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│ METAL CLASSICS ARCHIVE │
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│ P R E S E N T S │
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│ + Metal Church - XI + │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Information ║ │
│╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Release Date.Apr-01-2016 Encoder......L3.97 -V2 --vbr-new ║ │
│║ Genre........Heavy Metal Graber.......EAC ║ │
│║ Year.........2016 Khz/Bitrate..44,1/ Br ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Ripper.......anthem Songs........11 ║ │
│║ Covers.......Yes Url... www.metalchurchofficial.co ║ │
│║ ║ │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Notes ║ │
│╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Artist : Metal Church Rating : You Decide! ║ │
│║ Album : XI Label : Rat Pack ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Description : ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Way back in 1984 I was pretty much blown away by ║ │
│║ the Metal Church debut. David WayneÆs (R.I.P.) ║ │
│║ air raid demon vocals were one-of-a-kind and the ║ │
│║ slick, hooky writing and quasi-thrash energy ║ │
│║ really won me over. While their follow up The ║ │
│║ Dark was widely panned, I loved it almost as ║ │
│║ much as the debut. When Wayne packed off for ║ │
│║ greener pastures, I was loathe to accept the ║ │
│║ band without him, until they wrangled Mike Howe ║ │
│║ from Heretic and made stellar use of his leather ║ │
│║ lunged roar on the amazing Blessing in Disguise. ║ │
│║ I went on to love all the Howe era albums and ║ │
│║ struggled mightily to get into subsequent ║ │
│║ platters with Ronny Munroe standing in his ║ │
│║ stead. Now 23 years after he left, Howe is back ║ │
│║ for their 11th album, the cleverly titled XI. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ The band he rejoins has certainly rough sailing ║ │
│║ since his departure, with 2013s Generation ║ │
│║ Nothing being a failed attempt to revisit their ║ │
│║ early 80s speed-driven style. It ended up their ║ │
│║ worst album (though IÆm willing to entertain ║ │
│║ arguments Masterpeace deserves that honor) and ║ │
│║ things seemed to be over for the long running ║ │
│║ act. Could the return of Mr. Howe breathe new ║ │
│║ life into this old dog and help restore their ║ │
│║ former glory? Well, it certainly canÆt hurt ║ │
│║ none! ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Without knowing what to expect from XI, I was ║ │
│║ happy to hear the classic blue collar, hard ║ │
│║ rocking sound from albums like The Human Factor ║ │
│║ and Hanging in the Balance back again on opener ║ │
│║ ôReset.ö HoweÆs remarkably unchanged bellowing ║ │
│║ snarl is out in front of hooky, meaty riffs that ║ │
│║ walk a fine line between traditional metal and ║ │
│║ hard rock and it feels like old times all over ║ │
│║ again. This sets the tone for most of whatÆs to ║ │
│║ come as the band seems content to be themselves ║ │
│║ û sometimes going balls out and other times ║ │
│║ content to park and idle in hard rock loading ║ │
│║ zones. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Mike HoweôKilling Your Timeö uses a mid-tempo ║ │
│║ chunky riff as the foundation for HoweÆs pissed ║ │
│║ off, acerbic rants which have just as much bite ║ │
│║ as they did back in 93. The album ôsingleö ôNo ║ │
│║ Tomorrowö is the most like classic Metal Church, ║ │
│║ sounding as if it was left over from Blessing in ║ │
│║ Disguise. ôSignal Pathö is a very addictive ║ │
│║ rocker with an interesting mood and hooky vocal ║ │
│║ patterns. ôSky Falls Inö is also very catchy ║ │
│║ with a winning chorus and a cool, laid back ║ │
│║ charm. ôShadowö has the same slithering groove ║ │
│║ and swagger as ôHypnotizedö off of Hanging in ║ │
│║ the Balance and ôSoul Eating Machineö is the ║ │
│║ perfect fusion of angry, rowdy metal and hard ║ │
│║ rock accessibility û all attitude, piss and ║ │
│║ vinegar. Lastly, closer ôSuffer Foolsö is a ║ │
│║ wicked stomper with a punky Overkill/Anthrax ║ │
│║ feel. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ The only song that doesnÆt click is ôIt Waitsö ║ │
│║ which strives for an ominous and dark atmosphere ║ │
│║ but comes across as languid and dull. There are ║ │
│║ some minor issues with song length and editing ║ │
│║ as well. Several cuts run over 7 minutes and ║ │
│║ trimming would definitely increase their impact ║ │
│║ (ôKilling Your Time,ö ôSky Falls Inö). That XI ║ │
│║ runs just shy of an hour isnÆt optimal either, ║ │
│║ despite the quality material. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ The big surprises here are twofold: one is how ║ │
│║ great Mike Howe sounds after nearly 25 years out ║ │
│║ of the limelight. HeÆs lost none of the power in ║ │
│║ his mid-range and he can still dial up the venom ║ │
│║ quite impressively. HeÆs more than up to the ║ │
│║ task of supplying the necessary balls and ║ │
│║ attitude and he does an amazing job here. The ║ │
│║ other shocker is how good the song writing is ║ │
│║ this time out. I thought the writing quality ║ │
│║ took a big nosedive following Hanging in the ║ │
│║ Balance and most of the Munroe era albums felt ║ │
│║ flat and uninspired, especially Generation ║ │
│║ Nothing. This is the first time in a long time ║ │
│║ Metal Church founder Kurt Vanderhoof penned a ║ │
│║ consistently high quality album with songs that ║ │
│║ really dig in and lay earworm larvae. His and ║ │
│║ Rick Van ZandtÆs riffing is simple but very ║ │
│║ engaging throughout, keeping the listener tuned ║ │
│║ in and fired up. IÆve always found VanderhoofÆs ║ │
│║ playing to be distinctive and classy and he ║ │
│║ demonstrates both throughout XI. Add in some ║ │
│║ slick drumming by Jeff Plate (Savatage, Trans- ║ │
│║ Siberian Orchestra) and you have some genuinely ║ │
│║ badass playing from these grizzled bastards. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ This was one of my most anticipated releases of ║ │
│║ 2016 and IÆm thrilled it came out as solid as it ║ │
│║ did. XI is the best and most consistent Metal ║ │
│║ Church album since Hanging in the Balance and a ║ │
│║ welcome return to ass kicking form. Hell, they ║ │
│║ even managed to continue their unbroken run of ║ │
│║ truly awful album covers! If you love the older ║ │
│║ material, this should be a win, but any fan of ║ │
│║ traditional metal will appreciate whatÆs going ║ │
│║ on here. Welcome back from beyond the black! ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Tracklist ║ │
│╚═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════ │
│ │
│ 01 - reset [03:53] │
│ 02 - killing your time [05:07] │
│ 03 - no tomorrow [05:09] │
│ 04 - signal path [07:12] │
│ 05 - sky falls in [07:01] │
│ 06 - needle and suture [04:39] │
│ 07 - shadow [04:09] │
│ 08 - blow your mind [06:29] │
│ 09 - soul eating machine [04:41] │
│ 10 - it waits [05:15] │
│ 11 - suffer fools [04:55] │
│ │
│ Total Length : [58:30 minn │
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│ ╔═════════════════════╗ │
│ ║ Greetings To: ║ │
│ ╚═════════════════════╝ │
│ │
│ Too all people who contributes to make this │
│ archive of good music in a exceptional conditions │
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