Metal Church has officially returned with a powerhouse new lineup, and according to founding guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof, the entire reunion happened completely by chance.
The revamped heavy metal roster now features longtime guitarist Rick Van Zandt alongside a highly impressive cast of veteran musicians. Former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson has joined the ranks, along with seasoned drummer Ken Mary (known for his work with Flotsam And Jetsam, Fifth Angel, and Alice Cooper) and powerhouse vocalist Brian Allen of Vicious Rumors.
During a recent appearance on the “Creativity Talkin” podcast with hosts V and Jason Clarke, the band’s founder opened up about the frustrating period that led to his initial decision to dissolve the group following the touring cycle for 2023’s Congregation Of Annihilation.
“Well, after we did [2023’s] Congregation Of Annihilation [album], we did some touring for a while, and we did a run of Australia. And when we got back, it just kind of fell apart. People didn’t like what was going on, I didn’t like what was going on for different reasons. Then [drummer] Stet [Howland] quit, and it was just, like, ‘You know what? I’m done.’ This is no fun. And a band at our level, we don’t make enough money to have to put up with not having fun. I mean, we make enough to make it worth our while and we get to do it. So having fun, enjoying what you’re doing is part of the pay. But it just was, like, ‘You know, this is stupid. I’m not enjoying this now. I don’t need this.’ So I shut the band down. And I just said, ‘Look, guys, I’m shutting it down.’ And that was it. And I had no intention of putting it back together again. It was, ‘Nah, I’m done.'”
However, the universe had other plans. About a year and a half later, the guitarist received unexpected audio files from his record label, Rat Pak. A friend of the label, Todd La Torre of Queensrÿche, had encouraged Brian Allen to record some vocal demos.
“So, having said that, then a year and a half later, I get these MP3s through [my record label] Rat Pak. But I get these MP3s of someone — at the time I didn’t know who it was — singing ‘Start The Fire‘ and ‘In Mourning‘, so it was a David Wayne song and a Mike Howe song. I didn’t know who it was. And it was, like, ‘Whoa. Who’s this?’ I’m, like, ‘Well, if I ever thought to put the band back together, this guy would be a good singer.’ And then it turns out it was obviously Brian Allen, who, through a mutual friend, Todd [La Torre] from Queensrÿche, a friend of his, was telling Brian, ‘Go do a couple of demos and send it to ’em. Send it to the record company.’ … So he sent those, and I was blown away. And it was, like, ‘Yeah. Well, okay. Cool.'”
From there, the pieces rapidly fell into place. Rat Pak executive Joe O’Brien was working with the Ellefson-Soto project (featuring David Ellefson and Jeff Scott Soto), and relayed that the famous bass player was interested in joining a potential Metal Church revival.
For the drum position, former Metal Church and current Savatage drummer Jeff Plate initially offered to return. While he ultimately had to step away to focus on the massive Savatage reunion, the vacancy was quickly filled by Ken Mary, an old Seattle peer of Kurdt Vanderhoof from their early days working with producer Terry Date.
So [people ask me], ‘How did you resurrect the band?’ It’s, like, I didn’t. It resurrected itself. ‘Cause I had no intention of [putting it back together]… But it was, like, ‘Wow, okay, well, that was really easy.’ And having that caliber of people involved, it was, like, well, it really doesn’t get much better than that. So I’m not saying no. So we just kept going, and here we are.”
Reflecting on his initial hesitation to revive the legacy act, he admitted he never wanted to become a nostalgia band filled with hired guns. But the high-level resume of the new members quickly erased those concerns.
“When I decided to end it, it’s, like, I don’t wanna be one of these bands that’s going out on tour, on the ‘child support’ tour, where the only reason you’re out there is [to pay the bills], or to go out there and the only original members is, like, the bus driver. And it’s, like, I just don’t wanna be that guy. But then you bring in someone from Megadeth, Ken Mary from Alice Cooper, Flotsam and Jetsam — legit people. I was really worried about the perception of it, of, again, another singer, another lineup change, again. But the fact that Brian sounds like he does definitely made it sound like old Metal Church. So there was a little bit of this as far as the fans were concerned, but I had a feeling that when they found out who it was, and then heard it, I thought it would be more accepted.”
Looking ahead, the band leader is highly optimistic about their collective chemistry and the work they are about to unleash on the world.
“We’ve got some work to do. We’ve gotta get out and prove ourselves and show that we’re a real band, go out and kick a** and do that. That’s fine. We’re up for it. It’s a really good time and it’s really nice to be working with people that are on the same page. I mean, we don’t have to explain how the business works to anybody. Everybody’s been through it now. We all know how the business has changed now. We all know that this is the way it is now. And so far we’re getting along famously and everybody’s excited and we’re having fun and we’re all happy to be doing it… I couldn’t be happier about it. And I like the record and I think it came out great. And I think we’re really anxious to get out and start playing live.”
The brand new Metal Church studio album, Dead To Rights, is officially scheduled to drop on April 10 via Rat Pak Records. The project was self-produced by Kurdt Vanderhoof and mixed and mastered by Chris “Zeuss” Harris at Planet Z. The band is also planning extensive touring for the rest of the year.
Dead To Rights Track Listing:
- “Brainwash Game“
- “F.A.F.O.“
- “Dead To Rights“
- “Deep Cover Shakedown“
- “Feet To The Fire“
- “The Show“
- “Heaven Knows (Slip Away)“
- “No Memory“
- “Wasted Time“
- “My Wrath“
Metal Church will also be supporting Testament on select dates in their upcoming 2026 summer tour.
Testament Summer 2026 Tour Dates:
- 06/29 – Antwerp, BEL – Middenvijver
- 07/01 – Viveiro, SPA – Resurrection Fest
- 07/03 – Villaava, SPA – Sala Totem Aretoa (feat. Hellripper)
- 07/04 – Barcelona, SPA – Rock Fest
- 07/05 – Cartagena, SPA – Rock Imperium Festival
- 07/07 – Zaragoza, SPA – Teatro de las Esquinas (feat. Hellripper)
- 07/08 – Toulouse, FRA – Le Bikini (feat. Hellripper)
- 07/29 – Bergen, NOR – Beyond The Gates Festival
- 07/31 – Rejmyre, SWE – Skogsrojet Festival
- 08/01 – Gothenburg, SWE – Pustervik (feat. Metal Church & Armored Saint)
- 08/02 – Lund, SWE – Mejeriet (feat. Metal Church & Armored Saint)
- 08/04 – Kiel, GER – Die Pumpe (feat. Metal Church)
- 08/05 – Leer, GER – Zollhausverein (feat. Death Angel)
- 08/06 – Schlotheim, GER – Party San
- 08/07 – Cologne, GER – Essigfabrik (feat. Death Angel & Metal Church)
- 08/08 – Kortrijk, BEL – Alcatraz Festival
- 08/09 – Derbyshire, UK – Bloodstock Open Air
- 08/11 – Karlsruhe, GER – Substage (feat. Death Angel & Metal Church)
- 08/12 – Obertraubling, GER – Airport-Eventhall (feat. Death Angel & Metal Church)
- 08/13 – Krakow, POL – Klub Studio (feat. Metal Church & Armored Saint)
- 08/14 – Moravsky Krumlov, CZE – Rock Castle
- 08/15 – Dinkelsbuehl, GER – Summer Breeze
- 08/16 – Eindhoven, NET – Dynamo Metalfest
