METAL CHURCH founding guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof has addressed the controversy surrounding the band's reformed lineup head-on, dismissing claims that former members Marc Lopes and Stet Howland were left in the dark.
"That's on them," Vanderhoof stated plainly. He explained that after the 2023 Australian tour, internal conflicts escalated to a point where he shut the band down entirely, and that he communicated this clearly at the time.
Howland and Lopes have both spoken critically about the situation. Lopes said the band "basically found out on the Internet." Howland posted that Lopes was "100% accurate" about mishandling, described backstage operations as a "clown show," and said the band's integrity was "buried with Mike Howe" — the beloved original vocalist who died in 2021.
Vanderhoof explained that the reformation was not even his idea. Vocalist Brian Allen — recommended through QUEENSRYCHE's Todd La Torre — submitted demos to the label unsolicited, which sparked interest and eventually led to the new lineup: Vanderhoof, Allen, David Ellefson (ex-MEGADETH, bass), and Ken Mary (drums).
The new lineup's debut album, Dead to Rights, arrives April 10 via Rat Pak Records. With the band's history long tangled in tragedy and lineup turbulence, the question of what constitutes the "real" METAL CHURCH remains charged — but Vanderhoof clearly considers the matter closed.