Metal Church guitarist and founder Kurdt Vanderhoof is feeling optimistic on two fronts — the band’s revamped lineup just made a triumphant live debut, and the painful back condition that sidelined him for two years is finally starting to improve. In a new interview, the veteran riff-master opened up about both his health battle and how the group’s first show with its new members came together.
Speaking with Australia’s Metal Mal, Vanderhoof gave an update on the spinal problems that forced Metal Church to scrap their 2024 tour dates. After years of frustration, he says he has finally found a specialist who knows how to help.
“Well, it’s getting sorted out now. It’s a process. I actually finally found a good recommendation of a sports medicine guy over in Phoenix. ‘Cause I live in Palm… well, Joshua Tree, so southern California. So it’s like four hours away, and we were over there rehearsing. ‘Cause [Metal Church drummer] Ken [Mary] and [Metal Church bassist] Dave Ellefson all live over in Phoenix, so we decided to rehearse over there. There was a studio, and I got recommended a doctor over there. And I went to one treatment, and I’m already feeling a lot better. I started doing a lot of stuff on my own, just taking some time off after the last show,” he said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
The guitarist didn’t sugarcoat just how grueling the ordeal has been, explaining that the condition left his entire body locked up.
“Yeah, it was brutal, man,” he continued. “It was brutal. I had spinal stenosis. Well, I still have it, but I’m fighting it, and in the process of all that, this doctor — finally somebody who knew what they were doing — all my muscles all over from my neck down to my feet are all in knots from trying to hold myself up when I’m all crooked. So that’s why it’s so hard for me to stand up for any length of time. And I’m going every week now, and he’s just reefing on me, just getting my muscles loosened up. It’s painful, but it’s kind of like… It hurts like a mother, but you’re going, ‘Oh, yeah.’ Your body somehow knows that’s what it needs. So I’m just one big knot. So I’m doing a lot better now. I’m doing much better. And before we really start touring here at the end of next month, yeah, I should be in pretty good shape. I finally found somebody who knows what they’re doing… ‘Cause I’ve had a lot of bad advice from chiropractors and other doctors and stuff over the past 15, 20 years, which never helped anything. It actually sometimes made it worse. So taking some time off and then doing some things that I know to do. But, yeah, it’s getting better. It’s getting a lot better. I am very, very happy to say that.
He also pointed to a problem that plagues many people in the modern age: “So many people have back issues now ’cause we sit all the time, and that’s what it’s from. We all sit in front of a computer all the time. And then I’m in the studio sitting again. So it’s, like, it’s amazing anybody can stand up at all. Anyway, enough of the old man stuff.”
The freshly assembled version of Metal Church made its live debut on May 17 at the San Luis Metal Fest, held at Teatro del Pueblo in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. Alongside Vanderhoof, the current lineup features longtime guitarist Rick Van Zandt, bass icon David Ellefson (formerly of Megadeth), powerhouse drummer Ken Mary (Flotsam And Jetsam, Fifth Angel, Alice Cooper, House Of Lords, TKO, Chastain) and new vocalist Brian Allen of Vicious Rumors.
Vanderhoof was thrilled with how the Mexico gig turned out, even if it doubled as the moment he realized he needed to get back to his doctor.
“That went amazing. It really, it really did. Other than that’s when I really realized, ‘Okay, I gotta go go back to Phoenix to this doctor.’ ‘Cause it had been a long time, so the first four or five songs I was fine. After about four or five songs, it started in again. I was, like, ‘Oh, f**k.’ So that’s when I, like, okay. We got back from Mexico and I’m, like, ‘Hey, doc, I’ll be right over,’ you know. So and, and after one treatment I’m doing a lot better. But the show went great. It went absolutely amazing. We didn’t play perfectly ’cause it was our first show, but right out of the box to headline a festival, that was pretty cool. It was, like, ‘Okay, this’ll work.’ Yeah, it was a lot of fun, and it was a lot of fun after not being on stage for a couple of years to be out playing again. And especially kind of watching Brian and wondering how he’s gonna… Is he gonna front the band? You always wonder. He always had a great reputation. I’d never heard Vicious Rumors before, so I didn’t know. But he did it, man. He was selling it and he was fronting the band. And I was, like, ‘Okay. Well, there we go. Looks like we got ourselves a rock and roll band,’ to quote Ted Nugent,” he recalled.
As for what the band played, Vanderhoof said the debut set leaned heavily on the group’s early catalog, with a couple of new tracks worked in.
“Well, [we were] focusing mainly on the classics — mostly [the stuff that was originally recorded with late Metal Church singer] David Wayne, first two albums. Good chunk of Mike Howe [later Metal Church singer] stuff, and then two songs from the new album. We only had an hour. But we’re adding more songs for our headline set. So we’re adding more stuff, early stuff, and maybe one more from the new album. The new album’s getting such a great response, which is great, but people still wanna hear the old stuff. You can’t get away from it. I’m the same way [with my favorite bands],” he concluded.
Metal Church setlist at Teatro del Pueblo, San Luis Potosí, Mexico was as follows (according to Setlist.fm):
- “Ton of Bricks“
- “Start the Fire“
- “Fake Healer“
- “Gods of Wrath“
- “F.a.F.O” (Live debut)
- “Badlands“
- “Date With Poverty” (First time live since 2019)
- “Watch the Children Pray“
- “Brainwash Game” (Live debut)
- “The Human Factor“
- “Beyond the Black“
- “Metal Church“
The revitalized Metal Church lineup was first announced last November, nearly two years after the band called off its 2024 tour due to Vanderhoof‘s ongoing back trouble. The new formation has since released Dead To Rights, the band’s 14th studio album, which arrived on April 10 via Rat Pak Records and marks the first record from this configuration. With Vanderhoof on the mend, the group is gearing up to hit the road in earnest, carrying both their storied back catalog and fresh material to fans around the world.
