Everything ends. Even in the legendary realms of heavy metal, where myths and legends intrude into everyday
reality on a daily basis. Members and fans of American metal giants Metal Church became painfully aware of
this when they lost their legendary singer and frontman Mike Howe in July 2021. From 1988 to 1994 and again
from 2015, Howe was the frontman of one of America's most beloved and cherished metal institutions,
recording groundbreaking and essential works such as 'Blessing in Disguise' and 'The Human Factor'.
Mike Howe was an outstanding singer, a charismatic frontman and for many the voice of American heavy
metal. On July 26, 2021, Howe died at the age of 55 at his home in Eureka, California. The world lost a unique
voice and talent that day. His legacy will live on, of course, in his many friends, followers and fans, in his classic
albums and in the memories of his bandmates. On the third anniversary of his tragic death, Reaper
Entertainment will make its own contribution to the memorial altar of a true icon: a live album titled 'The Final
Sermon', recorded during his last performances - on August 24 and 25, 2019 at Club Citta in Kawasaki, Japan.
'The Final Sermon' not only shows Howe at his vocal peak, singing, screaming and belting like there's literally
no tomorrow, but also a band in captivating form. Thrash guitar pioneer and founder Kurdt Vanderhoof,
guitarist Rick Van Zandt, bassist Steve Unger, drummer Stet Howland and live bassist Bobby Ferkovich were on
top form during those two long nights in Japan, a tight-knit metal machine ready for anything. 14 songs
underscore their status as quintessential American metal overlords, a band that pulls out all the stops musically
while embodying a political, socially conscious, philosophical mindset. Current bangers like the furious
"Damned If You Do", classics like the menacing wall of riffs of "Fake Healer" and early classics like "Beyond The
Black" show a band that is aware and proud of their past, but comfortable in the present. This is not a veteran
group bragging about past glories, but a band that is still a hungry and dangerous wolfpack four decades into
their career.
That's the beauty of Metal Church. Formed in 1980 in the burgeoning Bay Area metal scene, the band even had
Lars Ulrich audition for the drummer's position before he left to form another Bay Area band. Their debut
album 'Metal Church' (1984) is one of the great classics of American heavy metal and launched an
international career. The band played with all the big four of thrash (Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax),
appeared on MTV's "Headbanger's Ball" and shaped the American metal landscape like no other. The band is
still alive and kicking today, but the legendary era of the eighties and early nineties will never be surpassed by
the mark that singer Mike Howe left on the band: 'The Final Sermon' is living proof that, even if all idols
eventually fall, their legacy lives on. Through all of us.
CD jewel case version
Tracklisting:
1. Damned If You Do
2. Needle and Suture
3. Fake Healer
4. In Mourning
5. Human Factor
6. Date with Poverty
7. The Black Things
8. Gods of A Second Chance
9. Start the Fire
10. Watch the Children Pray
11. Beyond the Black
12. By the Numbers
13. No Friend of Mine
14. Badlands
