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)
Ton of Bricks
Metal Church Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Blood begins to flow.
Taking chances,
The only way I know.
Sacrificed everything.
I'm the grinding stone.
Ripping flesh, drawing blood.
I'd love to eat your bones.
My world will not cave in.
I will dare so I will win.
Hear the timebombs begin to tick.
I'll hit you like a ton of bricks.
Hammer or anvil,
You must pay the price.
Thunder, lightning,
Yes, it does strike twice.
Vice grips hold me,
Keep me in control.
And if you think I'm kidding you,
You will feel the fatal blow.
My world will not cave in.
I will dare so I will win.
Hear the timebombs begin to tick.
I'll hit you like a ton of bricks, ton of bricks.
Oh yeah, you!
I know that it's true
Do you have a clue
To what I'm gonna do?
I'm gonna
Rip it up, kick it out
Blood begins to flow
Taking chances
The only way I know
Sacrificed everything
I'm the grinding stone
Ripping flesh and drawing blood
I'd love to eat your bones
My world will not cave in
I will dare so I will win
Hear the timebombs begin to tick
I'll hit you like a ton of bricks
Ton of bricks, ton of bricks
Oh yeah, you!
I know that it's true
Do you have a clue
To what I'm gonna do?
I'm gonna stop.
The opening lines of Metal Church's "Ton of Bricks" suggest a person who is unafraid of taking risks and is willing to pay the price for their freedom. The lyrics urge the listener to "rip it up, kick it out" and sacrifice everything to take chances. The mention of drawing blood and wanting to eat bones further suggests the singer's predilection for aggression and violence.
The second verse continues with the theme of being in control and unafraid of taking risks, with the singer warning the listener that if they underestimate him, they'll feel the "fatal blow." The chorus reinforces this sense of confidence, with the singer stating that their "world will not cave in" and that they "will dare so [they] will win." The repeated line "I'll hit you like a ton of bricks" reiterates the idea that the singer is a force to be reckoned with, someone who will crush their enemies through sheer force of will.
Throughout the song, the imagery of metalworking is used to reinforce the idea of strength and power. The reference to being a "grinding stone" suggests the singer's resilience and ability to weather tough times, while the mention of being held in "vice grips" reinforces the idea of control and discipline. The repeated reference to a "ton of bricks" is also a play on words, as it evokes both the idea of a heavy object falling from a great height and the slang phrase meaning to be hit extremely hard.
Overall, "Ton of Bricks" is a straightforward rock song about power, control, and aggression. It celebrates the idea of taking risks and living with intensity, while also emphasizing the importance of discipline and control. The lyrics offer a vision of a world where the strong thrive and the weak are crushed, making it a fitting anthem for fans of heavy metal music.
Line by Line Meaning
Rip it up, kick it out.
I will break through anything that stands in my way.
Blood begins to flow.
I am willing to take risks and face consequences.
Taking chances, The only way I know.
I am dedicated and willing to make sacrifices to succeed.
Sacrificed everything. I'm the grinding stone.
I have given everything to achieve my goals and I will not stop.
Ripping flesh, drawing blood. I'd love to eat your bones.
I am merciless and will show no mercy to those who oppose me.
My world will not cave in.
I am unbreakable and will not be defeated by any obstacles.
I will dare so I will win.
I will take risks and leave nothing to chance in order to succeed.
Hear the timebombs begin to tick.
My opponents have no idea what's coming.
I'll hit you like a ton of bricks.
I will defeat you with overwhelming force.
Oh yeah, you! I know that it's true. Do you have a clue, to what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna rip it up, kick it out...
I know that you doubt me, but I am unstoppable and will continue to push forward.
Ton of bricks, ton of bricks.
I will defeat you with unstoppable force, like a ton of bricks.
Oh yeah, you! I know that it's true. Do you have a clue, to what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna stop.
I have made my point and will stop at nothing to achieve my goals.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CRAIG STEPHEN WELLS, DAVID WAYNE CARNELL, KIRKLAND DEE ARRINGTON, KURDT YORK VANDERHOOF, THOMAS EDWARD ERICKSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
lindy
Rip it up, kick it out
Blood begins to flow
Taking chances
The only way I know
Sacrificed everything
I'm the grinding stone
Ripping flesh, drawing blood
I'd love to eat your bones
[Chorus]
My world will not cave in
I will dare so I will win
Hear the timebombs begin to tick
I'll hit you like a ton of bricks
Hammer or anvil
You must pay the price
Thunder, lightning
Yes, it does strike twice
Vice grips hold me
Keep me in control
And if you think I'm kidding you
You will feel the fatal blow
[Chorus]
Oh yeah, you!
I know that it's true
Do you have a clue
To what I'm gonna do?
I'm gonna
Rip it up, kick it out
Blood begins to flow
Taking chances
The only way I know
Sacrificed everything
I'm the grinding stone
Ripping flesh and drawing blood
I'd love to eat your bones
[Chorus]
Ton of bricks, ton of bricks
Oh yeah, you!
I know that it's true
Do you have a clue
To what I'm gonna do?
I'm gonna stop
Dom Russo
Rip it up, kick it out
Blood begins to flow
Taking chances,
The only way I know
Sacrificed everything
I'm the grinding stone
Ripping flesh, drawing blood
I'd love to eat your bones
[Chorus]:
My world will not cave in
I will dare so I will win
Hear the timebombs begin to tick
I'll hit you like a ton of bricks
Hammer or anvil,
You must pay the price
Thunder, lightning,
Yes, it does strike twice
Vice grips hold me,
Keep me in control
And if you think I'm kidding you,
You will feel the fatal blow
[Chorus]
My world will not cave in
I will dare so I will win
Hear the timebombs begin to tick
I'll hit you like a ton of bricks, ton of bricks
Oh yeah, you!
I know that it's true
Do you have a clue
To what I'm gonna do?
I'm gonna
Rip it up, kick it out
Blood begins to flow
Taking chances
The only way I know
Sacrificed everything
I'm the grinding stone
Ripping flesh and drawing blood
I'd love to eat your bones
[Chorus]
My world will not cave in
I will dare so I will win
Hear the timebombs begin to tick
I'll hit you like a ton of bricks
Ton of bricks, ton of bricks
Oh yeah, you!
I know that it's true
Do you have a clue
To what I'm gonna do?
I'm gonna stop
Broncycolon 70
One of the best metal Albums ever
RIP,Dave Wayne👆🍻
Dan Marr
a ton of bricks!!
GothicConservative
My dad was the drummer for metal church, and my aunt was engaged to David Wayne. RUST in peace he would’ve been my uncle.
Gloria Villa
❤
Mr. Vinster Guyster
@Ira Spencer She was talking about David Wayne
Leo Von Stadler
@Stay Dormant the movie is called No man's land (1987)
Stay Dormant
Loved that, it was played in a movie, about stealing; high end cars!
bikerscout2012
Completely underrated band! I remember being young when we'd swap tapes at lunch. I was a Megadeth/Anthrax/Overkill fan and this tape completely melted my face off at the time! Shortly after the same kid lent me "Scream Bloody Gore" tape by Death. I haven't yet recovered lol!
Hyland
@dr xxx Cheap is cheap mate. Get over it. Good band the same.
dr xxx
ways been one of my favorite bands. RIP Davd Wayne.