In their late 1980s heyday, Metal Church were the archetypal new wave heavy
metal band with a sound defined by screaming, high-pitched vocals and
bludgeoning guitar riffs executed to perfection by a tightly rehearsed band.
They started in San Francisco, California, in 1980, but by the time of their
self-titled 1984 debut only rhythm guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof remained from the
original line-up. The band's first album with Elektra Records was 1986’s The
Dark, which became a commercial success helped in no small way by the video
which accompanied the single “Watch the Children Pray...