Metal Church - Generation Nothing (2013) (Japan RBNCD-1157)

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Metal Church - Generation Nothing (2013) (Japan RBNCD-1157)

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Back with their first in five years, Metal Church has returned. Promising a throwback to the days of The Dark, where Kurdt Vanderhoof and the gang opted for a pugilistic approach, I can say from the get-go that the promise has been somewhat met, in the sense that this is very much an energetic, up-tempo release. However, anyone expecting a true eighties Metal Church album would be best served to sticking with their tried and trusted classics. Metal Church to me, were at their finest when releasing albums with the sublime voice of Mike Howe helming, and I honestly rarely venture into the book-ending releases with David Wayne and Ronny Munroe. As such, and the point I’m wanting to get across here, is that this isn’t really my Metal Church; what with the Ronny material for the most part having left me cold over the years.

So, with formalities out of the way, let’s get down to business aye? I’m going to say straight away, that I genuinely like this release. Expectations weren’t exactly reaching to the sky with Generation Nothing; I mean, look at the album cover, it makes Hanging In The Balance look like the Mona Lisa by comparison. Even the album title itself evokes serious images of stale dad metal. Thankfully Metal Church set their amps to eleven, burn their energy to boiling point – with Ronny particularly delivering the power - and for the most part serve up an honestly solid album. Granted, I think some of the material is a little lacking in staying power, but on the whole Generation Nothing is enjoyable, and largely inoffensive (in the best sense of the word). Stylistically this is very much in touch with recent releases from their contemporaries Helstar and Megadeth, although maybe not as intense as the former or as hackneyed as the latter. The rhythms in general paint a picture not to dissimilar to the latters Youthanasia striking that distinct balance between heavy and thrash metal. I’m not going to say the riffs will break your face here, but there’s some undoubtedly cool stuff heard in numbers such as the title track and “Suiciety” (hey, Realm called).

If ever the music might fall below par across the album, this being particularly evident in the soggy, misleading opening number “Bulletproof”, then it’s thanks to Ronny’s unhinged vocal approach that I stick around. Truth be told, I was never a massive fan of Ronny in the past, but here he really fucking hones it in and ensures my fingers are repelled from the skip button at all times. He’s unhinged, dripping with energy, and pushes towards his burning high range for the most part. When the band matches him, the album reaches its maximum heights, with “Noises In The Wall” being the prime example, as well as being the closest to the majesty of Blessing In Disguise. Whilst I can imagine, and certainly understand that die hard Metal Church fans might find Generation Nothing to be wanting, I feel that as a stand alone metal album the band delivers. There’s a lot to enjoy here, and any negative aspects largely stem from comparison to what came before, and I guess some trite lyrics. For the most part though this is quality, give it a few listens before writing off, you might be surprised.

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