generally high quality of Metal Church´s releases, that an album I consider a little sub par, is still an album I rate this high.

UMUR "The Weight of the World" is the 7th full-length studio album by US power/heavy metal act Metal Church. The album was released through Steamhammer Records in July 2004. After the failed reunion and the subsequent "Masterpeace (1999)" album release, Metal Church went on a hiatus and licked their wounds until they were able to assemble a new lineup. Guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof and drummer Kirk Arrington are the only remaining members from the lineup who recorded "Masterpeace (1999)". New in the lineup are Ronny Munroe (vocals), Jay Reynolds (guitar), and Steve Unger (bass).

...and the new blood have definitely invigorated Metal Church. While I personally found "Masterpeace (1999)" an enjoyable listen, "The Weight of the World" does sound a little more fresh and more like a band enjoying themselves. Stylistically the material on "The Weight of the World" is unmistakably the sound of Metal Church. Powerful, melodic, and hard rocking US power/heavy metal, featuring raw and intricate heavy metal riffs, blistering guitar solos, great harmony work, a hard pounding rhythm section, and a strong and commanding vocalist in front. New lead singer Ronny Munroe has a perfect voice for Metal Church as he is both able to sing raw vocals and also sing more melodic.

The material alternate between heavy and faster paced US power/heavy metal tracks and a few power ballad type tracks. Metal Church include a couple of longer and more structurally complex tracks on "The Weight of the World" (especially "Madman's Overture" deserves a mention), and while they´ve done that on most of their releases, it works better here than usual. If I have to compare "The Weight of the World" to one of their preceding releases it would be to "Blessing in Disguise (1989)".

"The Weight of the World" features a raw, organic, and powerful sounding production job, which is an absolute joy to experience on a 2004 recording. It doesn´t sound like it´s created using digital recording techniques and if it is, producers Vanderhoof and Chris Jacobson have done a great job making the material sound as analogue authentic as possible. So upon conclusion "The Weight of the World" is another high quality US power/heavy metal release by Metal Church. Failed reunions, massive lineup changes...nothing can stop these guys from delivering great 80s influenced metal to the people. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Masterpeace" is the 6th full-length studio album by US power/heavy metal act Metal Church. The album was released through Nuclear Blast America in July 1999. It´s the successor to "Hanging in the Balance" from 1993 and features a couple of lineup changes since the predecessor as guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof and lead vocalist David Wayne have returned to the fold replacing Craig Wells and Mike Howe respectively. Both returning musicians were part of the original incarnation of Metal Church, who recorded the first couple of albums.

While Howe is a strong vocalist in his own right, Wayne is just one of those singers who transcends being just technically skilled and having a strong voice. He has a personal sound and a rawness and authenticity to his performance that only the best are able to deliver. The return of Vanderhoof is also great, and it´s interesting to hear him use the mellotron on "Kiss for the Dead" a few years prior to his involvement with progressive rock act Presto Ballet. Stylistically the material on "Masterpeace" is not anything like Vanderhoof´s future act though (maybe except for the epic and semi-progressive "They Signed in Blood", which share some similar progressive traits), and the listener is treated to the trademark US power/heavy metal Metal Church sound. Not much has changed since the early- to mid 80s, but that´s not really necessary either, when you master your craft like Metal Church do.

They are an exceptionally well playing unit, and there is bite and passion behind the performances. Sure there are softer and more melodic moments on the album (like the melodic hard rocking "Into Dust" or the power balled "Kiss for the Dead"), but the softer moments are outnumbered by the energetic and aggressive (yet still melodic) US power/heavy metal tracks, so the balance is just right. One of the highlights of the album is the quite brilliant opening track "Sleeps With Thunder" (the Aerosmith cover "Toys in the Attic" is also a standout track, although not necessarily a highlight), but "Masterpeace" is a high quality release through and through. Strong and memorable songwriting, high level musical performances, and a powerful, detailed, and organic sounding production. The involved parties have often since called the album and the subsequent tour a disaster (Wayne had severe substance abuse issues and drummer Kirk Arrington had serious health issues which affected his playing while on tour), which led to the band breaking up again, but to my ears there´s nothing wrong with the quality of "Masterpeace" and a 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is fully deserved.

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.

UMUR "The Human Factor" is the 4th full-length studio album by US power/heavy metal act Metal Church. The album was released through Epic Records in March 1991. It´s the successor to "Blessing in Disguise" from 1989 and features the exact same five-piece lineup who recorded the predecessor.

Stylistically "The Human Factor" pretty much continues the US power/heavy metal sound of "Blessing in Disguise (1989)", but it´s generally a bit harder edged, direct, and powerful than the predecessor. The band sound more energetic and play even more like a tight unit here, and lead vocalist Mike Howe now sounds fully integrated. His performance here is strong, passionate, and convincing.

The material on the 10 track, 51:36 minutes long album are well written, memorable, and powerful US power/heavy metal songs. "The Human Factor" is an album featuring very few misteps (Personally I could have done without the brief funky moments on "Date With Poverty"), and the songwriting is consistent in quality and musical style. There´s not a single sub par track featured on the album, and all tracks feature strong riffs, great solo work, a powerful playing rhythm section, and the above mentioned commanding passionate vocals by Howe. It all comes together in a great way and makes perfect sense in the soundscape.

"The Human Factor" also features a powerful, raw, and detailed sound production, which suits the material perfectly, and upon conclusion it´s a high quality US power/heavy metal release by Metal Church. "Blessing in Disguise (1989)" is mostly the album people mention when discussing Howe-led Metal Church, but to my ears "The Human Factor" is actually the better album of those two. Being released in 1991 probably meant the album didn´t receive as much attention as is should have, but that doesn´t change the fact that it´s a strong release and that a 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.