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)
Badlands
Metal Church Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Will take another life, we'll take another loss
I feel a dry wind, dust is in my eyes
The arctic cold at night, the earth, it tells me lies
God in heaven, my only friend
Will I live to see my journey's end?
As the world awakens me so hard, my values have been changed
A dusty godforsaken path, endless to my dismay
I know these are the badlands, somehow I'll find my way
No more paradise, no more soothing rain
All the sacrifice, the pain is all the same
Still I'm pushing onward, alone I can't deny
My presence fills the desert, my spirit never dies
Will these lonely nights ever end?
Will I live to see my journey's end?
As the world awakens me so hard, my values have been changed
I make a promise to myself: Never again
A dusty godforsaken path, endless to my dismay
I know these are the badlands, somehow I'll find my way
The vultures that circle, cloud the empty sky,
Patiently waiting, they wait for me to die
Tortured and beaten, blistered by the sun
Forceful and heartless, have the badlands won?
Still I'm pushing onward, alone I can't deny
My presence fills the desert, my spirit never dies
As the world awakens me so hard, my values have been changed
I make a promise to myself: Never again
A dusty godforsaken path, endless to my dismay
I know these are the badlands, somehow I'll find my way
The lyrics to Metal Church's song Badlands describe a journey through a harsh and unforgiving wilderness. The singer is traveling alone, and the barren landscape is taking a toll on him both physically and mentally. He questions whether he will survive the journey, and wonders if he will ever see the end of it. As he treks through the desert, the singer reflects on the sacrifices he has made and the pain he has suffered. He is determined to persevere and never to let himself be beaten down again.
The lyrics are a powerful commentary on the human spirit and the struggle to survive against all odds. The singer's journey through the badlands is a metaphor for the obstacles we all face in life. The dry wind, dust, and arctic cold at night are symbolic of the challenges we must overcome. The vultures circling overhead represent the fears and doubts that haunt us, waiting to swoop down and devour us. The singer's determination to press onward and never give up is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.
Overall, the lyrics to Badlands are a powerful reminder that we all must face challenges in life, but we have the strength within us to overcome them. The desert may be hard and unforgiving, but we can find our way through it if we stay focused and determined.
Line by Line Meaning
I ride alone, the wasteland that I cross
Will take another life, we'll take another loss
Traveling by myself through this desolate land, I know someone else will likely perish and it will hurt my heart again.
I feel a dry wind, dust is in my eyes
The arctic cold at night, the earth, it tells me lies
The elements make it difficult to keep going, and sometimes the harshness of nature feels like a betrayal.
God in heaven, my only friend
Will I live to see my journey's end?
My faith is all I have to cling to as I wonder if I will ever make it out of this place alive.
As the world awakens me so hard, my values have been changed
I make a promise to myself: Never again
The challenges I face have forced me to rethink what's important, and I vow to never make the same mistakes again.
A dusty godforsaken path, endless to my dismay
I know these are the badlands, somehow I'll find my way
Even though this path seems hopeless and I am filled with dread, I refuse to give up and will keep searching for a way out.
No more paradise, no more soothing rain
All the sacrifice, the pain is all the same
I've lost all sense of comfort and joy on this journey, and every sacrifice I make feels equally painful.
The vultures that circle, cloud the empty sky,
Patiently waiting, they wait for me to die
Death seems to be all around me, and even the vultures can sense it and gather to await my fate.
Tortured and beaten, blistered by the sun
Forceful and heartless, have the badlands won?
The harshness of this place has left me physically and emotionally destroyed, and I wonder if it has truly defeated me.
Still I'm pushing onward, alone I can't deny
My presence fills the desert, my spirit never dies
But I won't give up yet - I keep moving forward even if I am alone, because my spirit is something that can never be broken.
Will these lonely nights ever end?
Will I live to see my journey's end?
I can't help but wonder if I'll ever find my way out of this place and leave this lonely, trying journey behind.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: MICHAEL HOWE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
saria kanawati
I ride alone, the wasteland that I cross
Will take another life, we'll take another loss
I feel a dry wind, dust is in my eyes
The arctic cold at night, the earth, it tells me lies
God in heaven, my only friend
Will I live to see my journey's end?
As the world awakens me so hard, my values have been changed
I make a promise to myself: Never again
A dusty godforsaken path, endless to my dismay
I know these are the badlands, somehow I'll find my way
No more paradise, no more soothing rain
All the sacrifice, the pain is all the same
Still I'm pushing onward, alone I can't deny
My presence fills the desert, my spirit never dies
Will these lonely nights ever end?
Will I live to see my journey's end?
As the world awakens me so hard, my values have been changed
I make a promise to myself: Never again
A dusty godforsaken path, endless to my dismay
I know these are the badlands, somehow I'll find my way
The vultures that circle, cloud the empty sky,
Patiently waiting, they wait for me to die
Tortured and beaten, blistered by the sun
Forceful and heartless, have the badlands won?
Still I'm pushing onward, alone I can't deny
My presence fills the desert, my spirit never dies
As the world awakens me so hard, my values have been changed
I make a promise to myself: Never again
A dusty godforsaken path, endless to my dismay
I know these are the badlands, somehow I'll find my way
metalmaniac
Just heard Mike Howe passed away today, R.I.P. brother
Ira Clements
He died here in Humboldt county California in Eureka. I wish I could have given him a big hug and told him everything would be okay.
Metal Maniac666
R.I.P.
Punk Rock
He didn't "pass away" he committed suicide by hanging himself.
thilgu
@Scott Woodham How is your interracial couples love important in this video?
Tim McManus
@Robert Rubey I know. I feel like I may have known but work has been craxy and not much downtime. I have downtime at the moment and something led me to want to watch the Badlands video. Then I read it and got truly bummed out. RIP
FCTV
When I went through chemotherapy treatments six years ago, I leaned on the lyrics to this song. "I know these are the Badlands, somehow I'll find my
way!" And, thank God, I'm still here and listening to metal!
Heath Jacks
What a wonderful thing to hear that Badlands has been such an inspiration to so many! Love you all, my rock and roll brothers, and I hope the remaining guys in Metal Church will somehow read these stories!
Josh Fowler
I am a paraplegic and double amputee and this song and band inspire me as well. As long as I am breathing and have great music I am happy.
claudio cruzat
Life is waaay to short. Have a wonderful 2021 people from all over the planet.., sometimes life becomes a Badland.