Masterpeace

Masterpeace is a traditional heavy-metal album on which a METAL CHURCH restarted after the mid-1990s hiatus attacks with heavy guitar riffs, hard drums and urgent vocals. A comeback released after roughly five years of silence, it carries real weight as the point where Kurt Vanderhoof set the band in motion again. Original singer David Wayne returned, and facing Vanderhoof’s riffs once more revives a raw tension reminiscent of the early records. On “Sleeps With Thunder,” “Falldown,” “Masterpeace” and “Sand Kings,” dark atmosphere and strong choruses alternate, giving the album a tight feel throughout. On “Into Dust,” “Kiss For The Dead,” “Faster Than Life” and “They Signed In Blood” too, speed and weight coexist, sustaining a hard-edged touch that recalls the early work. Showing some humor by taking up Aerosmith’s “Toys In The Attic,” the band held to keeping tradition without losing aggression. Proving that its essence had not wavered even after a long gap, it is an accomplished work of the reactivation period.