DAVID ELLEFSON Says Joining METAL CHURCH Has Been 'Really Great': 'I've Always Been A Big Fan Of KURDT VANDERHOOF's Songwriting'

In a new interview with Rev. Tom Brice of Sportzwire Radio, former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson spoke about his involvement with METAL CHURCH's new lineup, in which he is joined by founding guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof, longtime guitarist Rick Van Zandt, powerhouse drummer Ken Mary (FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, FIFTH ANGEL, ALICE COOPER, HOUSE OF LORDS, TKO, CHASTAIN) and dynamic new vocalist Brian Allen (VICIOUS RUMORS). Regarding how it feels to be part of the latest version of METAL CHURCH, David said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's really great. I've always been a big fan of Kurdt Vanderhoof's songwriting. I've been friends with him since probably 1985, so our paths have just randomly crossed in the funniest places. The band, obviously, through all of it, has maintained its sound. And I think having Brian Allen come in as a respectful new vocalist is fantastic."

He continued: "When I heard the demos [for the upcoming METAL CHURCH album], first of all, it's, like, okay… To me, the benchmark is always that first album, man… So I go, 'Man, this is on point.' And then listening to Brian sing, I was just, like, going, 'Man, this guy has got the goods.' And I heard little bits of NAZARETH, Jon Oliva from SAVATAGE, of course some [late METAL CHURCH singer] David Wayne. There's all these little nuances in there, these little layers that I'd hear and go, 'Oh my God, this guy's checking the boxes of some of my favorite singers ever,' and yet clearly [he has] his own style."

Ellefson went on to say that he joined the new METAL CHURCH lineup "kind of sight unseen. I had not met Rick Van Zandt yet, the other guitar player, but I went over to record over in California at Kurdt's home studio," he explained. "So we cut the bass tracks. And then it was right after that, Brian came down to sing and then we cut the other guitars… And then Ken Mary was kind of a later addition, to be honest with you. [Former METAL CHURCH drummer] Jeff Plate was [still] in the drum chair [at that point], but all of a sudden his life got really busy because this last summer he came over to Europe with SAVATAGE. And they ran that up the flagpole. SAVATAGE has always been very popular over [in Europe], and especially in Germany. And, of course, then in the winter months [Jeff is busy touring with] TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA."

Regarding the fact that he has pursued so many other musical projects since his initial departure from MEGADETH, Ellefson said: "It's an interesting thing in life. I was very lucky to be in one group for most of my life, and I never sought to, 'Oh, I wanna go solo,' or 'I need to do four other bands.' But then the day came where the group ended, and then that just sort of created a space for me to just spread my wings and just start playing with a bunch of other people, which, quite honestly, I felt like my chops really needed."

Vanderhoof spoke about METAL CHURCH's new lineup earlier this month during an appearance on "The David Ellefson Show" podcast,. Regarding how the latest version of METAL CHURCH came to be, Kurdt said: "Well, it was a couple years ago, after we just did our Australia run. And when we came back, things just really fell apart. Stet [Howland, former METAL CHURCH drummer] quit, Stet left, 'cause he wasn't happy with the way business was going. The other two guys kind of felt the same. I felt the same for different reasons, and for me, it was, like, 'This isn't any fun and this is no good.' And at my age, at this many years of doing this, if it's not fun. I'm out. If there's just drama and stuff like that, I'm just not interested. So I let everyone know, 'Hey, I'm shutting this down. Sorry. I'm done with this. This is not working.' And, basically, I thought we were done. And then about a year and a half later, just out of the blue, these opportunities [came up] with people that were interested that would be a good fit if I was to resurrect the band, and it kind of resurrected itself. We ended up getting Brian Allen, the singer, who came through his friend, and our friend as well, Todd La Tore from QUEENSRŸCHE. He had pushed Brian to send some kind of audition tapes or something to me and to Joe [O'Brien] at Rat Pak [Records, METAL CHURCH's record label]. And he did, but I didn't know it at the time. And all of a sudden Joe sends me a couple of MP3 files. He goes, 'Hey, check this out.' And it was 'Start The Fire' and a song off 'The Human Factor'. And I started playing 'Start The Fire', and I was, like, 'Is this an unreleased vocal track of David Wayne?' I was, like, 'Wow. All right.' And then I listened to the other one, and it's, like, 'Well, he's singing the Mike Howe stuff too.' Again, at this point, I really hadn't made any decisions on what was gonna happen. Again, I thought we were done. And so that was very inspiring. That was kind of, like, 'All right. Well, okay. That just came out of nowhere to me. What are you trying to tell me?' And then after that, it was through Rat Pak — Dave was in contact with Rat Pak because of the ELLEFSON-SOTO record. And the discussion just kind of started."

Kurdt continued: "So, I guess to make a long story endless, I had really no intentions of starting up the band again, but the band resurrected itself through those kind of channels, and it was just something that just kept going step by step. Again, very similar to what happened a few years ago with the 'Congregation Of Annihilation' [2023] lineup. Again, I didn't really plan on it. It's the band that wouldn't die. So I'm embracing it, and it's really great. And to have somebody like Dave, and then also to bring Ken Mary on, and then to have Brian, who's just really nailing the METAL CHURCH sound. It's, like, 'Well, this is definitely worth doing.' And with the new song and the reaction to the new video, it seems to be a good thing to do. So that's kind of the long and short of it, basically. Again, it just kind of happened."

Elaborating on how the material for the upcoming METAL CHURCH album came together, Kurdt said: "Like I said, I'm sitting here and all of a sudden these great people just became available and were interested in doing this. And I had to literally stop, 'cause I was, like, 'Wait. What? I hadn't planned on this.' I wrote a bunch of metal stuff and a bunch of riffs and stuff, which I do anyway.

"When everything fell apart, I went on to make other records," he explained. "I did the HALL AFLAME record, the new PRESTO BALLET record, which are different styles, but I'm always writing something. So there was this pile of stuff, and it was already kind of right there. So as this thing kind of fell into place, it was definitely ready to go. And also [former METAL CHURCH drummer] Jeff Plate was initially gonna be involved [with the new METAL CHURCH lineup] when we decided to go forward, and he started, but then as the thing started, the SAVATAGE reunion just took off, and I couldn't be happier for him. So he wasn't able to really see it through. But kudos to Jeff… 'Cause they're [SAVATAGE] kicking ass right now and it's doing great. So he couldn't be involved. And then Ken Mary became available. And Ken and I have a history, 'cause we're both from Seattle and we did shows together way back in the day, in the mid-'80s, with TKO. And while we were in the studio with [producer] Terry Date, he was in the studio with FIFTH ANGEL, with Terry Date. Terry was playing our stuff to him and he was playing [their] stuff to us, and so there's this big incestuous kind of thing. So Ken Mary being available and interested in doing it just made perfect sense."

Last month, the new METAL CHURCH lineup released its first single, "F.A.F.O.". The track was produced by Vanderhoof and mixed/mastered by Chris "Zeuss" Harris at Planet Z. Those sessions have now evolved into a brand-new METAL CHURCH album, set for release in 2026 via Rat Pak Records. Additional details will be announced soon.

METAL CHURCH plans to tour extensively in 2026 and some festival dates have already been announced with more to come.

Born out of the explosive West Coast metal scene of the early '80s, METAL CHURCH quickly established themselves as one of the genre's most formidable and musically sophisticated bands. After signing with Elektra Records, the group released two landmark albums — their self-titled debut "Metal Church" and its follow-up "The Dark" — both of which remain essential listening in the heavy metal canon. As the U.S. metal wave surged, METAL CHURCH hit the road with labelmates METALLICA, further solidifying their reputation for precision, power, and uncompromising intensity.

The band continued to evolve into the late '80s and early '90s, tackling political and social themes with vocalist Mike Howe on the acclaimed albums "Blessing In Disguise" and "The Human Factor". While many peers shifted toward the era's commercial trends, METAL CHURCH stayed true to their heavy roots — a commitment that earned them a loyal global following.

In 2016, the band reunited with Howe for their eleventh studio album "XI", which debuted at No. 57 on the Billboard Top 200 and charted internationally, marking one of the strongest comebacks in modern metal. Its 2018 successor, "Damned If You Do", continued that momentum with additional worldwide chart success and reaffirmed the band's enduring relevance.

Singer Marc Lopes joined METAL CHURCH in the summer of 2022 as the replacement for Howe, who tragically passed away in July of 2021. Lopes's first and only studio album with METAL CHURCH, "Congregation Of Annihilation", came out in May 2023 via Rat Pak Records (America) and Reaper Entertainment (Europe). The LP was produced by Vanderhoof.

METAL CHURCH made its live debut with Lopes on June 3, 2023 at the Legions Of Metal festival at Reggies in Chicago, Illinois.

Photo credit: Rick Moyer