Metal Church is an American heavy metal band. They originally formed in San… Read Full Bio ↴Metal Church is an American heavy metal band. They originally formed in San Francisco, California in 1980 and then relocated to Aberdeen, Washington the following year and briefly using the name Shrapnel. Led by guitarist and songwriter Kurdt Vanderhoof, the band has released twelve studio albums, and is often credited as a formative influence on the thrash metal subgenre, melding the aesthetics of the new wave of British heavy metal and American hard rock with "incredibly tight musicianship" and "piercingly screeched" vocals. They are also considered to be an integral part of the Seattle heavy metal music scene of the 1980s, and achieved considerable popularity that decade, with two of their first three albums entering the Top 100 on the Billboard 200 chart. The band's early lyrical topics such as conflict and paranoia later expanded into philosophical and social commentary.

Metal Church has had a revolving door of vocalists, guitarists, bassists and drummers throughout its 42-year career, and Vanderhoof remains the group's sole consistent creative, despite reducing his role strictly to composition in 1986 after tiring of performing. The "classic" lineup of Vanderhoof, vocalist David Wayne, guitarist Craig Wells, bassist Duke Erickson, and drummer Kirk Arrington recorded the band's first two studio albums, Metal Church (1984) and their major breakthrough The Dark (1986). By the end of the 1980s, Vandehoof and Wayne had parted ways with the band and were replaced by vocalist Mike Howe and guitarist John Marshall respectively. Metal Church's popularity continued with their third album Blessing in Disguise (1989), which spawned one of their best-known songs "Badlands". After releasing two more studio albums with Howe, the band called it quits in 1996.

Metal Church reformed in 1998 with most of their "classic" lineup, including Vanderhoof's return to performance, resulting in the Masterpeace album. They endured numerous lineup changes thereafter, releasing three further studio albums while fronted by Ronny Munroe before disbanding once again in July 2009. The group reunited for the second time in October 2012, and released their tenth studio album Generation Nothing a year later. Following Munroe's departure in the fall of 2014, Metal Church considered disbanding for the third time before Howe was rehired in April 2015 as the band's lead singer. He recorded two more albums with the group, which enjoyed a renewed popularity in the mid-to-late 2010s, before his death.

On July 26, 2021, Metal Church announced that Howe had died that morning at his home in Eureka, California, at the age of 55. In October 2021, after announcing the return of his short-lived early 1990s band Hall Aflame, Vanderhoof hinted that Metal Church would continue on with a replacement for Howe. By mid-2022, rumors suggested that Ronny Munroe would rejoin the band, but resulted in him joining Vicious Rumors.

On February 2, 2023, Metal Church announced Marc Lopes as their new lead vocalist. A month later, the band announced their upcoming album, Congregation of Annihilation, would be released on May 26.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_Church

Discography
Metal Church (1984)
The Dark (1986)
Blessing in Disguise (1989)
The Human Factor (1991)
Hanging in the Balance (1993)
Masterpeace (1999)
The Weight of the World (2004)
A Light in the Dark (2006)
This Present Wasteland (2008)
Generation Nothing (2013)
XI (2016)
Damned If You Do (2018)
Congregation of Annihilation (2023)

Agent Green
Metal Church Lyrics

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I hold the key to the world's security
Any price they'll pay to me, pay to me

I see the signs, and I heed the call, no one will know me, no one at all
Freedom is calling, the money's green, and to no country will I pledge my loyalty

I pass for someone who no one knows, I am the wolf who hides in political sheep's clothes
A peaceful world in jeopardy, it doesn't really matter all that much to me

If the people knew all that I know about their leaders and the ones who run the show
More cover-ups, legal deceit, there is no one in power who can destroy me!

I hold the key to the world's security
Any price they'll pay to me, pay to me

Change my face somewhere, lose myself out there
Change the way I speak, my past I will delete
I'll never know just how I made it out alive
But when I look into the future I look through a different eye
It doesn't really matter what they need to know
'Cause I can blow the lid off any scandal that they want to be exposed

I hold the key to the world's security
Any price they'll pay to me, pay to me

I'll change my name, a different look, another page in my life's book
It makes no difference just who I am, I'll take the money from Mother Russia or Uncle Sam

I'm filled with secrets of a nation, here at your disposal to benefit my greed
I take my liberties wherever I can find them, I am protected by the crime that lies behind

Overall Meaning

the Agent Green is a song that tells the story of a person who holds the key to the world's security. This person is willing to be paid any price to keep the secret safe. They see the signs of danger and understand that freedom is calling. They do not pledge loyalty to a specific country but pass for someone who no one knows. This allows them to hide in political sheep's clothes and keep their real identity a secret.

In the lyrics, the person acknowledges that they know more about their leaders and those who run the show than the people themselves. However, they do not care if a peaceful world is in jeopardy; they are only concerned about the money and their greed. They can blow the lid off any scandal that they want to expose, and they have the power to do so. They can change their face, speech, and even their past to keep their anonymity.

The song is a commentary on how people in power often prioritize their greed and personal interests over the safety and security of their country and its people. The lyrics also suggest that the person holding this key can be from any country, and their only loyalty is to whoever pays them the most. It highlights the danger of having people in positions of power who are only concerned about their personal interests.

Line by Line Meaning

I hold the key to the world's security
I possess critical information that could potentially compromise global security

Any price they'll pay to me, pay to me
I am willing to sell this information to the highest bidder

I see the signs, and I heed the call, no one will know me, no one at all
I recognize the opportunity to profit from my knowledge, and I will operate in secret to avoid detection

Freedom is calling, the money's green, and to no country will I pledge my loyalty
I am motivated solely by financial gain and have no allegiance to any nation or cause

I pass for someone who no one knows, I am the wolf who hides in political sheep's clothes
I present myself as someone who is unremarkable and insignificant, but with ulterior motives

A peaceful world in jeopardy, it doesn't really matter all that much to me
The consequences of my actions do not concern me, even if they endanger global stability

If the people knew all that I know about their leaders and the ones who run the show
I possess incriminating information on powerful individuals and institutions

More cover-ups, legal deceit, there is no one in power who can destroy me!
I am confident in my ability to evade prosecution regardless of the crimes I commit

Change my face somewhere, lose myself out there
I will change my appearance and assume a new identity in order to avoid detection

Change the way I speak, my past I will delete
I will consciously alter my manner of speaking and erase all trace of my previous identity

I'll never know just how I made it out alive
My past is so shrouded in secrecy that I am unsure how I survived to this point

But when I look into the future I look through a different eye
My unique perspective on the world allows me to see opportunities for personal gain in situations that others would overlook

It doesn't really matter what they need to know
I will not divulge information unless it benefits me

'Cause I can blow the lid off any scandal that they want to be exposed
I have access to information that could cause untold damage to individuals and institutions

I'll change my name, a different look, another page in my life's book
Assuming a new identity is just another chapter in my ongoing quest for personal enrichment

It makes no difference just who I am, I'll take the money from Mother Russia or Uncle Sam
My priority is financial gain, regardless of the source or implications of the payment

I'm filled with secrets of a nation, here at your disposal to benefit my greed
I possess information that could potentially compromise national security, which I will use to further my own interests

I take my liberties wherever I can find them, I am protected by the crime that lies behind
I operate with impunity because I possess information that could be used to implicate me in criminal activity

Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: KURDT VANDERHOOF, MIKE HOWE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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