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.”
Fans that have seen METAL CHURCH live at their recent shows in the United States and Europe, may have noticed a new face on stage. The guy behind the kit has been none other than Stet Howland and now that the hazing process is complete, METAL CHURCH are happy to announce the addition of Stet Howland as the band’s permanent new drummer!
Vocalist Mike Howe adds, “I am overwhelmed and grateful that Stet has found his way into the fold and I look forward to many successful and joyful performances together.”
Guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof compliments Stet saying, “We are extremely happy to have Stet as our new engine. He is a fantastic drummer and a great guy to work with. But the hazing shall continue relentlessly!”
Stet Howland shares his excitement about joining METAL CHURCH: “After being home for only a few days from possibly the best tour of my life, I received a conference call from Kurdt and Mike, for a split second I thought to myself ‘Oh shit, what did I do?’ But my concern quickly turned to an un-removable smile when they asked if I would be interested in being a permanent member of METAL CHURCH.
It’s no secret that METAL CHURCH have always been one of my favorite metal bands and that, in my opinion, they are on the strongest ascent of any band in their genre! And given that the band kicks ass live, has an incredible record label, amazing publicist, a rabid fan base, relevant new music, recent Billboard chart positions and first week CD sales that rival multi-platinum acts, my answer was an unwavering “YES”!
On my maiden journey I was blown away by Mike Howe’s consistent crowd destruction, Kurdt’s ridiculously heavy riffs, Rick Van Zandt’s refusal to make even one mistake and my glue-like bond with Steve (it’s a well known fact that METAL CHURCH bass player Steve Unger is one of my closest friends and it was Steve who initially suggested me to the band).
There is understanding, mutual respect and camaraderie present here that is missing in so many “famous” acts. I am honored to be a member of such a group of people and will do my best to deliver strong performances both live and in the studio.”
METAL CHURCH – Summer 2017:
01.08. N Oslo – Sentrum Scene (w/ MEGADETH)
02.08. DK Copenhagen – Store Vega (w/ MEGADETH)
04.08. CH Zurich – Dynamo (w/ GONOREAS, BURNING WITCHES)
05.08. F Saint-Maurice-De-Gourdans – Sylak Open Air
06.08. I Cusano Milanino – Blues Rose Fest Open Air
08.08. SK Bratislava – Majestic Music Club
09.08. CZ Jaromer – Brutal Assault
10.08. D Nuremberg – Hirsch
11.08. NL Leeuwarden – Into the Grave
12.08. P Vagos – Vagos Metal Fest
07.09. USA Atlanta, GA – ProgPower USA XVIII
Jimmy Kay from Canada’s The Metal Voice recently conducted an interview with METAL CHURCH’s returning singer Mike Howe who was away from the music business for 21 years. Mike Howe also fielded some fan questions in the interview.
Asked how things have changed in the last 21 years that he has been gone.
“I can’t say things have changed for the worst, honestly it’s all good. Things have changed in the way of recording, in the way that we deal with record companies and the way that and the way that we are enjoying the process of writing and recording and playing our music compared to the 21 years ago. Electronic computers to aid the writing process, keeping the chemistry from not having to stop and re-do things that is an advantage that way and a small record label.
We can speak to the owner Joe O’Brian at Rat Pack anytime we want to on a daily basis and see what is going on with the work they are doing for us. That is a huge advantages from the past of being lost in a gigantic record company and not knowing if anybody cared or was doing anything for you, you weren’t actually allowed to talk to anybody. Just having control of your destiny.”
When asked what was the turning point to coming out of retirement.
” It was Kurdt Vanderhoof’s power of persuasion and hearing the amazing riffs and songs he put together in the demos stage. The allure of getting together and having that magical writing and chemistry that we had back in the late 80’s.”
When asked about his favourite songs that he sang on and that he didn’t sing on
“I really prefer to sing brand new songs, the ones we have written are the most exciting for me to sing. The ones of Dave Wayne era my favorite is Beyond the black.”
When asked at what point did he had enough of the music business that caused him to retire
“Hanging in the Balance was very difficult for us cause it was the beginning of the end .All the things that were going to get in our way to dismantle the band, break it up came together in the perfect storm. The last straw was the album cover of Hanging in the Balance it was a very big sticking point for me. I didn’t not like the album cover it was embarrassing for me. It was forced upon us.”
When asked about his thoughts about Axl Rose joining AC/DC
“For me, I was a Bon Scott fan for ACDC so he was a huge influence when I was young, I wanted to be Bon Scott and Rob Halford in the mix as a singer so of course there will be no other singer and especially not Axl Rose”
On his thoughts on the US presidential election
“It’s an embarrassment for me, the United States has become a reality TV show and I wish it was a little more professiona”
Hard rock titans METAL CHURCH return with their latest album “XI” slated for a worldwide (except North and South America as well as Japan) release on March 25th via Nuclear Blast Records. The band’s 11th studio release also marks the return of legendary vocalist and front man Mike Howe. The reunion between Mike and METAL CHURCH started in July of 2014 when Mike started working with Kurdt Vanderhoof on a side project he was forming with Nigel Glockler from SAXON. Through these initial conversations, Kurdt convinced Mike to ultimately return to METAL CHURCH. The idea was to see if they could recapture some of the magic from the three albums METAL CHURCH released in the late 80’s: “The Human Factor”, “Blessing In Disguise” and “Hanging In The Balance”. Out of those sessions, “XI” was born and captures the sound that made the band fan-favorites in the 80‘s and mixes it with a new, invigorated sound for 2016. “Sometimes I still can’t believe it myself, no one would have ever thought Mike would return after his departure almost two decades ago,” says guitarist and founding member Kurdt Vanderhoof.
“At first I struggled with the decision to come back, but after hearing the riffs that Kurdt was writing, I just couldn’t resist, the music called to me and I wanted to be part of it!,” says returning vocalist Mike Howe.
METAL CHURCH have also released an official music video for the debut single from “XI”, ‘No Tomorrow.’ The video can be seen below:
The video was directed by Jamie Chamberlin of Black Dahlia Films and features a unique visual that ties in to the location. A behind-the-scenes video on the making of the video for ‘No Tomorrow’ was also recently released and can be seen here:
“XI” was produced by Kurdt Vanderhoof and co-produced by Chris “The Wizard” Collier.
Nuclear Blast Europe has teamed up with Rat Pak Records through a worldwide licensing agreement for distribution of “XI” in all territories outside of North America, South America and Japan. “We here at Rat Pak Records were very excited to receive a licensing request from Markus Staiger and his amazing team at Nuclear Blast Europe to release this new METAL CHURCH »XI« into their international territories, ultimately insuring that this album will reach every corner of the globe,” states Rat Pak Records president Joe O’Brien. Markus Staiger adds: “We are happy and proud to welcome METAL CHURCH, an absolute metal legend, to the Nuclear Blast Europe family! When the self-titled debut album was released in 1984, it was a revelation to me – that this was how heavy metal had to sound like – with killer riffs and plenty of speed! We will do our utmost to help re-establish METAL CHURCH here in Europe and get them back where they belong – in the “Champions League” once again!“
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 