Photo credit: GianRock Photography by @Giovanni Cionci
METAL CHURCH have announced, via their official Facebook Page, their new lead vocalist, Marc Lopes (ROSS THE BOSS , LET US PREY):
Yes, the rumors are true, it’s official! Please welcome vocalist Marc Lopes to the congregation! We auditioned a handful of vocalists and while they were all great, Marc quickly became the clear choice. Both David Wayne and Mike Howe had a very unique, irreplaceable quality to their voices, so we were not looking for a clone of either. We wanted someone new, who could embrace the past, and also bring something fresh and exciting to the mix. Marc brings a very classic yet modern feel to the songs and we are looking forward to getting this new album out to you later this year! Thank you for your continued support of Metal Church! Love & respect, Kurdt Vanderhoof
METAL CHURCH lead singer and frontman Mike Howe has sadly passed away. No cause of death has been revealed.
The band has issued the sad news via their Facebook Page: “It is with our deepest regrets that we must announce the passing of our brother, our friend and true legend of heavy metal music. Mike Howe passed away this morning at his home in Eureka, California. We are devastated and at a loss for words. Please respect our privacy and the Howe family’s privacy during this most difficult time.”
Jimmy Kay from Canada’s The Metal Voicespoke to guitarist and main man Kurdt Vanderhoof of Metal Church. Vanderhoof spoke about the bands new album From the Vault and also gave his opinion on today’s streaming services.
Metal Church “From The Vault” will be released on April 10 via Rat Pak Records.
Tell me about Metal Church’s new release
“It’s not officially a new album, it’s has some new stuff, it’s from the vault literally that’s all it is. It’s leftover songs that we had that did not fit at the time or songs that we never completely finished and we don’t know why that I found in the archives. Since we are not doing any touring until an actually official new album comes out, we figured we might as well use this stuff. ”
Were the new songs ‘Dead on a Vine’ and ‘For no reason’ remakes or were they actually finished unused songs?
“They were two tracks we did not finish from the last record (Damned If you Do) and I don’t know why we never finished them. I like to write a pile of songs more than we need for a new record just to fill in any gaps and make sure there is no filler on an album. So I guess that is what happened with these they were unused. However the B side songs on this album were finished tracks but we didn’t put them on the record cause maybe they didn’t fit at the time. ”
Is Metal Church planning on releasing a Live Album in the future?
“We just recorded the shows we did in Japan a few months back, so it’s recorded. The live tracks on the vault album are from that Japanese show so yes sometime in the future”
When asked if there are any unreleased songs from the David Wayne era
“There is some and I have some but they are under major label 80’s corporate contract locked down so that i can’t really do anything with.”
Have you found that streaming services have helped Metal Church ?
“Streaming is a joke for everybody, it;s a great convenience and it;s a wonderful thing but the streaming companies don’t pay for the product that they sell. They don;t pay us anything they pay us like a percentage of a cent something insane like that. All artist have to get a handle on streaming we can start making money again. “
Joe Satriani, Pat Gesualdo, Geoff Tate, Steve Vai, Chris Poland
The Metal Hall of Fame recently honored Hard Rock and Heavy Metal Royalty at the Annual 2020 Metal Hall of Fame Celebrity Gala in Anaheim, CA. Geoff Tate, Steve Vai, Don Dokken, Stephen Pearcy, Joe Satriani, Graham Bonnet, Chris Poland Legendary Promoter Jack Orbin, Prong, and Metal Church were the 2020 Metal Hall of Fame Inductees.
The Gala was filmed live for Amazon Prime Movies, and will be aired in early 2020 to over 100 Million subscribers.
In above video – Metal Hall of Fame Jam Geoff Tate, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Chris Poland, Bjorn Englen, Pat Gesualdo
The Celebrity Gala included an epic monster jam for the ages, which featured Geoff Tate, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Chris Poland, Bjorn Englen, and Pat Gesualdo, who performed an unbelievable version of Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid.” Cell phone videos of the epic jam went viral instantly.
Another highlight of the event was the Official Modern Drummer tribute to Neil Peart, which included Cathy Rich, (Daughter of Buddy Rich, and close personal friend of Neil Peart). Modern Drummer’s Editor at Large Billy Amendola, Hudson Music owner Rob Wallis, and drumming legend Carmine Appice.
Several luminary bands such as Don Dokken, Riot Act, Chris Poland, Prong, and Iceland (Featuring Jack Frost, Charlie Calv, John palumbo (Marketing/Design Director of Dean Guitars), and Pat Gesualdo) also performed. The 2020 Metal Hall of Fame Celebrity Gala was Hosted by Television/Radio personality Eddie Trunk, and Co-Hosted/Produced by Whiskey A Go-Go Ultimate Jam Night / Almost Fama Show Host Jes Fama. Sponsors were Morgan Stanley Global Sports & Entertainment, Michael Brandvold Marketing, Spider Energy Drink, Dark Star Records, SGL Entertainment, Skateboard Marketing, and The Metal Voice.
Pat Gesualdo, Metal Hall of Fame President/CEO, says, “The 2020 Metal Hall of Fame Gala was amazing!! As always, there were Hard Rock and Heavy Metal Idols, and many exciting performances!!”
ONE MACHINE, the brainchild of critically acclaimed guitarist/songwriter Steve Smyth, has announced the addition of former Metal Church and Trans-Siberian Orchestra vocalist Ronny Munroe.
Says Steve Smyth, “As our fans know, we have been looking high and low for the right fit in a frontman for ONE MACHINE for a few years now, and we have finally found that right fit in Ronny Munroe! Ronny was referred to me by some mutual friends who thought he might be a great fit for us. I was blown away by his voice and performance the first time I saw him, and am absolutely honored and excited to have him with us for the future!”
An international metal band with classic and modern influences, ONE MACHINE features members carefully selected by Smyth, who is widely known for his work with Testament, Nevermore and Forbidden. ONE MACHINE‘s lineup is completed by former Biomechanical members Jamie Hunt on guitar and Matt “Spike” Cherry on drums, and former Savage Messiah bassist Stefano Selvatico.
“I am pleased to announce that I have joined Steve Smyth and ONE MACHINE as their new lead singer,” Ronny Munroe says. “Steve and the guys are all very accomplished players and good human beings, and I am proud to be part of the next chapter in the ONE MACHINE family.”
ONE MACHINE‘s debut album, The Distortion of Lies and the Overdriven Truth, was released worldwide in February 2014 through Scarlet Records/eOne to critical acclaim. The band immediately hit the road, winning several high-profile support slots in the UK and abroad, as well as headlining shows of their own and festival appearances.
A second album, The Final Cull, was released in 2015 and also received accolades from critics and fans alike. Extensive touring included UK and European festivals, such as Amplified and Bloodstock Open Air, and direct support to metal legends Overkill, Operation:Mindcrime, Raven, Devilment (featuring Dani Filth), Venom Inc., Nile, Vicious Rumors and many others.
ONE MACHINE is currently working on a new EP, tentatively titled Let the Culling Begin, and plans to tour following its release.
Los Angeles-based guitarist/songwriter BILL HUDSON has announced the selected shows in April with the Metal Queen, DORO PESCH on her U.S tour with Metal Church!
Bill stated: “Allright, time for awesome news! I will be, once again, joining the absolutely undisputed Metal Queen, DORO PESCH, for the first 4 shows of her U.S Tour with Metal Church! We will be playing classics from her time with #WARLOCK, as well as the ones from her solo career! It’ll be an amazing time, and I can’t wait to rejoin my friends Johnny Dee, Nick Douglas and Tommy Bolan on the road!”
The shows are:
April 17th: Las Vegas, NV @ Count’s Vamp’d
April 18th: Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues Anaheim
April 19th: Los Angeles, CA @ Whisky A Go-Go
April 20th: Mesa, AZ @ Club Red Mesa
As recently announced, Bill Hudson‘s Swedish/American power metal band, NORTHTALE will have their world premiere, performing at Sabaton Open Air Festival, taking place on August 15th! Facebook event page here.
Check out NORTHTALE first song “Shape Your Reality” from the upcoming album, here:
———————————
Please Note, BILL HUDSON is available for studio sessions and guitar clinics. For further information, please contact via email: alexalphaomega@gmail.com – robertoalphaomega@gmail.com.
[Photo-credit: Jim Wilkinson]
Los Angeles-based guitarist/songwriter Bill Hudson (NORTHTALE, I AM MORBID, former DIRKSCHNEIDER, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, Circle II Circle, Jon Oliva’s Pain and more) has become a very sought after name in the hard rock world in recent years. Whether he is in Germany headlining the biggest heavy metal festival in the world or in the studio recording guitars for a video game soundtrack, there’s never a dull moment in the life of the Brazilian musician. In the summer of 2015, he made history in Germany, headlining Wacken Open Air, performing in front of 80,000 fans with the TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA. Hudson joined the TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA also for their winter tour in 2015, performing 52 shows in 6 weeks throughout the US and Canada for an average of 15,000 fans a day. From April 2017 to April 2018 Bill Hudson made part of the DIRKSCHNEIDER line-up, touring widely both America and Europe. In February 2018 Bill launched his new power metal band, NORTHTALE. Watch Bill Hudson – E.G.O:
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 