Metal Church - A Light In The Dark

Metal Church is a thrash band that's been around since the early '80s, although guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof is the only remaining original member. Even with a rotating cast of characters, they still manage to sound like classic Metal Church, which is mostly due to Vanderhoof's excellent guitar work.

This is Ronny Munroe's second album as the band's vocalist, and he sounds a lot more comfortable this time around. He's got a good voice and matches the intensity and emotion of the music very well. One of the highlights of the album is the epic ballad "Temples Of The Sea," which clocks in at over 9 minutes and showcases the band's songwriting and musicianship. The final song on the CD is a new version of their classic song "Watch The Children Pray," which is dedicated to their former vocalist David Wayne who passed away in 2005.

They've been through a lot of turmoil over the years and haven't had the commercial success of some of their thrash contemporaries, but Metal Church is a band with staying power and determination to keep releasing quality albums.