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A Light in the Dark

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A Light in the Dark
Studio album by
Metal Church
ReleasedJune 16, 2006
StudioThe English Channel Studio (Olympia, Washington)
Genre
Length61:56
LabelSPV/Steamhammer
ProducerKurdt Vanderhoof
Metal Church chronology
The Weight of the World
(2004) 		A Light in the Dark
(2006) 		This Present Wasteland
(2008)

A Light in the Dark is the eighth studio album by American heavy metal band Metal Church, released on June 16, 2006 in Germany, June 19 in the rest of Europe, and June 27 in the US.[1] This was the third Metal Church album to feature the cruciform Gibson Explorer on a cover, as well as the last to feature Jay Reynolds on guitar. It was also the first to feature Jeff Plate on drums.

"Watch the Children Pray 2006" is a tribute to vocalist David Wayne, who died on May 10, 2005 from complications following a car crash.[2][3]

Reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Blabbermouth.net8.5/10[5]
Rock Hard8/10[6]

AllMusic Greg Prato reviewed the album positively and commented that it is "unmistakably" Metal Church, in spite of the fact that only Kurdt Vanderhoof is the only remaining founding member of the band who performs on the record. Prato stated that A Light in the Dark "could easily be mistaken for a thrash metal release of the '80s" because of songs like "A Light in the Dark" and "Beyond All Reason".[4] Keith Bergman of Blabbermouth.net had the same feeling, as the production "seems designed to recall past glories", but praised A Light in the Dark for being "more cohesive, more like a band effort, and not coincidentally, the most consistent album since the band's heyday with late frontman David Wayne."[5] Rock Hard reviewer called it a "good, in the most positive sense, old-fashioned metal album with a balanced mix of proven power riffs, beautiful melodies and some sing-along choruses", though it did not approach qualitatively the band's early classics.[6] Greg Pratt of Exclaim! wrote that "Metal Church are proving themselves to be a dependable metal institution", but criticized the album for being too long, for having "too many mid-tempo blah rockers" and for the "sense of melodrama that dogs down" many songs.[7]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Ronny Munroe, Kurdt Vanderhoof, except where indicated

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."A Light in the Dark" 5:27
2."Beyond All Reason" 5:40
3."Mirror of Lies" 4:19
4."Disappear" 6:02
5."The Believer" 5:29
6."Temples of the Sea"Vanderhoof9:27
7."Pill for the Kill" 4:28
8."Son of the Son" 4:45
9."More Than Your Master" 4:47
10."Blinded by Life" 3:31
11."Watch the Children Pray 2006" (bonus track)David Wayne, Vanderhoof, Craig Wells5:45

Personnel

[edit]
Metal Church
  • Ronny Munroe – lead vocals
  • Jay Reynolds – lead guitar
  • Kurdt Vanderhoof – rhythm guitar, keyboards, producer, engineer, mixing
  • Steve Unger – bass, backing vocals
  • Jeff Plate – drums
Production
  • Mark Greer – mixing
  • Kai Swillus – artwork

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "METAL CHURCH: New Songs Posted Online - June 6, 2006". Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner Records. Archived from the original on February 2, 2013. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
  2. ^ tacomascene.com, David Wayne's Obituary at tacomascene.com. Retrieved April 26, 2011.
  3. ^ metalchurchmusic.com, Memorial to David Wayne at metalchurchmusic.com Archived October 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 26, 2011.
  4. ^ a b Prato, Greg. "Metal Church - A light in the Dark review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  5. ^ a b Bergman, Keith. "Metal Church - A Light in the Dark". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  6. ^ a b Stappert, Andreas (2006). "Review Album: Metal Church - A Light in the Dark". Rock Hard (in German). No. 230. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  7. ^ Pratt, Greg (August 1, 2006). "Metal Church - Light in the Dark". Exclaim!. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
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