Metal Church - Beyond The Black - The Story of Metal Church (Book) James R. Beach with Brian L. Naron

The devil as they say, is in the detail, and if that’s the case, Metal Church, who were hounded by God fearing groups for their name and image, must be filled with the devil, because Beyond The Black - The Story of Metal Church is heavy on the detail - in fact, almost as heavy as the band’s music! From the early years where guitarist and songwriter Kurt Vanderhoof tried to get a fledgling version of the band off the ground, through the punk acts he ended up in instead, and the circuitous routes the original recording line-up of the band took before coming together, everything is covered. Beach even detailing the personnel all members of Metal Church played alongside in other outfits, many of the gigs those bands played and even who else was on the bill. For a super nerd (in general, not specifically on Metal Church) like me, the amount of i-dotting and t-crossing is hugely satisfying but it does on occasion make events a little tough to follow. For example, veering off into the bands that ex-band members of then current members of Metal Church were operating in makes for an exhaustively researched tome, but, if truth be told, it also provides the occasional section where you kind of wish we’d get back to the Metal Church story.

That said, this also ensures that the comings, goings, reappearances, temporary tenures - all of which there have been many of - and sad deaths of band members, certainly are not glossed over and while the author doesn’t seek to apportion blame, he does give enough detail and opinion from the time - and with hindsight - from those involved to allow you to make up your own mind. Impressively, many members of the band and their entourage, advisers, management, etc have been interviewed, or at least quoted, for the book, which gives proceedings a real air of authority. For me, the only real issue that isn’t explored in the detail that I’d be interested in examining is the unusual decisions Vanderhoof took on more than one occasion to step away from his own band, while remaining active within their ranks in a variety of ways - and how that arguably halted a lot of their progress at key points. Thankfully he is once again steering the ship 100% and has been for a long time, even enduring through the tragedies of fallen bandmates, most notable David Wayne, Mike Howe and Kirk Arrington.

With their paths often crossing with the likes of Metallica, Trans Siberian Orchestra and Chris Caffrey - amongst MANY others - these acts are also explored to a lesser extent, although some of the Church-members’ main side projects receive quite detailed passages. From Heretic and Hall Aflame to Presto Ballet vai Wayne, Malice, Reverend, Ronny Munroe’s solo career and more, line-ups, main events and music releases are given their turn in the spotlight, also highlighting just how fragmented this outfit’s story became at certain points.

As all good books on bands should (in my opinion anyway), the rear sections gives a full discography from early demos to major releases, before doing likewise for all of the offshoots and projects this outfit have provided. There is also a complete touring history of Metal Church detailing the cities/towns, venues and dates of each and every show the band has ever played, along with who they shared the bill with, which I must admit (impressive thought it is) is pretty much a one glance only section, even for a completist like me.

If I was looking for negatives, it does feel like the early pre-release years of Metal Church (and their evolution through other acts) is given a lot more time than the recent eras, which feel a little rushed by comparison. However, when you consider that most of those who will be interested in reading this book will remember those early days fondly, or were too young to experience them first hand, the level of detail is impressive indeed.

This is not an exposé of Metal Church dripping with gory, juicy, shocking detail, however that was never the intention and quite rightly so. For those who want to get into the minutiae of this band, what James R Beach with Brian L. Naron has provided will be an absolute treasure trove and even for diehards there are sure to be many tidbits of information unearthed and discussed that were never known before.

Added: August 7th 2024
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: NW Metalworx online
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Language: english

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