METAL CHURCH Picks Marc Lopes As New Vocalist

Legendary METAL CHURCH has officially hand-picked ROSS THE BOSS and LET US PREY frontman Marc Lopes to be the band's new vocalist following the loss of Mike Howe less than two years ago.

Earlier yesterday (Thursday, February 2), METAL CHURCH guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof posted: Yes, the rumors are true, it's official! Please welcome vocalist Marc Lopes to the congregation! We auditioned a handful of vocalists and while they were all great, Marc quickly became the clear choice. Both David Wayne and Mike Howe had a very unique, irreplaceable quality to their voices, so we were not looking for a clone of either. We wanted someone new, who could embrace the past, and also bring something fresh and exciting to the mix. Marc brings a very classic yet modern feel to the songs and we are looking forward to getting this new album out to you later this year! Thank you for your continued support of METAL CHURCH! Love & respect, Kurdt Vanderhoof.

On January 26, METAL CHURCH shared a audio snipet of new music with an anonymous new singer who sounded just like Marc. Apparently the band had been working with Lopes in the studio and are planning on releasing new music sometime this spring.

Last year Vanderhoof told Metal-Rules he hadn't really processed the death of Mike Howe: "I can't imagine what it must feel like to feel that suicide is your only option. And because he was like my brother and to find out he was in such pain and it's too late to try and help is just something I cannot get my head around."

Kurdt went on to say there will be new METAL CHURCH album in 2023: "I had written a new record and Mike and I had just begun the process before he passed," he explained. "So I had a lot of material on hand. I also wanted to complete the album in honor of him. I have written a batch of additional material and it's going in a more aggressive direction."