Review METAL CHURCH “The Final Sermon”

All things come to an end. Everyone was reminded of this in July 2021 when the news came that Metal Church frontman Mike Howe had passed away. Howe was with the band from 1988 to 1994, and great records like ‘Blessing in Disguise’ are enriched by the powerful voice of the singer.

Howe returned to the band in 2015, giving Metal Church a new boost with a few more studio albums and an excellent continuation of what started in the late 80s. After such an impressive career in music, Howe died on 26 July 2021 at the age of 55, but the legacy will live on.

To pay tribute to the great singer, a new live album will be released. Metal Church played two shows in August 2019 at Club Citta in Kawasaki, Japan, and those have been recorded. These shows provide the basis for “The Final Sermon”, with 14 songs representing the classics and new stuff from the US metal icons.

“Damned if You Do” opens the album and represents the more recent Metal Church sound. The song is great and the live performance with the sing-along momentum works perfectly to start a show.

“Needle and Suture” is next before the mighty “Fake Healer” unfolds its timeless genius. “The HumanFactor”, “Start the Fire” and the stellar “Beyond the Black” quicken everyone’s pulse as the songs are anthems in the world of metal. “Badlands”, taken from “Blessing in Disguise”, brings the regular set to an end and it’s the last song on the album too.

This live release is one that makes sense. With great songs and an stunning sound, “The Final Sermon” is a release in memory of the great Mike Howe, a man and a voice we miss and will miss.