![]() With the opening track an homage to vintage Church with “Reset” to the almost hard rock of “Fan the Fire” this album contains no filler. Church has been one of those bands that, in an alternate universe would be one of the Big 4 of Thrash as they have always been trailblazers, daring to take thrash metal into a more melodic and cerebral direction as opposed to many of their peers. Culling their sound from their classic sound, this album is a perfect return for not only Howe, but the band as well. So what if is return was bad due to loss of ability? What if he was trying to reclaim something he lost, thus tarnishing his legacy? Once I popped in XI, I knew immediately that Howe was in top form, and all things are right in the world of Metal Church. And not to take anything away from Ronny Munroe as I thoroughly loved all of the albums he did with the band, including the last one Generation Nothing, but for me, Howe is the voice of Metal Church. Not to take anything away from those first couple of albums with the late David Wayne as both are very much iconic thrash metal works, but Blessing was so much more. Excited because Blessing In Disguise is my all-time favorite Metal Church album, and most of that has to do with his voice and the direction the band went in with his addition. I said all of that to say that when it was announced Mike Howe was making his triumphant return to Metal Church after a lengthy retirement I was equal parts excited and nervous. ![]() Look at so many of the greats from back in the day that are really struggling to keep it going- it’s tough, and usually the most obvious loss to a band. Barring high risk surgery, your singing days are over. A singer, once your voice is shot, that’s it. Guitarists and bassists might have lost some dexterity and speed, and drummers the same, but with enough practice you can at least regain the bulk of what you had before. Yes, I know, guitarists, bassists, drummers, etc, their skill is based on physical attributes too, but unless you have lost a limb or other appendage that is central to your instrument or have a debilitating illness that has crippled you up, you can at least make some concerted effort to give it a go again. Your voice is an actual attribute of your body. If much time has passed you run a possibility of not being able to live up to a legacy (if you left one to begin with.) Vocalists for sure have a greater gift to lose and much more to prove if they have stopped doing it on a regular basis. By that same token, when a musician decides after a lengthy retirement they’re ready to come back, that too is huge. In particular, when that performer is someone that has made a big impact on music, whether it’s a big impact on music as a whole or a particular genre. ![]() I’m not going to do this any more,” that is a tremendous decision to make. It’s sharing a part of your soul, your very being. Creating music, writing music, is very personal and intimate. This applies more to makers of original music, and goes from garage bands to big time International superstars. When a musician decides to retire from making music, that’s pretty significant.
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