Avtor: Peter Podbrežnik
Izvajalec: Metal Church
Založba: SPV Records
Izid: 2008
Ocena: 3/5
Cult American metallers Metal Church keep their musical stampede rolling with “This Present Wasteland”, a run that has kept up its full-throttle pace since the original lineup reunited in 1999. With decent new albums that revived interest in the band from heavy metal’s golden years by taking them back to their roots, they’ve become a byword for everything great about traditional heavy metal once again. Ever since the tragic death of original singer David Wayne and the arrival of his replacement Ronny Munroe, who joined them on “The Weight Of The World” (2004), Metal Church have been a stable lineup for a while now. Under the leadership of the outstanding guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof (Vanderhoof, Presto Ballet), they prove again and again that they’re not ready for the scrap heap yet.
On “This Present Wasteland” too, Metal Church keep all the ingredients of their trademark sound in place, which mostly rests on just the right balance between classic, melodic heavy metal and thrash or speed metal (the latter is admittedly in a clear minority here), with a finely honed sense of sensitivity. Here and there the album also has a pinch of prog metal adventurousness, courtesy of Vanderhoof’s interesting, at times almost ambient guitar passages and effects, plus calmer moments that soften the album’s otherwise pretty dark aura and further enrich their trademark sound. That’s actually no surprise, since in recent years Vanderhoof, mainly through his new band Presto Ballet, hasn’t hidden his enthusiasm for progressive rock. Otherwise, all the tried-and-true trademarks that thrill the band’s fans are present throughout: the twin guitar attack from Vanderhoof and new guitarist Rick Van Zandt, who replaced Jay Reynolds; Ronny Munroe’s very good, classically trained vocals, which have plenty in common with Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) and Rob Halford (Judas Priest); and the occasional barrage of double bass drum from cult drummer Jeff Plate (ex-Savatage), a hallmark of most classic American metal bands of the 80s.
The mood of the album is, fittingly for its title and cover, mostly pretty dark, with socially critical lyrics that mainly deal with the various crimes of the human race, which keeps up their reputation as eternal metal rebels. With the passing of the years, though, they do it in a noticeably more mature way than they used to, so you won’t find that often naively sounding rebellious whine that marked the early albums. The main strength of present-day Metal Church, and so of this album, is that they successfully shift between classic metal finesse, built on razor-sharp riffs and wild solos, and a tightly wound, at times almost speed metal rhythm section. With the help of the layered, melodic vocals, this creates good contrasts and helps make sure the songs don’t sound too alike (which is one of the main flaws of similar bands today).
The sharp, highly kinetic opener “The Company Of Sorrow” already shows the band isn’t joking around, with a mix of rumbling yet varied drum transitions (you can tell Plate used to play with prog metallers Savatage, because his drumming doesn’t sound one-dimensional for a second), venomous riffs and super-energetic vocal outbursts. It’s a song that makes it hard to argue with anyone who’d call them the American cousins of Iron Maiden. Already on “Deeds Of A Dead Soul” you can spot some almost prog rock finesse in the ambient guitar bits, which now and then even lean slightly toward progressive heroes Porcupine Tree, nicely enriching the melodic metal skeleton of this very good song. On “Meet Your Maker” it’s Munroe’s outstanding vocal chops that you can’t help admiring, as he effortlessly switches between a dramatic performance in the style of Dickinson, whose voice his resembles most, and almost Halford-like screaming. “Monster” is practically the incarnation of a classic Metal Church song, with crunchy guitar riffing, relentless drum barrages and mighty vocal lines. “A Far Never Won” is a somewhat more epic creation, with an acoustic guitar intro, ambient touches and a deeply felt vocal performance. One of the best songs on the album is “Breathe Again”, which, besides mighty rhythmic shifts and monumental riffs, also has a short ambient section where the melancholic vocals are laid over subtle guitar passages, and the excellent three-part guitar harmonies deserve a mention too. The closing “Congregation” sounds like a classic Metal Church song in its first half, but in the second we’re suddenly treated to almost prog metal finesse, thanks to Vanderhoof’s use of ambient guitar synths and a brief stint of playing almost Arabic scales.
“This Present Wasteland” is a very good album that will no doubt delight the band’s longtime fans, since it very successfully maintains the high quality of their trademark style, while Vanderhoof’s many progressive touches and the modern production make sure they never sound anachronistic, often wandering to the edge of progressive metal instead. But like most cult metal bands that in recent years mainly look after keeping their loyal fan base happy, Metal Church on “This Present Wasteland”, despite the oft-mentioned progressive guitar bits that put them among the more experimentation-friendly and forward-looking of the 80s metal heroes, steer clear of any overly bold exploration of new musical territory. That’s what Presto Ballet is for, which is fair enough if they want to stay in touch with their roots. What you do clearly feel, though, is the maturity that years of experience and musical growth have brought. Vanderhoof’s fascination with progressive rock is inspiring and does the band much more good than harm when it comes to freshening up their traditional sound. So expect more interesting but not radically experimental surprises in the future, in harmony with the protective embrace of traditional heavy metal of the finest school.
Lineup
Ronny Munroe – vocals
Kurdt Vamderhoof- guitar
Rick Van Zandt – guitar
Steve Unger – bass guitar
Jeff Plate – drums
Production
Kurdt Vanderhoof
Tracklist
1. The Company Of Sorrow
2. Perfect Crime
3. Deeds Of A Dead Soul
4. Meet Your Maker
5. Monster
6. Crawling To Extinction
7. War Never Won
8. Mass Hysteria
9. Breathe Again
10. Congregation
