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)

The Fight Song
Metal Church Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

In these days of depressing times,
There stands one final truth
There's no doubt in my mind at all:
the future belongs to the youth

So take a stand and show them the best you can do
The odds are against you, or so you assume
Fight for your rights, they're yours to keep

So fight and make it right

The road is a long and a treacherous one
Draw on the strength from within
Don't be discouraged by a slap in the face
The struggle has yet to begin

So take a stand and show them the best you can do
The odds are against you, or so you assume
Fight for your rights, they're yours to keep
So fight and make it right

So take to the streets and find a new way
Confusion in masses, the law of today
Ride out the storm, it's tougher than ever
Can't you see? We're in this together

Endowed with a free will and thoughts for expression
Don't let them fall by the way
Strengthen and use them but don't you abuse them
Help build a better day

So take a stand and show them the best you can do
The odds are against you, or so you assume
Fight for your rights, they're yours to keep
So fight and make it right
Make it right

Make it right
Make it right

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Metal Church's "The Fight Song" preach to the younger generations about standing up for themselves and fighting for their rights. The song states that the future belongs to the youth and encourages them to take a stand and show what they are capable of doing. The road ahead may be treacherous, and the odds may seem against them, but they need to fight for their rights and make things right. The song vocalizes that they are not alone in this struggle and requests that they stand together and build a better day. The song also warns about the confusion and lawlessness in the world, and the importance of using their thoughts and free wills to not let things fall by the wayside.

Overall, "The Fight Song" represents an anthem of hope and encouragement, telling the younger generations that they have the power to make a difference and create a better future.

Line by Line Meaning

In these days of depressing times,
During these challenging times,

There stands one final truth
One thing is certain,

There's no doubt in my mind at all:
I firmly believe that,

the future belongs to the youth
young people will shape the future

So take a stand and show them the best you can do
Stand up and be your best self in front of others

The odds are against you, or so you assume
You may feel like the odds are not in your favor

Fight for your rights, they're yours to keep
Defend your rights, as they are yours to keep

So fight and make it right
Stand up and fight for what you believe in

The road is a long and a treacherous one
The journey ahead is difficult and risky

Draw on the strength from within
Use your inner strength to persevere

Don't be discouraged by a slap in the face
Don't let setbacks bring you down

The struggle has yet to begin
The most difficult part is yet to come

So take to the streets and find a new way
Take action and find a new path

Confusion in masses, the law of today
The current state of society is chaotic

Ride out the storm, it's tougher than ever
Endure the difficulties, they are more challenging than ever

Can't you see? We're in this together
Realize that we are all connected

Endowed with a free will and thoughts for expression
Blessed with the freedom to think and express oneself

Don't let them fall by the way
Don't let those rights go to waste

Strengthen and use them but don't you abuse them
Utilize them and protect them, but don't misuse them

Help build a better day
Contribute to making a better future

So take a stand and show them the best you can do
Stand up and be your best self in front of others

The odds are against you, or so you assume
You may feel like the odds are not in your favor

Fight for your rights, they're yours to keep
Defend your rights, as they are yours to keep

So fight and make it right
Stand up and fight for what you believe in

Make it right
Make the world a better place

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CRAIG STEPHEN WELLS, JOHN SPENCER MARSHALL, KIRKLAND DEE ARRINGTON, MICHAEL P. HOWE, THOMAS EDWARD ERICKSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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