Although our world has, for all intents and purposes, shut down from outside activity in unprecedented fashion due to the Coronavirus, it’s what you make of this newfound extra free time at home that could pave the way to a brighter future. For musicians, that means extra time to write new material, record songs, or just play around with a bevy of riff ideas.
Kurdt Vanderhoof is the lone remaining original member of one of metal’s longstanding influential and heavy bands, Metal Church. Vanderhoof founded the group, is its chief songwriter, and has weathered various lineup changes that has included three singers since 1984, with current vocalist Mike Howe on his second stint after debuting on 1989’s Blessing in Disguise.
While Metal Church has long called Washington state home – the first state believed to have contracted the Covid-19 pandemic – Vanderhoof has relocated to the band’s original upbringing of California, which has thousands of citizens under a stay-at-home order. But while the concert scene has come to a halt worldwide, albums are still being released on Fridays. Metal Church gets into the act next Friday, April 10, with compilation effort From The Vault on Rat Pak Records. The album features new tracks, B-sides from the 2018 Damned If You Do sessions, somewhat unexpected cover selections and a pair of live songs from Japan. The bonus version of From the Vault also includes a pair of remixes from XI, the first album since Howe’s return in 2016.
Vanderhoof spoke with me before a visit to Backstage Live on Feb. 20, 2014, when Ronny Munroe was the group’s vocalist (watch here). But now, with all the world’s a stage under our own roofs, Vanderhoof also used some of his extra downtime to speak with Alamo True Metal.
Click the widget below to hear our conversation. To watch my 2017 AXS with Howe, click here.
