METAL CHURCH – Generation Nothing

It was not long since Metal Church ceased to exist, but maybe they needed a little time to refuel. But, what was obvious from their headline show at Germany’s Headbanger’s Open Air manifests now in Generation Nothing: the band has again found their taste for Metal. And, that makes this new album the best one with Ronny Munroe on vocals, who is now, by the way, the singer with the most studio albums for Metal Church!

The opening double “Bullet Proof” and “Dead City” are an impressive statement for their newly found heaviness, and the first one reminds of Mike Howe’s times, while the second sports typical Metal Church leads. Ronny Munroe is strong and might not make one forget the former singers of the band, but he definitely is a great vocalist by his own right and does not pale in comparison. So, Generation Nothing is an album for the old fans, who will more than once feel reminisced to old times. Like in “Suiciety,” which would be a fitting song for The Human Factor, or “Hits Keep Comin’,” which is their modern sing-a-long follow-up to “Start The Fire”. In between, there is “Scream” just to prove they can still Thrash — a song that scores with a refrain as melodic as the great “Conductor”.

Four tracks are unusual and stick out. First, there is a nine-minute song called “Noises In The Wall” which takes a bit getting used to. The track grows on the listener, but needs a bit more effort to be loved. And then there is the last song “The Media Horse,” which is a mid-tempo, experimental track that has lyrical reference to the song “The Human Factor”. The other two are the title track and “Close To The Bone”, but those have to be mentioned because they do not live up to the rest of the material on Generation Nothing.

So, overall the album contains seven fantastic songs, two tracks that are sub par, and one which is difficult to categorize. The tenth studio album of the classic Thrash band Metal Church offers more than one could have hoped for. Only in one regard it leaves something to be desired: the CD comes as a digipak without a booklet, no lyrics, and just a few pictures and credits.

The album continues a different tradition as well, as one can see here: it shows a really ugly cover art, as it is customary in the Metal Church camp. Maybe another band pic would have been a solution. Not a good solution, maybe just a less bad idea. But, as soon as the music starts, all of this is forgotten and a great album emerges that puts the band back on the Metal map! Welcome back, boys!