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)
Disappear
Metal Church Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Four thick walls surrounding me I pay a heavy toll
I'm pushing and pushing trying to claw my way back
Wishing, wishing I could disappear just like that
There is this voice inside my head turns from friend to foe
When will all this madness stop neither of us knows
How did I get this way how could I get this far
Was this the master plan was it written in the stars
For me to live my life as a pessimistic fool
A superficial man the exception to the rule
Mark your words and you will see the price
That I have paid the cost of life the wounded soul
Nothing ventured, nothing gained
The hands have stopped out on the clock I'm on the astral plane
The things I've done won't be forgot my image still remains
The lyrics of "Disappear" by Metal Church present the feeling of loneliness and despair in a world that seems to be closing in on the individual. The singer seems to be trapped in a small, isolated place from which they cannot escape. The four walls they are surrounded by are a metaphor for the barriers that they feel are holding them back. It's evident that they're struggling to get back on their feet, hoping for an escape from the current situation. The lyrics convey the idea of someone who's going through a hard time, troubled by their thoughts, and trying to make sense of the chaos in their life.
The second stanza indicates an internal struggle, as the singer's thoughts seem to fight against them. They hear a voice inside their head, which is turning from a friend to a foe. They're unable to find a way out of their predicament or understand why they got there in the first place. The line "A superficial man the exception to the rule" suggests that the singer is trying to rebel against societal expectations, but at a personal cost. They have ventured out to explore life, but only found wounds and pain.
Line by Line Meaning
In this lost and lonely place is where I call my home
I feel lost and lonely, and this place has become my home.
Four thick walls surrounding me I pay a heavy toll
I'm trapped in this place, and it's taking a toll on me.
I'm pushing and pushing trying to claw my way back
I'm struggling to escape from this situation.
Wishing, wishing I could disappear just like that
I wish I could just disappear and escape from everything.
There is this voice inside my head turns from friend to foe
There's a voice in my head that changes from being supportive to being critical.
When will all this madness stop neither of us knows
I don't know when this madness will end.
How did I get this way how could I get this far
I'm questioning how I ended up in this situation and how I got this far.
Was this the master plan was it written in the stars
I'm wondering if this was meant to happen according to some grand plan.
For me to live my life as a pessimistic fool
I feel like I'm living as a pessimistic fool.
A superficial man the exception to the rule
I feel like I'm superficial and don't fit in.
Mark your words and you will see the price
If you don't listen to me, you'll see the consequences.
That I have paid the cost of life the wounded soul
I've paid a heavy price in my life and my soul is wounded.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained
If you don't take risks, you won't reap any rewards.
The hands have stopped out on the clock I'm on the astral plane
Time has stopped for me and I feel like I'm in another world.
The things I've done won't be forgot my image still remains
The things I've done will always be remembered, and my reputation still exists.
Contributed by Eliana W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@philtoolson7275
Great song. Great fuckin band. One of the most under rated bands of them all. Its the church i worship at everyday of the week except on sundays.. They're closed
@fabkorperformance5837
I think this is one of MC's best songs..
@robertghanem1230
HEAVY!!
@bvmangas
if you listen very closely, you should dig up some great riffs. Perfect crossing between heavy and trash metal
@chickenblaster
Great guitar work, but it is time they got some new cover art ideas! Cannot keep using the same ideas over without being considered played out.