METAL CHURCH

Bangers Open Air presents a heavy-hitting name for its 2027 edition: Metal Church. Possessing one of the most respected trajectories in heavy/thrash metal, the veterans arrive at the festival in a moment of renewal, fueled by the release of Dead To Rights, their 13th studio album. The current lineup brings together experienced musicians, featuring founder and main songwriter Kurdt Vanderhoof (guitar) alongside veteran Rick Van Zandt (guitar), bassist David Ellefson (ex-Megadeth), drummer Ken Mary (Fifth Angel, Flotsam and Jetsam, ex-Accept, Impellitteri, Alice Cooper, House of Lords), and vocalist Brian Allen (Dark Arena, Trauma, ex-BloodStone and Vicious Rumors). According to Vanderhoof, the chemistry among the musicians was decisive in resurrecting the band and giving rise to a new creative phase, represented by the album Dead To Rights.

Formed in the early 1980s amid the effervescent US West Coast scene, Metal Church helped define the boundaries of American heavy metal and thrash metal. Albums like Metal Church (1984) and The Dark (1986) are considered absolute classics of the genre and beautifully depict the era with the late David Wayne. Throughout a career spanning more than four decades, the group went through lineup changes, periods of hiatus, and remarkable comebacks, but never compromised their identity. Albums like Blessing in Disguise (1989) and The Human Factor (1991), hallmarks of the era with the late Mike Howe, showed a band willing to tackle social and political themes without losing their sonic aggressiveness, while The Weight of the World (2004) and A Light in the Dark (2006), alongside more recent works like XI (2016) and Damned If You Do (2018), proved that Metal Church remained relevant to old and new fans alike.

For fans attending Bangers Open Air 2027, the expectation is a setlist packed with classics such as "Ton of Bricks", "Start the Fire", "Watch the Children Pray", "Beyond the Black", "Metal Church", "Badlands", "Fake Healer", "Gods of Wrath", "Date With Poverty", and "The Human Factor", in addition to songs from their new era.