Metal Church  by Metal Church

The self-titled debut of Metal Church stands as one of the most imposing monuments of American metal from the 1980s. It was initially released in July 1984 by the independent Ground Zero Records, before its success led the band into the embrace of the mighty Elektra.

The recording took place at Steve Lawson Productions in Seattle, under the guidance of the legendary producer Terry Date. The sound created by Metal Church was - for its time - otherworldly and pioneering: an explosive mix of melodic NWOBHM (like Judas Priest) and the raw energy of early thrash. With the "screeching" vocals of David Wayne and the relentless riffs of Kurdt Vanderhoof and Craig Wells, the album balances between speed, power, and thrash metal.

Although it was not accompanied by official commercial singles, tracks like the epic Beyond The Black, the eponymous Metal Church, and the stormy cover of Deep Purple's Highway Star quickly became classics. Sales reached 70,000 copies through the independent route, an impressive number that forced the "big players" in the music industry to take notice of them.