Hall Aflame

Metal Church – Generation Nothing Review

Metal Church – Generation Nothing Review

“Of all the bands on “Steel Druhm’s Soft Spot in the Heart” list, Metal Church is up near the top. Ever the over-performing underdog, their mix of semi-thrash with classic metal caused them to slip between the genre cracks. Too slow to make serious waves in the original thrash boom, they were perpetually overshadowed by Metallica, Anthrax and Slayer and never seemed to gain big traction with mainstream metal fans either. Their debut was a classic dose of melodic speed metal and had some of the band’s best writing moments (title track, “Gods of Wrath,” “My Favorite Nightmare”). Follow-up The Dark had its share of detractors though it was a high energy, enjoyable ride. Album number ten, Generation Nothing is billed as a return to the style of the early David Wayne albums where speed was king and screamy, glass-shattering vocals ruled the roost.” Steel Druhm is a big ole’ mush when it comes to old school bashers like Metal Church, but we let him review this anyway because he cares and we don’t.

Retro-spective Review: Hall Aflame – Guaranteed Forever

Retro-spective Review: Hall Aflame – Guaranteed Forever

“I’ve been meaning to write a retro-review of this bad boy for a long time since it’s the very definition of “buried treasure.” Sadly, it’s an equally good example of a winning release that slipped through the cracks and fell into oblivion. Hall Aflame was a project launched by Metal Church founder/guitarist/main writer Kurdt Vanderhoof after quitting the band due to tour burnout. While there are trace elements of his main band in the sound. Guaranteed Forever is a weird amalgam of southern hard rock, blues and metal that borrows heavily from acts like The Cult, Jackyl, Tesla and The Four Horsemen.” Steel Druhm dives back into the vault of metal and finds yet another forgotten or overlooked album that should get a second look. Look at it!!!!