West Coast thrash metal legends METAL CHURCH have returned with their 13th studio album, "Dead To Rights", released today via Rat Pak Records. The album marks the first release from the band's overhauled lineup, which sees founding guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof back at the helm alongside some notable new faces.
The current lineup features Vanderhoof alongside longtime guitarist Rick Van Zandt, former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson, powerhouse drummer Ken Mary, and dynamic new vocalist Brian Allen. The album was produced by Vanderhoof and mixed and mastered by Chris "Zeuss" Harris at Planet Z — a pairing that brings out the band's classic aggression while adding a crisp modern edge.
The ten-track album opens with the crushing "Brainwash Game", already available as the second official single with an accompanying music video. The track explores modern media manipulation through the lens of classic American thrash metal, with Vanderhoof explaining it is "about steering them" through "repetition and outrage" that "blur the lines between fact and fiction." The first single, "F.A.F.O.", released last November, has already surpassed 400,000 views on YouTube.
Vanderhoof expressed both disbelief and pride over the band's revival: "The band was over, and I honestly didn't see it being resurrected. But somehow, it brought itself back to life — again!"
METAL CHURCH have announced extensive 2026 touring in support of the album, with dates spanning Mexico, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Czech Republic, Belgium, Poland, and the United States through May–September.