METAL CHURCH
A Light In The Dark
SPV
· Pray to the church of ’80s metal.
Listening to the latest release from ’80s-centric hard-metallers Metal Church, one can’t help but think of that moment in (This Is) Spinal Tap when the band is crowded around the radio in their hotel room and the DJ describes the group as, "…currently residing in the Where Are They Now file…." In other words, despite apparently going full-steam for two decades, this band has fallen off the radar.
It’s not surprising. As A Light In The Dark demonstrates, Metal Church – like in their heyday – is always just on the cusp of truly rockin’. But the band misses the mark by a pubic hair by being so completely entrenched in a tired, forgettable sound that is neither ballsy enough to be tough or technical enough to fit in with the wussy prog-rockers.
Yet again, moderately heavy guitar passages, double-bass drumming and soaring falsetto vocals flail away as if nothing has changed in metal since, oh, 1989. Well, except for singer Ronny Munroe (this is his second outing with the band) and his combination of Euro-metal swoops and gravelly sneering. Independently, each is quite impressive, but when thrust together awkwardly as they are here, it all seems out of place and affected.
The musical delivery on A Light In The Dark is quite tight and commanding – the band has a crisp, muscular sound that breeds memorable riffs. Sadly, though, as is their lot, they blow it by trying too hard to bridge the gap between throat-tearing thunder and lung-busting wail.
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