Everything ends. Even in the legendary realms of heavy metal, where myths and legends intrude into everyday reality on a daily basis. Members and fans of American metal giants METAL CHURCH became painfully aware of this when they lost their legendary singer and frontman Mike Howe in July 2021. From 1988 to 1994 and again from 2015, Howe was the frontman of one of America’s most beloved and cherished metal institutions, recording groundbreaking and essential works such as “Blessing in Disguise” and “The Human Factor”.
Mike Howe was an outstanding singer, a charismatic frontman and for many the voice of American heavy metal. On July 26, 2021, Howe died at the age of 55 at his home in Eureka, California. The world lost a unique voice and talent that day. His legacy will live on, of course, in his many friends, followers and fans, in his classic albums and in the memories of his bandmates. On the third anniversary of his tragic death, Reaper Entertainment will make its own contribution to the memorial altar of a true icon: a live album titled “The Final Sermon”, recorded during his last performances – on August 24 and 25, 2019 at Club Citta in Kawasaki, Japan.
“The Final Sermon” not only shows Howe at his vocal peak, singing, screaming and belting like there’s literally no tomorrow, but also a band in captivating form. Thrash guitar pioneer and founder Kurdt Vanderhoof, guitarist Rick Van Zandt, bassist Steve Unger, drummer Stet Howland and live bassist Bobby Ferkovich were on top form during those two long nights in Japan, a tight-knit metal machine ready for anything. 14 songs underscore their status as quintessential American metal overlords, a band that pulls out all the stops musically while embodying a political, socially conscious, philosophical mindset. Current bangers like the furious “Damned if you do”, classics like the menacing wall of riffs of “Fake Healer” and early classics like “Beyond the Black” show a band that is aware and proud of their past, but comfortable in the present. This is not a veteran group bragging about past glories, but a band that is still a hungry and dangerous wolfpack four decades into their career.
That’s the beauty of METAL CHURCH. Formed in 1980 in the burgeoning Bay Area metal scene, the band even had Lars Ulrich audition for the drummer’s position before he left to form another Bay Area band. Their debut album “Metal Church” (1984) is one of the great classics of American heavy metal and launched an international career. The band played with all the big four of thrash (Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax), appeared on MTV’s “Headbanger’s Ball” and shaped the American metal landscape like no other. The band is still alive and kicking today, but the legendary era of the eighties and early nineties will never be surpassed by the mark that singer Mike Howe left on the band: “The Final Sermon” is living proof that, even if all idols eventually fall, their legacy lives on. Through all of us.
“The Final Sermon” will be released on July 26th, 2024 on CD, Vinyl and Deluxe Boxset.
