List of Metal Church members

Last updated

Metal Church performing live in 2016. Metal Church- Wacken Open Air 2016-AL3427.jpg
Metal Church performing live in 2016.

Metal Church is an American heavy metal band formed in 1980. Originally based in San Francisco, California, the group's first lineup featured vocalist William McKay, lead guitarist Rick "Chief" Condrin, rhythm guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof, bassist Steve Hott and drummer Rick Wagner. After around a year, Vanderhoof relocated to Aberdeen, Washington, and restarted the group with vocalist Mike Murphy, lead guitarist Craig Wells, bassist Duke Erickson and drummer Tom Weber. The current lineup includes Vanderhoof alongside bassist Steve Unger (since 2003), lead guitarist Rick Van Zandt (since 2008), drummer Stet Howland (since 2017) and vocalist Marc Lopes (since 2023).

Contents

History

1980–1995

Kurdt Vanderhoof formed the first incarnation of Metal Church while living in San Francisco in 1980. [1] The original lineup included vocalist Billy McKay and drummer Rick Wagner, both of whom were members of Sinister Savage (later Griffin), who remained for around "two to three months". [2] [3] Vanderhoof, McKay and Wagner were initially joined by lead guitarist Rick "Chief" Condrin and bassist Steve Hott. [4] After McKay and Wagner both returned to Griffin later in the year, Ed Bull took over on vocals and Aaron Zimpel joined on drums, however Bull left shortly thereafter due to "tensions" with Condrin. [5] While still in San Francisco, the quartet of Vanderhoof, Condrin, Hott and Zimpel recorded the first Metal Church demo, an instrumental four-track called Red Skies, in 1981. [6]

Later in 1981, Vanderhoof moved to Aberdeen and formed a new version of Metal Church under the name Shrapnel. The initial lineup included vocalist Mike Murphy, lead guitarist Craig Wells, bassist Duke Erickson and drummer Tom Weber, although Murphy left before the recording of the band's next demo, 1982's Hitman. [7] Shortly after, David Wayne replaced Murphy and Kirk Arrington took over from the outgoing Weber; the new lineup released Four Hymns and an untitled third demo in 1983. [7] Shrapnel was also renamed Metal Church in 1983. [8] In 1984, Metal Church released its self-titled debut album on independent label Ground Zero, which leads to Elektra Records signing the group in 1985. [8] The band's major label debut The Dark followed in September 1986. [9]

Mike Howe replaced David Wayne in 1988, remaining until their 1995 breakup. He later rejoined in 2015. Metal Church- Wacken Open Air 2016-AL9064.jpg
Mike Howe replaced David Wayne in 1988, remaining until their 1995 breakup. He later rejoined in 2015.

After the recording of The Dark, founding member Kurdt Vanderhoof stepped down from the band's lineup, although he would continue to write material and occasionally feature on future recordings. [10] He was replaced initially on tour by Mark Baker, before John Marshall took over on a more permanent basis. [11] [12] The new lineup toured throughout 1987 and early 1988, before Wayne left in the summer and initially joined a group called Intrinsic, [13] before forming his own group Reverend later in the year. [14] Mike Howe, formerly of Heretic, took Wayne's place as frontman of Metal Church. [15] Howe, Wells, Marshall, Erickson and Arrington released Blessing in Disguise in 1989, The Human Factor in 1991 and Hanging in the Balance in 1993. [16] The band broke up in 1995 due to various "internal conflicts". [17]

1998–2009

In 1998, when compiling the album Live , the 1982–1986 lineup of Metal Church (David Wayne, Craig Wells, Kurdt Vanderhoof, Duke Erickson and Kirk Arrington) reformed to start working on new material; Wells backed out early into the process, however, and John Marshall returned to take his place. [8] The new lineup released Masterpeace in July 1999. [18] For a subsequent European tour, Brian Lake and Jeff Wade filled in for Erickson (who was unable to play due to family commitments) and Arrington (who was detained), respectively. [8] Vanderhoof has subsequently claimed that Arrington was unwell during this period and "barely played" on Masterpeace. [19]

After the 1999 tour dates, Metal Church essentially disbanded. Wayne claimed that "Kurdt and the guys did not want to continue with Metal Church", after which the singer used the band name as the title of his next solo album. [20] Vanderhoof claimed in a 2016 interview that the reunion was "a bad, bad idea", claiming that "We did a tour and it was awful". [19] In the summer of 2001, however, around the time of the release of Wayne's Metal Church album, various band members explained that the group was still together, albeit inactive while Vanderhoof focused on his solo project. [21] [22] Wayne officially announced his departure in June 2001. [23]

Metal Church did not re-emerge until October 2003, when it was announced that a new lineup including Vanderhoof and Arrington alongside vocalist Ronny Munroe, lead guitarist Jay Reynolds and bassist Steve Unger was recording a new album. [24] The album was released as The Weight of the World in 2004. [25] In February 2006, it was announced that Arrington had to leave the group "due to health complications from years of struggling with diabetes". [26] Jeff Plate took his place, starting with recording for A Light in the Dark in January. [27] In February 2008, Jay Reynolds left the band for "personal reasons". [28] Rick Van Zandt replaced him, debuting on This Present Wasteland . [29]

On July 7, 2009, Metal Church announced that it was disbanding, citing "far too much frustration and disappointment in trying to keep moving forward", including the impending (but later reversed) insolvency of its record label SPV GmbH. [30] The group had earlier had to pull out of several live performances due to Vanderhoof's ongoing back problems. [31]

Since 2012

Metal Church announced in October 2012 that it would be reforming for shows in 2013, with a lineup of Ronny Munroe, Jay Reynolds, Kurdt Vanderhoof, Steve Unger and Jeff Plate. [32] By the time they played their first show back in January, Rick Van Zandt had returned in Reynolds' place. [33] The band released Generation Nothing later in 2013, and after a subsequent touring cycle, Munro stepped left to "pursue other interests" in September 2014. [34] His replacement was announced as the returning Mike Howe in April 2015, after a short trial period during which time he wrote new material with Vanderhoof. [35] A new album, XI , was released in 2016. [36] Plate later announced that he was leaving the group in March 2017. [37] The following month, former W.A.S.P. drummer Stet Howland was announced as Plate's replacement. [38]

The band released Damned If You Do in 2018, [39] followed by From the Vault in 2020 which included four new studio tracks. [40] These were the final Metal Church recordings to feature Mike Howe, who died by suicide on July 26, 2021. [41] The band became inactive following Howe's death, with Vanderhoof waiting until September 2022 to confirm that it would continue with a new vocalist, who they had reportedly chosen. [42] In February 2023, it was announced that Marc Lopes was Metal Church's new singer. [43] A new album, Congregation of Annihilation , is due for release in May. [44]

Members

Current

ImageNameYears activeInstrumentsRelease contributions
Metal Church- Wacken Open Air 2016-AL9117.jpg
Kurdt Vanderhoof
  • 1980–1986
  • 1998–2009
  • 2012–present
  • rhythm guitar
  • keyboards
  • backing vocals
all Metal Church releases from Red Skies (1981) to The Dark (1986), and from Live (1986) onwards – plus additional contributions to Blessing in Disguise (1989) and Hanging in the Balance (1993), and songwriting on The Human Factor (1991)
Metal Church- Wacken Open Air 2016-AL9030.jpg
Steve Unger
  • 2003–2009
  • 2012–present
  • bass
  • backing vocals
all Metal Church releases from The Weight of the World (2004) onwards
Metal Church- Wacken Open Air 2016-AL9093.jpg
Rick Van Zandt
  • 2008–2009
  • 2012–present
lead guitarall Metal Church releases from This Present Wasteland (2008) onwards
Stet Howland.png
Stet Howland 2017–present
  • drums
  • percussion
Marc Lopez.png
Marc Lopes2023–presentlead vocalsCongregation of Annihilation (2023)

Former

ImageNameYears activeInstrumentsRelease contributions
Rick "Chief" Condrin1980 (died 2014)lead guitarRed Skies demo (1981)
Steve Hott1980bass
William McKaylead vocalsnone
Rick Wagnerdrums
Aaron Zimpel1980 (died 2019)Red Skies demo (1981)
Ed Bull1980lead vocalsnone
Carl Sacco1981drums
Duke Erickson
  • 1981–1995
  • 1998–1999
  • 2000–2001
bassall Metal Church releases from the Hitman demo (1982) to Masterpeace (1999)
Craig Wells
  • 1981–1995
  • 1998
lead guitarall Metal Church releases from the Hitman demo (1982) to Live (1998)
Tom Weber1981–1982drumsHitman demo (1982)
Mike Murphylead vocalsnone
Kirk Arrington
  • 1982–1995
  • 1998–1999
  • 2000–2006 (died 2023)
  • drums
  • percussion
all Metal Church releases from the Four Hymns demo (1983) to The Weight of the World (2004)
David Wayne
  • 1983–1988
  • 1998–2001 (died 2005)
lead vocals
  • Four Hymns demo (1983)
  • untitled 1983 demo
  • Metal Church (1984)
  • The Dark (1986)
  • Live (1998)
  • Masterpeace (1999)
Mark Baker1986rhythm guitarnone
John Marshall
  • 1986–1995
  • 1998–2001
guitar (rhythm 1986–1996, lead 1998–2001)
  • all Metal Church releases from Blessing in Disguise (1989) to Hanging in the Balance (1993)
  • Masterpeace (1999)
Metal Church- Wacken Open Air 2016-AL9064.jpg
Mike Howe
  • 1988–1995
  • 2015–2021 (until his death)
lead vocalsall Metal Church releases from Blessing in Disguise (1989) to Hanging in the Balance (1993), and from "Badlands" (2015) to From the Vault (2020)
Ronny Munroe.png
Ronny Munroe
  • 2003–2009
  • 2012–2014
Kurdt Vanderhoof and Jay.jpg
Jay Reynolds
  • 2003–2008
  • 2012
lead guitar
  • The Weight of the World (2004)
  • A Light in the Dark (2006)
Metal Church- Wacken Open Air 2016-AL9015 (cropped).jpg
Jeff Plate
  • 2006–2009
  • 2012–2017
  • drums
  • percussion
all Metal Church releases from A Light in the Dark (2006) to Classic Live (2017)

Touring

ImageNameYears activeInstrumentsDetails
Brian Lake1999bassLake temporarily replaced Duke Erickson, who was unable to tour due to family commitments, in 1999. [8]
Jeff WadedrumsWade performed some drums on Masterpeace and took over from Kirk Arrington on the subsequent tour. [8]
Ira Black in studio.jpg
Ira Black 2005rhythm guitarBlack substituted for Kurdt Vanderhoof in summer 2005 when the guitarist had "prior commitments". [45]
Paul Kleff2016lead guitarKleff and Caffery stepped in for Rick Van Zandt during early 2016 when he had to have eye surgery. [46] [47]
Savatage (PK) - Wacken Open Air 2015 05.jpg
Chris Caffery
Bobby Ferkovich2019bassFerkovich performed on an Australian tour in the summer of 2019 when Steve Unger couldn't make it. [48]

Timeline

List of Metal Church members

Lineups

PeriodMembersReleases
1980
  • William McKay – vocals
  • Rick Condrin – lead guitar
  • Kurdt Vanderhoof – rhythm guitar
  • Steve Hott – bass
  • Rick Wagner – drums
none
1980
  • Ed Bull – vocals
  • Rick Condrin – lead guitar
  • Kurdt Vanderhoof – rhythm guitar
  • Steve Hott – bass
  • Aaron Zimpel – drums
1980–1981
  • Rick Condrin – lead guitar
  • Kurdt Vanderhoof – rhythm guitar
  • Steve Hott – bass
  • Aaron Zimpel – drums
  • Red Skies demo (1981)
1981
  • Rick Condrin – lead guitar
  • Kurdt Vanderhoof – rhythm guitar
  • Steve Hott – bass
  • Carl Sacco – drums
none
1981
(as Shrapnel)
  • Mike Murphy – vocals
  • Craig Wells – lead guitar
  • Kurdt Vanderhoof – rhythm guitar
  • Duke Erickson – bass
  • Tom Weber – drums
1981–1982
(as Shrapnel)
  • Craig Wells – lead guitar
  • Kurdt Vanderhoof – rhythm guitar
  • Duke Erickson – bass
  • Tom Weber – drums
  • Hitman demo (1982)
Early 1983 – summer 1986
(initially as Shrapnel)
  • David Wayne – vocals
  • Craig Wells – lead guitar
  • Kurdt Vanderhoof – rhythm guitar
  • Duke Erickson – bass
  • Kirk Arrington – drums, percussion
Fall 1986
  • David Wayne – vocals
  • Craig Wells – lead guitar
  • Mark Baker – rhythm guitar
  • Duke Erickson – bass
  • Kirk Arrington – drums, percussion
none
Late 1986 – summer 1988
  • David Wayne – vocals
  • Craig Wells – lead guitar
  • John Marshall – rhythm guitar
  • Duke Erickson – bass
  • Kirk Arrington – drums, percussion
1988–1995
  • Mike Howe – vocals
  • Craig Wells – lead guitar
  • John Marshall – rhythm guitar
  • Duke Erickson – bass
  • Kirk Arrington – drums, percussion
Band inactive 1995–1998
1998
  • David Wayne – vocals
  • Craig Wells – lead guitar
  • Kurdt Vanderhoof – rhythm guitar
  • Duke Erickson – bass
  • Kirk Arrington – drums, percussion
none
Late 1998 – June 2001
  • David Wayne – vocals
  • John Marshall – lead guitar
  • Kurdt Vanderhoof – rhythm guitar
  • Duke Erickson – bass
  • Kirk Arrington – drums, percussion
Band on hiatus 2001–2003
October 2003 – January 2006
  • Ronny Munroe – lead vocals
  • Jay Reynolds – lead guitar
  • Kurdt Vanderhoof – rhythm guitar, keyboards
  • Steve Unger – bass, backing vocals
  • Kirk Arrington – drums, percussion
January 2006 – February 2008
  • Ronny Munroe – lead vocals
  • Jay Reynolds – lead guitar
  • Kurdt Vanderhoof – rhythm guitar, keyboards
  • Steve Unger – bass, backing vocals
  • Jeff Plate – drums, percussion
February 2008 – July 2009
  • Ronny Munroe – lead vocals
  • Rick Van Zandt – lead guitar
  • Kurdt Vanderhoof – rhythm guitar, keyboards
  • Steve Unger – bass, backing vocals
  • Jeff Plate – drums, percussion
Band inactive July 2009 – October 2012
October – late 2012
  • Ronny Munroe – lead vocals
  • Jay Reynolds – lead guitar
  • Kurdt Vanderhoof – rhythm guitar, keyboards
  • Steve Unger – bass, backing vocals
  • Jeff Plate – drums, percussion
none
Late 2012 – September 2014
  • Ronny Munroe – lead vocals
  • Rick Van Zandt – lead guitar
  • Kurdt Vanderhoof – rhythm guitar, keyboards
  • Steve Unger – bass, backing vocals
  • Jeff Plate – drums, percussion
April 2015 – March 2017
  • Mike Howe – lead vocals
  • Rick Van Zandt – lead guitar
  • Kurdt Vanderhoof – rhythm guitar, keyboards
  • Steve Unger – bass, backing vocals
  • Jeff Plate – drums, percussion
  • "Badlands" (2015)
  • XI (2016)
  • Classic Live (2017)
April 2017 – July 2021
  • Mike Howe – lead vocals
  • Rick Van Zandt – lead guitar
  • Kurdt Vanderhoof – rhythm guitar, keyboards
  • Steve Unger – bass, backing vocals
  • Stet Howland – drums, percussion
Band on hiatus July 2021 – February 2023
February 2023 – present
  • Marc Lopes – lead vocals
  • Rick Van Zandt – lead guitar
  • Kurdt Vanderhoof – rhythm guitar, keyboards
  • Steve Unger – bass, backing vocals
  • Stet Howland – drums, percussion

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