I have to admit that Metal Church have fascinated me ever since their debut album arrived in 1984. One of the key moments came in 2015, when Mike Howe (R.I.P.) returned to the band and stepped back behind the microphone. His voice had already helped define albums such as Blessing in Disguise and The Human Factor, so his comeback was certainly big news for Metal Church fans.
The new era quickly produced a new album as well. XI arrived with Howe back in the lineup, and suddenly that old Metal Church magic was back. In 2016, the band took the new material on the road across Europe, playing club shows as well as several summer festivals. I had the chance to interview Kurdt Vanderhoof and Mike Howe at Dynamo Metal Fest 2016, and you can read the full interview here.
A few months earlier, Metal Church had played Rock Hard Festival in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. That show was professionally recorded, and a decade later, those WDR Rockpalast recordings are finally making their way onto a live album. The CD release also comes with a DVD featuring the full show, which should make this package particularly interesting for longtime fans of the band
The release date is October 9th, 2026, with the album coming out via MIG.
Tracklist:
- Fake Healer
- In Mourning
- Start The Fire
- Reset
- Gods Of Second Chance
- Date With Poverty
- No Tomorrow
- Watch The Children Pray
- No Friend Of Mine
- Killing Your Time
- Beyond The Black
- Badlands
- The Human Factor
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