Former Metal Church vocalist Marc Lopes has elaborated on his sudden departure from the veteran heavy metal band, expressing deep frustration over a lack of communication from founding guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof.
During a new interview with Chris Akin on “The Classic Metal Show“, the singer discussed the financial and professional impact of his exit following the release of his sole album with the group, 2023’s Congregation Of Annihilation. His tenure ended abruptly when the band’s 2024 tour dates were canceled due to Kurdt Vanderhoof‘s “ongoing back issue,” leading to nearly two years of silence before a “revitalized” Metal Church lineup was announced last November.
Asked if he took a significant financial hit when the lineup fractured, Marc Lopes was direct.
“Oh, yes. I would have to say that my anger is really geared towards that aspect. Yeah, it really — I’m gonna use the word — it really f**ked things up. I’m just gonna say it straight there. And in all honesty, it’s so sad, ’cause it didn’t have to be that way,” Lopes said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
He emphasized that his primary grievance stems from a lack of dialogue regarding the band’s future, rather than the ultimate decision to move on without him.
“I’ve always been the person to bring everybody into a room to have a conversation, no matter what the problem is,” he continued. “That’s just how I am. Whether I’m right, wrong or whatever the case may be, a conversation is the adult thing to do and the right thing to do, no matter what the outcome. And that’s all I wanted, to be honest — that’s all I personally wanted.”
“Speaking only for myself in this, my biggest gripe was that I was not allotted the respect to have a conversation. And none of my phone calls or none of my e-mails or nothing was ever answered. No matter what — are we doing this? Are we not doing this? Whatever. Just tell me. What’s going on? I’m kind of, like, running around here.”
The singer also refuted Kurdt Vanderhoof‘s recent claims that he officially “shut the band down” following tensions during their 2023 Australian tour.
“He’s telling people the band was ended. No, it wasn’t ended. At the moment, it was, like, ‘Yeah, we’re not gonna do anything for right now. We need to talk about a lot of stuff, ’cause things aren’t cool, and they need to be talked about.’ And that never happened,” Lopes countered.
He further clarified his role within the group, pushing back against the notion that he was merely an employee:
“I wasn’t a hired gun. I was part of the band. Big difference. I wrote every song on [Congregation Of Annihilation] — every song. No singer in that band ever wrote every song with [Kurdt]. I spent a year of my life almost every day on the phone with him working on this album. Just me and him. I mean, I did so much work on that record that I got no credit for. But it was for the greater good. I was part of the team. So, yeah, it definitely hurts [for it to have ended the way it did].
“It’s not about ego and it’s not about pride,” he added. “It was about respect. And I never did anything to not get it. And I think that’s been the underlying seething point for me, because I never grew up like that, I never do that to anybody else.”
Earlier in March, the singer detailed his experience of attempting to contact Kurdt Vanderhoof over the course of two years, noting he only received a vague message wishing him “good luck with everything” shortly before the new lineup, featuring bassist David Ellefson, drummer Ken Mary, and vocalist Brian Allen, was publicly unveiled.
“Yeah, we basically found out on the Internet, pretty much… When they announced that they had a new lineup and a new tune [was released], that was [when we first found out],” he told Scott Davidson of Chicago’s “Rebel Radio“.
Discussing the internal state of the band prior to the public announcement, the singer shared a detailed account of the band’s deteriorating communication:
“It’s interesting. It depends on who you ask. My interpretation of it was there were definitely some issues going on business-wise that needed to be discussed. Certain people reacted in a certain way. At the time, it was just kind of, like, ‘All right, let this thing simmer down and then have a conversation.’ That was my take on it. And then when Kurdt canceled the tour, we went along with it, the reasonings that were said to the public, we went along with it in hopes of having conversations down the road — because [we] needed to. Anytime there’s some kind of misunderstanding of something, you should have a conversation — whether things are gonna work or not, there needs to be some kind of finality to it. At the time, [Kurdt] was, like, I’m gonna put Metal Church on [pause]… I’m just gonna stop doing this for right now,’ or whatever the case may be. And believe me, when I was in the band, I heard threatening to fold the band about six times. Anytime there was a disagreement, it was, like, ‘Let me take my ball and run.’ It got a little annoying, so no one ever took it serious, because it never was. So when that was said, it was, like, ‘All right, well, whatever. You guys can do whatever you need to do, and we’ll talk.’ But those talks never happened. And I constantly was always trying to reach out to find out — that was just from me. I mean, the other two guys, I don’t speak to them, but I was just, like, ‘What are we doing here? What’s going on?’ And no one would ever answer. And I was just, like, ‘Well, that’s kind of messed up. Why are we not having any kind of conversation?’ So one year goes by and still nothing. And I’m, like, ‘Wow, that’s really weird.’ I mean, I don’t understand. At least go, ‘Hey, you know what?! We’re not doing this no more. We’re gonna go in a different direction’ or whatever. But not even that. So, I kept going on, and that was it. We just never had any kind of conversation. And about the two-year mark, when the album was at the two-year anniversary. I finally got a message back and it was, like, ‘Yeah, you know…’ I’m not gonna say what was said, but it was kind of, like, ‘Good luck with everything,’ or whatever. And I was, like, ‘What?’ There was no explanation for what was said. I was kind of, like, ‘Well, what do you mean?’ And I got no answer. So I was, like, ‘Okay, this is kind of weird.’ So I’m trying to get what’s going on, and I was not getting any return calls, which — I’ll be 100% honest — was super disrespectful, and that don’t fly with me, man.”
He elaborated on his frustration regarding the lack of direct dialogue:
“You know what?! If you don’t wanna do it, that’s cool. Whatever, man. You wanna be that way and take your ball and run into your little corner, that’s cool, dude. But at least be man enough to say it. Let’s have a man-to-man conversation. That’s all I wanted. And I never got it. And I have every right to be annoyed by that. And that’s what annoys me. And to have that all come out on the Internet, and then them B.S.ing in these interviews, it’s just not cool, man. But it is what it is. It is what it is.”
Despite the bitter ending, Lopes maintained that he looks back on the work they accomplished positively.
“It was awesome. We did a lot of cool stuff. We did more in seven months on the road than that band had done in years. And we were doing things different. Business was good. A lot of people didn’t see the same way of things, and that’s kind of where it fell apart.”
However, he expressed deep disappointment in how his former bandmates were treated, particularly highlighting the dismissal of bassist Steve Unger.
“I think one of the things that really was most disrespectful was you have someone like Steve who was in the band for 22 years. And he never got a phone call [letting him know he was no longer in the band]. That is not cool… Definitely some serious lack of communication, for sure. So that kind of thing, I just don’t really think a lot about a person that does stuff like that. It’s just not an honorable thing to do. And that’s not how I function as a human. And I feel everyone deserves respect, whether you agree or not. So that’s where any kind of animosity comes from, is that.”
These statements follow previous comments Marc Lopes made earlier this year, where he described the situation within Metal Church as “a s**t show”. He previously criticized Kurdt Vanderhoof for possessing “no integrity” and demonstrating “cowardice” by “not confronting any of the issues, whether good or bad.”
Reflecting on having “to find out everything on the Internet,” he concluded: “That was the ultimate ‘f**k you’. And that does not bide well with me personally, which will be addressed in another time.”
Metal Church released their latest album, Dead To Rights, on April 10 via Rat Pak Records. Former drummer Stet Howland previously corroborated Marc Lopes‘s account on social media.
He wrote at the time: “I have to release a statement regarding the Metal Church situation. I know it’s overdue, I’ve just been too busy with positivity and making money to deal with negativity & drama. But after seeing recent [Metal Church] interviews, Marc‘s statement, and Kurdt‘s response. There’s clearly MANY things that need to be said. But in short, Marc was 100% accurate. Tho[ugh] he barely shared the tip of the iceberg of the bulls**t, and he was much more kind than I’m going to be. There’s truths that need to be told and facts that need to be shared. I’ll be as kind as I can, but I’ll be dissecting and explaining a s**tshow. Hang tight, you’ll see it right here very soon.”
