When vocalist Mike Howe died on July 6th 2021, the world not only lost one of metal’s greatest singers but also a true gentleman. On the third anniversary of his passing, Reaper Entertainment will release a live album documenting his last performances at Club Citta, Kawasaki, Japan on 24th and 25th August 2019. With both Metal Church and Mike Howe on top form, and performing like there’s no tomorrow in front of a rabid crowd, The Final Sermon: Live In Japan 2019 acts as a fitting epitaph for the much missed (and much lamented) Mike Howe.
Having fronted Metal Church during their glory days of 1988-1995 and again from 2015-2021, Mike Howe and Metal Church helped shape the musical landscape with classic albums such as Blessing In Disguise, The Human Factor and Damned If You Do, yet it’s the live environment where a metal band are judged, under pressure and hot stage lights, where the men are separated from the boys and one take is all you get. Having seen Metal Church tear up the stage at 2006’s Bloodstock Open Air, this scribe can attest to the band’s live prowess, but if you don’t want to take my word for it then just a cursory listen to The Final Sermon: Live In Japan 2019 will set you right. Opening with the title-track from the aforementioned Damned If You Do album, Metal Church hit the stage in top gear and proceed to deliver a masterclass in heavy metal. The guitars light up the venue like phosphorous flares, the rhythm section are a musical steamroller and Mike Howe proves himself in fine fettle with his steely vocals slicing through the air. It all adds up to an affair that’s not for the faint-hearted, but metal was never meant to be.
The Final Sermon sounds like an authentic live recording; there has been no retrospective airbrushing here and the (very) rare bum notes only adds to the overarching feeling of authenticity. Subsequently, this recording places the listener in the heart of Club Citta and it feels as if you are present on those sultry nights in Japan. Acting as a kind of “greatest hits” album, only with the added oomph of a live show, these cuts conspire to show what a deep discography the band has. Howe takes on tracks from The Dark (including a feisty ‘Start The Fire’) and makes them his own, but pretty much every track on here hits the mark and that makes The Final Sermon are far more satisfying listen than there previous live release, 2017’s Classic Live (reviewed here).
Metal Church have always been an unstoppable force, and after the death of Mike Howe the band are continuing with a new vocalist, but The Final Sermon finds the band at a pinnacle, and one that’s going to be hard to beat.
- The Final Sermon: Live In Japan 2019 is released via Reaper Entertainment on 26th July 2024.
- Official Website
Track List:
1. Damned If You Do
2. Needle and Suture
3. Fake Healer
4. In Mourning
5. Human Factor
6. Date with Poverty
7. The Black Things
8. Gods of A Second Chance
9. Start the Fire
10. Watch the Children Pray
11. Beyond the Black
12. By the Numbers
13. No Friend of Mine
14. Badlands
