West coast metal veterans Metal Church will return to Australia this December to round out 2023, and to support their latest album their 13th studio album, Congregation of Annihilation released earlier this year.
The new album marks a new era for the band, and it is the first release since the tragic loss of legendary front man Mike Howe in 2021, but it also marks the first album with new vocalist Marc Lopes.
To find out more about the tour, and taking over the vocals of the band, we had the chance to chat with new frontman Marc Lopes.
SR. How are you getting fired up for your first tour with Metal Church Down under?
ML. Just getting excited. We’re doing a show here in California on the eighth as a little warm up and try a couple of things out before we head down there. We’re just going to chill and slam out four shows for you all!
SR. Obviously joining Metal Church was a big step for you, especially after the passing of Mike Howe because everyone thought the band will be over. Just wondered how did you join the band?
ML. You know, when I had heard about it, I was like, you know, wow, it’s terrible and it’s awful. And I’m in the back of my mind, I’m like, There’s no way, you know…this is probably the the end of it, you know?
I’ve been friends with Stet (Howland) for many, many years. We lived in the same neighborhood when we were younger and come from the same scene back in New England. So, I talked to him and, you know, expressed my condolences and stuff. I had known Stet and Steve (Unger) for a while and, you know, we played a show together in Germany at Bankhead Festival, I think it was in 2019 and they had approached me at one point about maybe doing a fill in for Mike on some festivals that they were going to he might was not going to be able to do at the time. I’m of course I was like, Yeah, sure, if you need me, I’m not going to say no, you know, but that never happened.
So, I mean, I guess that’s maybe how it all started, you know what I mean? Even being asked to do something like that, you know? And once that happened, I was the band’s definitely done, but some months later, I ended up getting a message if I would be interested in, you know, giving it a shot, you know, do some auditions and stuff, and I was like, Yeah, sure. You know, obviously I was going to say yes, feeling, you know, definitely got a lot of mixed emotions because of the situation, you know.
It was a long process. We did the audition stuff and then we wrote together and, you know, we talked about, what our goals and what we what we wanted to do and all this and that. It all worked out. And we went for it and started writing the record and recorded it. And then here we are (Laughs).
SR. You range in the new record Congregation Annihilation is superb. The album feels like a return to the roots of the band. Did you do any special research or preparation to get that specific sound on it?
ML. Yeah, that was that was definitely on purpose. We when we started when we started working on the new record, Kurdt (Vanderhoof) had already a bunch of songs put together for the next record with Mike, just music, there was no vocals or anything like that written. So I was presented with a bunch of the stuff and I, I kind of had picked the heavier the tunes because that was it’s more my style.
“This is a new era of the band”
The other stuff was definitely more hard rock type of metal type stuff. I was kind of a little at first going, “Ooh” you know, I didn’t know which way this was going to go. So,I went and I started working with the material that I had and Kurdt was like,”do what you do, what you do”.
This is a new era of the band. Do what you do, be yourself! So, I went for it and,. He’s like, you have a way more aggressive approach than what this music calls for. He goes, I think I think we need to go back to our roots and go in that that direction, and I was excited because that’s what I had recommended. I was like, Man, if you’re going to do this, you’re going to come out hitting, anything like anything less, which is kind of not do the band any justice on carrying on to another era.
I’ve always been a huge David Wayne fan and early Metal Church fan. So for me, it was just going back and kind of getting get into the vibe of the first records and then just added my own spin to it.
We believed we’ll probably have to play like one or two songs live from this new album, but now you got people going, I want to hear this one and that one. We want to hear that. We’re like, we don’t even know those songs right now (Laughs).
SR. I really like “Say a Prayer with 7 Bullets”. Any story behind that track?
ML. Tthat was a lot of fun one, because I, for me personally, I never really did anything like that because it was very bluesy. The funny story about that one is when I first had gotten it, I was like, I really like the riff and I’m like, Wow, I’ve never really written anything for this kind of song.
Because it’s got a real bluesy loose, I was like, But it was kind of snarly. It was kind of like sarcastically, like you kind of, like, had this sarcastic feel to it, . I’m a huge Hatebreed fan. I love hardcore. I, I love hardcore music, Terror and all that stuff.
Man, I was like what if I slap some, some hardcore type of thing going on with this and really throw it off the balance because it’s blues with a little bit of hardcore and there some crazy like I threw the kitchen sink in there. So yeah, I love it. It was a fun song to record all kinds of stuff going on in there.
SR. How was transitioning from Ross The Boss to the Metal Church style?
ML. This is fun because what I found was by doing the Metal Church stuff, it actually made me play the Ross stuff better. I found that some of the things that I was doing with Metal Church vocally fit better with Ross The Boss than what I would presently had done. It’s a weird thing. It like, I go back and I listen to a lot of Eric Adams and I’m like, I was like, I should have been approaching it more like this.
I kind of get a little bit of a different approach to the rock stuff now than I did before. It’s a little dirtier now. The last bunch of shows that we did over the summer, they definitely had a different approach than what I had known, what I had done before, and I just felt better about it.
SR. I read you are a Graphic Designer too. Did you have any input on the Congregation Annihilation album cover?
ML. Yes, I do Graphics, I also do video work, and right now I’m working with like three pretty big labels. I’ve been doing reissues for bigger bands too, so it’s pretty cool.
I actually did three versions of the Congregation album cover, but I it had already been done and I didn’t know. So there’s three versions of that album cover that no one’s ever seen. And although I really do love that album cover, I know it’s kind of funny. When I first when I saw it, I was like, Yeah, that’s cool, man. I dig it. I dig it. Because believe it or not, stylistically wise, it definitely was felt like something I could have done myself anyway…maybe the next one (laughs).
“…there’s three versions of that album cover that no one’s ever seen…”
SR. That means a new album is already on the cards?
ML. Not this year, maybe by the end of next one, but I got tons of ideas for the next record. I probably I got like four names for the next album and got like ten different song titles. And so I’m always on that stuff. It’s like, you know, I know I’m excited, I’m ready to go.
SR. What Aussie fans can expect of the new Metal Church shows coming Down Under?
ML. it’s a heavy show. It’s heavy, it’s relentless, very tiring, but it’s relentless and it’s definitely a lot. It’s heavy on the first two albums and there’s a couple of tunes that have never been played live. This is the first time they’ve ever been played live, and there’s some songs that haven’t been played in probably 20 years, so you guys are getting something special. I think there’s like 14 songs on the set.
SR. Can you share with us any funny story while on tour?
ML. There’s a lot of there’s a lot of good, good comedy on the road. Like I go into my mixing board and there’s a condom. I’m like, hell!
We signed, like, people’s forearm. It was just weird. I guess they’re going to get it tattooed.
SR. Just to finish any message for the Australian Metal Church Fans?
ML. We’re definitely bringing a good array of tunes for you and one hell of a slamming show, that’s for sure. We hope to see everybody there or you’ll see me there for sure. All right. Thank you so much. Thank you. Cheers. Have a good one. See you there!
METAL CHURCH December 2023 Australian Tour Dates:
Thursday 14th – MELBOURNE – Croxton
Friday 15th – BRISBANE – The Zoo
Saturday 16th – SYDNEY – Crowbar
Sunday 17th – ADELAIDE – Crown & Anchor
Tickets And Info: www.hardlinemedia.net
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