I felt a lot of dread about this album. As a huge fan of the classic eras of Metal Church, my Steely sense warned me this was going to be an epic dumpster fire, and I didn’t want to see a beloved band hit the rocks (again). After the tragic passing of on and off vocalist Mike Howe following 2018s Damned if You Do, things looked mighty precarious at the Church camp. They eventually got Marc Lopes from Ross the Boss to step in for 2023’s Congregation of Annihilation, but that effort didn’t work too well. Lopes was streeted rather unceremoniously thereafter, and Metal Church announced the addition of Megadeth’s long-running bassist David Ellefson, new frontman Brian Allen (ex- Vicious Rumors, ex-Dark Sky Choir), and ex-Flotsam and Jetsam drummer Ken Mary for 14th album Dead to Rights. The internal drama and major lineup shuffles were red flags, and when the early singles felt underwhelming on cursory listens, I couldn’t help but suspect the best days for the band had already disappeared in the rearview mirror for good.1 I dreaded handing a beloved band another bad review, but felt like that particular train was heading my way. After a few days with Dead to Rights, however, I feel very differently. It won’t elbow any of the classic albums out of the way, but it’s a surprisingly solid and consistently entertaining platter that sounds like the Metal Church I knew and loved. Here’s to happy surprises.
I heard opener “Brainwash Game” several months back as a lead single and didn’t care for it much. Upon hearing it again in the context of the album, however, I found it much more satisfying. It’s simple and thrashy with beefy riffage, and some of the vocal layering reminds me of the Mike Howe glory days, even though Brian Allen is closer to David Wayne in delivery. Allen does a good job finding that fragile sweet spot where aggressive vocalizing doesn’t lapse into Screechville. The chorus works well enough, and there’s some nifty soloing to boot. The title track is a burly, rowdy bandit with Allen laying down manic vocals over biting riffs that keep you invested and headbanging along. The chorus is pure 80s Metal Church, and this one could have been a bonus track on The Dark, which is a good thing indeed. “Deep Cover Shakedown” keeps the momentum going with more riff thunder and a memorable chorus. The guitar phrasing over the chorus is especially effective.
As Dead to Rights rolls along, Metal Church sound as if they’re in a better place, with the writing tighter and much more interesting than last time. They revive their once-prominent penchant for fusing hard rock elements into metal on “Feet to the Fire,” and it works well. They loop in a mellow prog element at the midpoint of the otherwise hard-edged burner “The Show,” and that too pays dividends. “No Memory” is just a badass tune with a seething energy, and one of my favorites here. When Allen intones “Pain has no memory,” it cuts deep. Are there less successful tracks? “F.A.F.O” is a rudimentary thrasher with more balls than brains, but it isn’t really bad. Aside from that, the album holds up surprisingly well with good and very good cuts all over the landscape.
I suspect that the addition of Dave Ellefson helped elevate the overall writing quality this time out. The man’s a very well-seasoned vet, and Megadeth’s best days came when MegaDave had the other Dave to write with. Kurdt Vanderhoof and Rick van Zandt step up to churn out a ton of aggressive, hooky riffs here, where these felt in shorter supply on the last few albums. Brian Allen does a good job vocally, bringing a David Wayne energy to the table without overdoing things and becoming irritating like Marc Lopes did last time.2 It’s like fate put the right people together at the right time to make a successful Metal Church again, against all odds.
Dead to Rights is a good and at times very good album from a band that really needed a win at this point in their decades-long career. It sounds close enough to their classic era to make older fans happy, and it shows these olde dogs can still churn out an album’s worth of quality material when the stars align. Now they just need to hold this lineup together at all costs. Don’t wander off, Dave! The Church needs your support.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Rat Pak Records
Websites: metalchurchofficial.com | facebook.com/officialmetalchurch | instagram.com/metalchurchofficial
Releases Worldwide: April 10th, 2026
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