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)
Dark
Metal Church Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a howling wind
Oh God what can it be?
Something out there evil
And it's coming straight for me
The house is dark and very cold
I know there's no one here
Why am I scared to death
'Cause I'm shakin' and I'm thinkin'
Of something evil lurking
And waiting for me in the house
'Cause I'm shakin' and I'm thinkin'
Of something evil lurking
And waiting for me in the dark
The dark
When I opened up the door
And snapped on the switch
The room was filled with light
Then something black and very fast
Fled upon my sight
What I feared most as a child
Was the coming of the night
Now my horrors have become quite real
My nightmares breathe new life
'Cause I'm shakin' and I'm thinkin'
Of something evil lurking
And waiting for me in the house
Yes, I'm shakin' and I'm thinkin'
Of something evil lurking
And waiting for me in the dark
Dark!
What is it in the house
That the darkness brings to life?
I sense their eyes upon me
As I grab a butcher knife
Whatever it is that waits for me
It hides beneath my bed
If I try to sleep tonight
By morning I'll be dead!
'Cause I'm shakin' and I'm thinkin'
Of something evil lurking
And waiting for me in the house
Yes, I'm shakin' and I'm thinkin'
Of something evil lurking
And waiting for me in the dark
The lyrics of "Dark" by Metal Church depict a scene of fear and terror in the middle of the night. The singer of the song is alone in a dark and cold house, haunted by the presence of something unknown that is coming straight for them. The feeling of fear and anxiety is palpable as they try to make sense of what could be lurking in the house. The lyrics suggest that the fear is not just in the mind of the singer, but is something that is very real and threatening.
The second verse of the song adds a new layer to the fear, as something black and very fast is seen fleeing from the scene. The fear that the singer felt as a child has become a reality, and the nightmares are coming to life. In the last verse, there is a sense of desperation as the singer grabs a butcher knife to defend themselves against whatever is waiting for them in the darkness.
Overall, the lyrics of "Dark" are a masterclass in horror and suspense storytelling. They employ vivid imagery and a chilling narrative to create a sense of unease in the listener. The song is a testament to the power of metal music to convey complex emotions and themes.
Line by Line Meaning
It's way past midnight
The time is late and eerie.
There's a howling wind
The wind is making a spooky noise.
Oh God what can it be?
There is a sense of fear and mystery surrounding the situation.
Something out there evil
The unknown thing that is coming closer is seen as malicious.
And it's coming straight for me
The evil that is present is directed towards the persona of the song.
The house is dark and very cold
The environment around the persona is unsettling, adding to the sense of dread they are feeling.
I know there's no one here
The persona is alone and recognises it.
Why am I scared to death
The persona is questioning their level of fear in the situation.
Just petrified with fear
The persona is extremely frightened of the unknown that is getting closer to them.
'Cause I'm shakin' and I'm thinkin'
The persona is describing their response to the scary situation.
Of something evil lurking
The persona believes there is a malevolent presence nearby.
And waiting for me in the house
The persona thinks that the evil presence is specifically present in the house.
'Cause I'm shakin' and I'm thinkin'
The persona restates their reaction towards the situation.
Of something evil lurking
The persona reaffirms their belief that there is a wicked, sinister object of their fear nearby.
And waiting for me in the dark
The persona further specifies where the thing they are afraid of is located inside the house - the dark.
When I opened up the door
The persona is now inside the house and investigating parts of it.
And snapped on the switch
The persona turns the light on to see the spooky environment in the house.
The room was filled with light
After the light is turned on, the persona is now able to see their surroundings clearly.
Then something black and very fast
The persona sees something moving quickly in their newly illuminated surroundings.
Fled upon my sight
The thing the persona saw escaped their field of vision just as quickly as it had appeared before them.
What I feared most as a child
When the persona was a child, they had similar fears to what they are experiencing now.
Was the coming of the night
The darkness of night held an ominous significance for the persona in their childhood and in this moment.
Now my horrors have become quite real
The fears the persona had in the past have become a reality.
My nightmares breathe new life
The things the persona feared in nightmares are now a very possible threat in reality.
What is it in the house
The persona is still investigating their surroundings and questioning the presence of the evil thing.
That the darkness brings to life?
The persona is wondering what object comes to life at night and is the source of their fear.
I sense their eyes upon me
The persona believes there are entities watching their every move.
As I grab a butcher knife
The persona feels the need to protect themselves and arms themself accordingly.
Whatever it is that waits for me
The persona knows that there is something waiting for them in the dark.
It hides beneath my bed
The thing the persona is wary of is positioned underneath their bed.
If I try to sleep tonight
The persona is worried that as they try to sleep, the thing they fear may try to harm them.
By morning I'll be dead!
The persona's fear of the evil object is so strong that they believe it may kill them before morning comes.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CRAIG STEPHEN WELLS, DAVID WAYNE CARNELL, KURDT YORK VANDERHOOF
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
James White
It's way past midnight
There's a howling wind
Oh God what can it be?
Something out there evil
And it's coming straight for me
The house is dark and very cold
I know there's no one here
Why am I scared to death
Just petrified with fear
'Cause I'm shakin' and I'm thinkin'
Of something evil lurking
And waiting for me in the house
'Cause I'm shakin' and I'm thinkin'
Of something evil lurking
And waiting for me in the dark
The dark
When I opened up the door
And snapped on the switch
The room was filled with light
Then something black and very fast
Fled upon my sight
What I feared most as a child
Was the coming of the night
Now my horrors have become quite real
My nightmares breathe new life
'Cause I'm shakin' and I'm thinkin'
Of something evil lurking
And waiting for me in the house
Yes, I'm shakin' and I'm thinkin'
Of something evil lurking
And waiting for me in the dark
Dark!
What is it in the house
That the darkness brings to life?
I sense their eyes upon me
As I grab a butcher knife
Whatever it is that waits for me
It hides beneath my bed
If I try to sleep tonight
By morning I'll be dead!
'Cause I'm shakin' and I'm thinkin'
Of something evil lurking
And waiting for me in the house
Yes, I'm shakin' and I'm thinkin'
Of something evil lurking
And waiting for me in the dark
Anthony Palermo
Metal Church is an 80's band who deserve a lot more respect!
Scott Hamilton
Very underrated. They were a surprise opener for Metallica back in the late 90s. Only on for 30 minutes but put on a great show.
kingmackattack42
I remember when "The Dark" first came out. My cousin was into hair metal bands and for some reason he bought this. He called me and said halfway through the first track he turned his deck off and took the tape out. I knew right then that I was going to like this album! In fact he gave me his copy for free. Thank you, cuz!
Emily Beck
The Dark is such an epic album. Miss Dave Wayne on vocals.
Tonni Hansen
I really love The whole album. It's a Metal Classic. Bought it in 1986, and still these days i put it it on The turntable and enjoy it. That album has followed me for 30 years now. And i still love it.
Barry Matthews
Your right I love the whole album and I can't say that for very many albums 🤘💯🤘☘️🌍🌎🌟
Pamela diez
Great story.thanks👍💡
glasdale
Me too, really. My first Metal Album bought.
Simone Calloni
It is f*cking impossible to find a bad song on this album!
Steven Coil
I go to Metal Church not just Sunday but every day of the week.