The 11th studio long-player from the veteran hard rockers, the aptly, though rather lazily, named XI marks the return of vocalist Mike Howe to the Metal Church fold -- Ronny Munroe left the group in 2014 to "pursue other interests." Hearing Howe's sinister and instantly recognizable banshee wail reunited with showrunner/guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof's taut, melodic riffing is a thrill, especially for longtime fans.
Standout cuts like "Needle and Suture," "Reset," and the monolithic "No Tomorrow," the latter of which might be the best thing the band's recorded in over a decade, provide a 21st century link to Howe-fronted Metal Church faves like Human Factor, Blessing in Disguise, and Hanging in the Balance.
As has been the case on previous late-period outings, there's some filler to be waded through, but XI feels a bit more lived-in and immediate than 2013's so-so Generation Nothing.
With 11 albums under their belt, Metal Church seem to have finally found the sweet spot between the thrash-kissed days of yore and the more traditional yet no less meaty metal stylings of their 21st century incarnation.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ResetMike Lowe, Kurdt Vanderhoof | Metal Church | Play | 03:53 | 8 MB | 29 MB |
| 2 | Killing Your TimeMike Lowe, Kurdt Vanderhoof | Metal Church | Play | 05:06 | 11 MB | 37 MB |
| 3 | No TomorrowMike Lowe, Kurdt Vanderhoof | Metal Church | Play | 05:08 | 11 MB | 38 MB |
| 4 | Signal PathMike Lowe, Kurdt Vanderhoof | Metal Church | Play | 07:12 | 16 MB | 54 MB |
| 5 | Sky Falls InMike Lowe, Kurdt Vanderhoof | Metal Church | Play | 07:01 | 16 MB | 48 MB |
| 6 | Needle and SutureMike Lowe, Kurdt Vanderhoof | Metal Church | Play | 04:38 | 10 MB | 35 MB |
| 7 | ShadowMike Lowe, Kurdt Vanderhoof | Metal Church | Play | 04:08 | 9 MB | 31 MB |
| 8 | Blow Your MindMike Lowe, Kurdt Vanderhoof | Metal Church | Play | 06:28 | 14 MB | 40 MB |
| 9 | Soul Eating MachineMike Lowe, Kurdt Vanderhoof | Metal Church | Play | 04:41 | 10 MB | 33 MB |
| 10 | It WaitsMike Lowe, Kurdt Vanderhoof | Metal Church | Play | 05:15 | 12 MB | 37 MB |
| 11 | Suffer FoolsMike Lowe, Kurdt Vanderhoof | Metal Church | Play | 04:54 | 11 MB | 35 MB |
| 58 mins | 134 MB | |||||
| 58 mins | 420 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Collier | Mixing |
| 2 | Tim Harding | Live Sound |
| 3 | Mike Howe | Group Member, Vocals |
| 4 | Mike Lowe | Composer |
| 5 | Metal Church | Primary Artist |
| 6 | Kathy Moats | Layout |
| 7 | Jeff Plate | Drums, Group Member |
| 8 | Mike Savoia | Photography |
| 9 | Steve Unger | Bass, Group Member, Vocals (Background) |
| 10 | Rick Van Zandt | Group Member, Guitar |
| 11 | Kurdt Vanderhoof | Artwork, Composer, Design, Group Member, Guitar, Mellotron, Mixing, Producer, Synthesizer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |