Album Review: Metal Church -The Final Sermon: Live in Japan 2019

Three years after the tragic passing of longtime vocalist Mike Howe, Metal Church released The Final Sermon: Live in Japan 2019 on Rat Pak Records.

The double-live album was recorded on August 24-25, 2019 at Club Citta in Kawasaki, Japan.  The shows – captured during the Damned If You Do world tour - were among the last at which Howe performed before the band's halted touring during the COVID-19 pandemic and his unfortunate death in June, 2021.

Metal Church guitarist and songwriter Kurdt Vanderhoof produced the live record, noting very little editing was done.  According to Vanderhoof:

“what you are hearing is exactly what the audience heard that night, Mike giving it his all, live and uncensored! This album not only commemorates our 2019 Damned If You Do tour, but also pays homage to our friend and brother's legacy. The album will arrive on the third anniversary of his passing, and it is our hope that Mike will continue to be remembered for the music and love he brought to the world.”

Although there is a “sound-board” type audio quality at times, Metal Church sounds inspired throughout.

The Final Sermon captures Howe in fine form performing material that spanned the thrash icon’s now-forty-year career. The track list is sequentially consistent with the band’s performance during the Japan shows and Damned If You Do tour, except 'Agent Green' was performed eighth during the tour but omitted from disc one (which features the first fourteen songs) and, instead, included as a “bonus track” on disc two. 'Anthem to the Estranged' is the second of two tracks on the “bonus” second disc and final of sixteen songs, which was identical to the band’s shows during which the 'Blessing in Disguise' classic closed the evening.

Thirteen of sixteen songs performed during the concerts in support of Damned If You Do were recorded on studio albums with Howe on vocals; the lone exceptions were 'Beyond the Black' from the band’s eponymous debut as well as 'Start the Fire' and 'Watch the Children Pray' from The Dark (both of which were recorded with original vocalist David Wayne). Notably, 'Metal Church' was not performed during the tour, despite being the band’s “title song”.

The Final Sermon opening track is the title track of the album the band was touring in support of, and followed by 'Needle and Surture' from Howe’s comeback XI. Two more “Damned…” songs are included: 'By the Numbers' and 'The Black Things.' Four songs from The Human Factor were captured: 'In Mourning,' 'Agent Green,' 'Date With Poverty', and the album’s title track. The band also played two rarities from 1993's Hanging in the Balance, Howe’s last record before his twenty-two year hiatus from Metal Church: 'Gods of a Second Chance' and 'No Friend of Mine.' Of course, Howe’s debut record - 1989's Blessing… - was well-represented, by 'Anthem…', the powerful 'Fake Healer,' and disc one closer 'Badlands.'

The Final Sermon is a fitting tribute to one of heavy metal’s most talented and well-liked performers and celebrates four decades of Metal Church music. It is the band’s third live record (preceded by 1998’s Live and 2017’s Classics Live), and a terrific representation of the veteran artist’s impressive songwriting career and catalogue.

Rating: 8/10

Disc One
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
Disc Two (Bonus Tracks)
15. Agent Green
16. Anthem to the Estranged