By: Andy Little
Metal Church | website | facebook | twitter |
Support: Bliksem | website
The Camden Underworld | May 10, 2016
Associated with the exciting revolutionary vibe generated by the extreme metal movement of thrash metal back in the 1980’s, it is debatable if it enhanced or hindered Metal Church. Their music was never restricted to a pummelling heads down race you to the finish line approach, although they could compete with the best of them. It is more expansive, unrestrictive to the thrash metal template. Rather than obliterate the past they drew on NWOBHM, but especially metallers Judas Priest, and Accept influences were integral to the Metal Church sound. They even had quieter moments too a (loosely) ballad, ‘Watch The Children Pray’, which made it on the MTV playlist. But scanning the t-shirts donned by the turnout tonight (UFO, Iron Maiden alongside thrashers Overkill, Exodus, among others) on their return to these shores, with second vocalist Mike Howe, after a 22 years’ absence is evidence they transcended metal sub-genres.
Also, what set them apart from the fellow teenage acne sported whippersnapper thrashers surrounding them was their slightly mature years of age. But on first hearing their Deep Purple, high octane turbo charged cover of ‘Highway Star’, on the criminally forgotten, personally hugely influential and musically educational London based pirate rock radio station, Alice’s Restaurant, provoked such a rush of energetic desire my only thought for a week – until I could hurry on down to the best rock/metal record shop in London, Shades – were to purchase their debut record.
But nostalgia aside, before the main event, Belgium’s Bliksem provided support. Supporting Flotsam and Jetsam at the same venue last year they seemed disinterested, an air of going through the motions were present. Tonight, in stark contrast, they are rejuvenated as they attack each song with fervour and commitment to their solid, meaty, crunchy riffy honed thrash. Demonstrating a major progress in sound and attitude they even diverge into a fine slice of doom with ‘Morphine Dreams’. Evidence of a band stepping up a notch on the metal ladder.
It was becoming noticeable prior to the main act that the crowd were warming up, even on a Tuesday night there is an up for it atmosphere brewing, individuals singing along to Judas Priest’s ‘Electric Eye’ turning to a collective spirit joining in to ‘Breaking The Law’. Then the lights dimmed. Enter stage Metal Church and the roar of approval they are greeted with is quite staggering. It’s a metal love-in. ‘Fake Healer’ is unleashed and the unified crowd sing along to the chorus setting the tone for the rest of the show. If they had any pre-stage worries about the kind of reception they would receive they must have quickly evaporated. At any given opportunity chants of the band’s name, causing Mike Howe to pause on several occasions while the band take in the amazing response, beaming smiles all round, demonstrate it may have taken 22 years for their return but they have never been forgotten.
And so they proceed with a set dipping in and out of various stages of their past never solely focusing on one album or a specific period, while also proving this is no nostalgia trip. After all, they are here to promote their new album, XI, the first to feature Mike Howe since 1993’s Hanging In The Balance. In fact, the newer material is when they step up the tempo with ‘Reset’, ‘No Tomorrow’, ‘Killing Your Time’, which are all statements of metal fury intent and recall the pace and energy of their debut album, which is only represented by the monstrous version they perform tonight of ‘Beyond The Black’. It was heartwarming to see the underrated ‘riff master’ Kurdt Vanderhoof, who has unearthed many majestic metal-tastic gems over the years, lap up the heroes’ welcome they receive. Further proof of the quality in the Metal Church armoury is that despite hefty absences– no ‘Ton Of Bricks’, ‘The Dark’, ‘Metal Church’ to name only three – they maintain a high degree of heavy metal prowess throughout.
Immediately after the show, in the busy but surprisingly quiet male gents’ lavatory, the response to why everyone has been hit by an inability to speak is met with the reply, ‘stunned by awesome metal’. Yes, indeed!
