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)
In Harm's Way
Metal Church Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A ghostly image that I fear has yet to be surpassed
I pray that I won't carry all the pain 'till the end
No direction from your guardian, the one who should protect
I'm innocent of their decisions, I wonder why dad left
Every night I hide in bed and plan to run away...
No joy in innocence they cry
Always has to lie his way through life
I've fallen down while playing ball
But mom beat me up and down the hall
Just because she had one of those nights
Instinct to defend, where does it all end
How does a child get himself out of harm's way?
A lifelong price to pay
It's not that mommy hits that hurts me, it's when she goes away
Get home from school all by myself and won't see her for days
A kid deprived of love in life has no alternative in sight
He throws up barriers to get him through
A human life's a gift from God
Your conscience and your heart are gone
You're much to cruel to have a point of view
No one to turn to, oh, how dare you
How does a child get himself out of harm's way?
A price no one should pay
Can't you see the tears they're crying
Don't you care your kids are dying?
From the senseless torment that you put them through
There's different kinds of lies to tell
Abuse is from the pit of hell
A demon with a goal that is to kill
You better hear the words I say
Deliverance may be far away
You'll look like you have been run through the mill
Instinct to defend, where does it all end
How does a child get himself out of harm's way?
A lifelong price to pay
The lyrics of Metal Church's song In Harm's Way address the issue of child abuse and neglect. The song is told from the perspective of a child who is a victim of physical and emotional abuse from his mother. The child's father has abandoned the family, leaving him without the protection of a guardian. The lyrics describe a lonely and scared child who hides in bed and plans to run away from his abusive home.
The child's experience is characterized by fear, pain, and confusion. He is forced to lie to protect himself, and he throws up barriers to get through life. The song highlights the lifelong impact of childhood trauma, emphasizing the high price paid by victims. The song challenges listeners to recognize the tears and suffering of children and to take action to prevent harm.
The lyrics of In Harm's Way reflect the band's interest in social and political issues. Metal Church was known for addressing controversial topics, including war, corruption, and human rights abuses. The band's music often contained critiques of oppressive systems and calls for justice.
Line by Line Meaning
In the empty spaces of the mind, that's here I store my past
I keep memories of my past in the emptiness of my mind
A ghostly image that I fear has yet to be surpassed
I fear that the ghost of my past will keep haunting me
I pray that I won't carry all the pain 'till the end
I hope that I won't have to suffer from the pain of my past forever
No direction from your guardian, the one who should protect
I didn't get any guidance from my guardian, who should have been my protector
I'm innocent of their decisions, I wonder why dad left
I'm not responsible for their decisions, but still wonder why my dad left
Every night I hide in bed and plan to run away...
I spend every night in bed, planning to run away and escape from my problems
A lonely child with battered eyes
I was a lonely child with bruised eyes
No joy in innocence they cry
I couldn't find any happiness in my innocence and cried
Always has to lie his way through life
I had to tell lies to survive in life
I've fallen down while playing ball
I fell down while playing ball
But mom beat me up and down the hall
But my mom beat me up and down the hall
Just because she had one of those nights
Just because she wasn't in a good mood
Instinct to defend, where does it all end
I have a natural instinct to defend myself, but I don't know how it will end
How does a child get himself out of harm's way?
How can a child protect himself from harm and danger?
A lifelong price to pay
I have to suffer the consequences of my past for my whole life
It's not that mommy hits that hurts me, it's when she goes away
It's not the physical pain from my mom hitting me that hurts, it's when she emotionally withdraws from me
Get home from school all by myself and won't see her for days
I come home from school alone and won't see my mom for days
A kid deprived of love in life has no alternative in sight
A child who is deprived of love has no other options in life
He throws up barriers to get him through
He builds walls around himself to protect himself
A human life's a gift from God
Human life is a precious gift from God
Your conscience and your heart are gone
The abuser has lost their conscience and their heart
You're much to cruel to have a point of view
The abuser is too cruel to have a valid point of view
No one to turn to, oh, how dare you
I have no one to turn to, and it's all because of you (the abuser)
Can't you see the tears they're crying
Can't you see the tears that they're shedding?
Don't you care your kids are dying?
Don't you care that your children are suffering?
From the senseless torment that you put them through
As a result of the pointless torture that you inflict upon them
There's different kinds of lies to tell
There are various forms of deception
Abuse is from the pit of hell
Abuse comes from the depths of hell
A demon with a goal that is to kill
Abuse is a destructive force with the intention to harm
You better hear the words I say
You should pay attention to what I'm saying
Deliverance may be far away
Relief from this suffering may be difficult to attain
You'll look like you have been run through the mill
You will appear as though you've been through a lot
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOHN MARSHALL, KURDT VANDERHOOF
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
nuksung pongener
In the empty spaces of the mind, that's here I store my past
A ghostly image that I fear has yet to be surpassed
I pray that I won't carry all the pain 'till the end
No direction from your guardian, the one who should protect
I'm innocent of their decisions, I wonder why dad left
Every night I hide in bed and plan to run away...
A lonely child with battered eyes
No joy in innocence they cry
Always has to lie his way through life
I've fallen down while playing ball
But mom beat me up and down the hall
Just because she had one of those nights
Instinct to defend, where does it all end
How does a child get himself out of harm's way?
A lifelong price to pay
It's not that mommy hits that hurts me, it's when she goes away
Get home from school all by myself and won't see her for days
A kid deprived of love in life has no alternative in sight
He throws up barriers to get him through
A human life's a gift from God
Your conscience and your heart are gone
You're much to cruel to have a point of view
No one to turn to, oh, how dare you
How does a child get himself out of harm's way?
A price no one should pay
Can't you see the tears they're crying
Don't you care your kids are dying?
From the senseless torment that you put them through
There's different kinds of lies to tell
Abuse is from the pit of hell
A demon with a goal that is to kill
You better hear the words I say
Deliverance may be far away
You'll look like you have been run through the mill
Instinct to defend, where does it all end
How does a child get himself out of harm's way?
A lifelong price to pay 🤘
El Angel Rancio
I'm still in shock.
The passing of a such charismatic person. A great singer, musician and frontman.
Be in peace Mike, his music will go on.
Kevin
Had no idea he passed
Aндрей Kул
i am in schock.........
metallady73
Agree. Literally shocked me too. He will be greatly missed.
Joe Dazey
I'm stunned. There will NEVER be another Mike Howe. So young, he looked in great shape. I wish the band and family my condolences.
Mark Brock
Love this song...
So sad Mike has left us☹️
Red Fly
That voice is a thousand feet tall. RIP Mike Howe. Legend.
Pablo Blanco
@Red Fly Little did I know at the time Fake Healer was released to airplay on Z Rock 99.1 that the lyrics would be prophetic and true 30 years into the future. Those lyrics have never been more true than they are today.
Pablo Blanco
Yes no doubt. His voice demanded respect.
Pablo Blanco
I didn't know he died until I read this thread. What a beatdown. Mike Howe is irrefutably legendary and iconic in the metal world.