METAL CHURCH's KURDT VANDERHOOF Denies Former Members Were Blindsided By Band's Split And Eventual Reformation: 'That's On Them'

In a new interview with Jimmy Kay of Canada's The Metal Voice, founding METAL CHURCH guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof spoke about the band's new lineup, in which he is joined by longtime guitarist Rick Van Zandt, bass icon David Ellefson (MEGADETH),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 the previous lineup of METAL CHURCH fell apart and the latest version of the band came to be, Kurdt said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):"Well, we got back from [touring] Australia [in 2023]. Things got ugly. Things fell apart, and a lot of nasty stuff was going on. And the record company [Rat Pak] got done. They said, 'No, we're not doing this.' And I'm, like, 'I'm not having any fun. I'm done.' So I shut the band down. I let everybody know, 'I'm done. I'm shutting this down. We're done.' And I also made it very clear that 'I'm not gonna say anything derogatory about anybody, and I hope you do the same,' because if there's one thing that I can't stand is, in the world of social media, the 'he said, she said' bitch fight between former bandmembers and blah, blah, blah. I'm not playing that. So, obviously some people decided to go a different route. That's on them. That's fine. But I shut the band down. It was done. So when it started back up again, it wasn't by me starting it up. It was Brian Allen suddenly showed up via Todd La Torre from QUEENSRŸCHE. And [Todd] told Brian, 'Cut a couple of demos. Send it to Rat Pak.' And so he did. And, again, this was going on without — it was not solicited at all. So he sent it, and the next thing I know, I get a couple of MP3s of somebody singing a couple of old METAL CHURCH songs. And I was, like, 'Wow. Well, if I ever put the band together again or anything, this guy would be great.' I didn't know that I had known him before from his JUDAS PRIEST cover band, from many, many years ago. So then I left it at that. And then, because Dave Ellefson was working with Rat Pak on the ELLEFSON-SOTO project, he extended to Rat Pak as well that 'if METAL CHURCH wants to get back together, I'd love to be involved in that.' And I was [pleasantly surprised to hear that], 'cause Dave and I've known each other forever. And then, out of the blue, [former METAL CHURCH and current SAVATAGE drummer] Jeff Plate said he'd come back if we put it back together. So here I'm sitting here going, 'Well, this is awesome.' I really had no intentions. I didn't wanna go run auditions and put out and start looking [for new musicians]. I was done. It was, like, 'Another lineup? Another singer? Really? Come on. This is stupid.' But it just happened. So I went with it. And then, as it turns out, we started with Jeff, and he couldn't stay because of the SAVATAGE reunion. And that really took off, which is great for him. I'm really happy for those guys that they're doing that. And then within a few days, I was in touch with Ken Mary. So it just kept moving. So I'm, like, 'Well, I think there's something more going on than what I had intended.' So I just left it at that. And that was it. So I shut it down. A year and a half, two years later, I put it back together."

Kurdt also denied that now-former METAL CHURCH singer Marc Lopes — who sang on the band's 2023 album "Congregation Of Annihilation" — and drummer Stet Howland were blindsided by METAL CHURCH's split after the Australian tour and eventual reformation. "That's on them," Kurdt said. "I'm sure they think I could have done it differently. We had a big discussion about it, but there was no point. Enough was said. I'm, like, 'Okay.' I was clear. The label lost interest. They weren't interested in working with us anymore. So it was, like, 'Well, there's no point in going on. I'm done. I'm shutting this down. Best of luck to you.' There you go."

Lopes joined METAL CHURCH in the summer of 2022 as the replacement for Mike Howe, who tragically passed away in July of 2021. The band's lineup on "Congregation Of Annihilation" was rounded out by Vanderhoof, longtime guitarist Rick Van Zandt, bassist Steve Unger and Howland.

Last November, it was announced that METAL CHURCH was returning with a "revitalized" lineup consisting of Vanderhoof alongside Van Zandt, Ellefson, Mary and Allen (VICIOUS RUMORS). The announcement came nearly two years after METAL CHURCH canceled its 2024 tour dates due to "an ongoing back issue" suffered by Vanderhoof.

Reflecting on how he found out he was no longer a member of METAL CHURCH, Lopes told Scott Davidson of Chicago's Rebel Radio: "Yeah, we basically found out on the Internet, pretty much… When they announced that they had a new lineup and a new tune [was released], that was [when we first found out]."

Asked if he thought METAL CHURCH was broken up at that point, Marc said: "It's interesting. It depends on who you ask. My interpretation of it was there were definitely some issues going on business-wise that needed to be discussed. Certain people reacted in a certain way. At the time, it was just kind of, like, 'All right, let this thing simmer down and then have a conversation.' That was my take on it. And then when Kurdt canceled the tour, we went along with it, the reasonings that were said to the public, we went along with it in hopes of having conversations down the road — because [we] needed to. Anytime there's some kind of misunderstanding of something, you should have a conversation — whether things are gonna work or not, there needs to be some kind of finality to it. At the time, [Kurdt] was, like, I'm gonna put METAL CHURCH on [pause]… I'm just gonna stop doing this for right now,' or whatever the case may be. And believe me, when I was in the band, I heard threatening to fold the band about six times. Anytime there was a disagreement, it was, like, 'Let me take my ball and run.' It got a little annoying, so no one ever took it serious, because it never was. So when that was said, it was, like, 'All right, well, whatever. You guys can do whatever you need to do, and we'll talk.' But those talks never happened. And I constantly was always trying to reach out to find out — that was just from me. I mean, the other two guys, I don't speak to them, but I was just, like, 'What are we doing here? What's going on?' And no one would ever answer. And I was just, like, 'Well, that's kind of messed up. Why are we not having any kind of conversation?' So one year goes by and still nothing. And I'm, like, 'Wow, that's really weird.' I mean, I don't understand. At least go, 'Hey, you know what?! We're not doing this no more. We're gonna go in a different direction' or whatever. But not even that. So, I kept going on, and that was it. We just never had any kind of conversation. And about the two-year mark, when the album was at the two-year anniversary. I finally got a message back and it was, like, 'Yeah, you know…' I'm not gonna say what was said, but it was kind of, like, 'Good luck with everything,' or whatever. And I was, like, 'What?' There was no explanation for what was said. I was kind of, like, 'Well, what do you mean?' And I got no answer. [Laughs] So I was, like, 'Okay, this is kind of weird.' So I'm trying to get what's going on, and I was not getting any return calls, which — I'll be 100% honest — was super disrespectful, and that don't fly with me, man."

Lopes continued: "You know what?! If you don't wanna do it, that's cool. Whatever, man. You wanna be that way and take your ball and run into your little corner, that's cool, dude. But at least be man enough to say it. Let's have a man-to-man conversation. That's all I wanted. And I never got it. And I have every right to be annoyed by that. And that's what annoys me. And to have that all come out on the Internet, and then them B.S.ing in these interviews, it's just not cool, man. But it is what it is. It is what it is."

Marc went on to say that he doesn't "regret anything" about the time he spent as the frontman of METAL CHURCH. "It was awesome," he said. "We did a lot of cool stuff. We did more in seven months on the road than that band had done in years. And we were doing things different. Business was good. A lot of people didn't see the same way of things, and that's kind of where it fell apart.

"I think one of the things that really was most disrespectful was you have someone like Steve who was in the band for 22 years," Lopes added. "And he never got a phone call [letting him know he was no longer in the band]. That is not cool… Definitely some serious lack of communication, for sure. So that kind of thing, I just don't really think a lot about a person that does stuff like that. It's just not an honorable thing to do. And that's not how I function as a human. And I feel everyone deserves respect, whether you agree or not. So that's where any kind of animosity comes from, is that."

METAL CHURCH's new album, "Dead To Rights", will be released on April 10 via Rat Pak Records. The LP was produced by Vanderhoof and mixed and mastered by Chris "Zeuss" Harris at Planet Z.

METAL CHURCH plans to hit the road extensively this year on the "Dead To Rights" tour.

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

This past January, Lopes described METAL CHURCH as "a shit show" and blasted Vanderhoof over the way the band's recent lineup changes were handled. He went on to say that Kurdt had "no integrity" and accused the guitarist of displaying "cowardice" by "not confronting any of the issues, whether good or bad." He added that he had "to find out everything on the Internet" about what was actually going on with METAL CHURCH. "That was the ultimate 'fuck you'. And that does not bide well with me personally, which will be addressed in another time," he added.

Stet, an in-demand metal drummer who has also pounded the skins for W.A.S.P., BLACKFOOT and Lita Ford, briefly addressed his eight-year stint with METAL CHURCH in a social media post. He wrote in part: "After seeing recent [METAL CHURCH] interviews, Marc's statement, and Kurdt's response. There's clearly MANY things that need to be said. But in short, Marc was 100% accurate. Tho[ugh] he barely shared the tip of the iceberg of the bullshit, and he was much more kind than I'm going to be. There's truths that need to be told and facts that need to be shared. I'll be as kind as I can, but I'll be dissecting and explaining a shitshow."

Stet later opened up about his departure from METAL CHURCH in more detail, writing in a social media post in part: "[Kurdt is a] great riff writer, good hearted guy, total business disaster… And honestly, as amazing as the music was, business wise the whole thing was kind of a clown show behind the scenes. Not an ounce of good sense in play when I joined. I had to literally rebuild the entire business model. And now, with nobody to handle things, I can't wait to watch all this unfold. On the upside, there's lots of amazing talent in the new lineup. New stuff sounds great to me. Ken and Brian did a fantastic job, always loved Ken's work.

"I've always been a fan of the music, I wholeheartedly support these guys perpetuating the brand. And as disgusted as I am with the way things were handled business-wise.

"I've said this before. METAL CHURCH is about the music, not the faces. The faces will continue to change, that I assure you.

"I'm sad to say that the honor and integrity of the band was buried with Mike Howe. What remains today, now matter how wonderful it looks from the outside, is a rudderless mess."