METAL CHURCH Singer Explains Tour Cancelation

At last Wednesday night's (January 24) Metal Hall Of Fame gala at the Delta Marriott Garden Grove in Garden Grove, California, METAL CHURCH singer Marc Lopes spoke to The Metal Voice about the cancelation of the band's previously announced 2024 tour dates due to "an ongoing back issue" suffered by guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We did this whole tour from May till December, [finishing] in Australia. He's had a chronic problem with his back for a long time. And I can understand that, 'cause I do too. It's a little bit different. But he battled through as best as he could always; I mean, he never not did what needed to be done. And it just got to the point where if he didn't address it, it would just end up being — he wouldn't be able to play. So, rather than take that chance, it was better off that he go and get it taken care of and then carry on from there."

Asked by host Jimmy Kay if METAL CHURCH is "continuing" despite Kurdt's health setback, Marc said: "As far as I know. [Laughs] I haven't got that memo [that the band is over] yet. And in all honesty, if it did happen, I would understand. It would suck, but I would totally understand. But we're not there. So that's good. But hopefully we'll get together and write more. We were actually starting to get into that mode of writing the next record. I had a billion ideas ready to go — you know me — so, that probably will happen at some point, depending on how [his recovery is]."

When METAL CHURCH first announced that it was canceling its tour dates, Vanderhoof said in a statement: "As some of you may have recently noticed during our live performances, I frequently will disappear to the side of the stage during a set and continue playing while sitting on a chair. This is due to an ongoing back issue that I've needed to deal with for a while now. I kept putting it off and it's finally caught up with me, so I'm going to get this taken care of so I can continue performing live in the future.

"That being said, sadly we will be canceling all upcoming show dates for 2024. I apologize for this but I need to get this taken care of.

"Check with your local venues for any refunds.

"Thank you for your continued support and I'm looking forward to seeing you in the future!"

In a recent interview with Metal Wani, Lopes was asked how he takes care of his singing voice. He said: "I work out all the time. I eat good. I rest as much as I can. It's a mindset too. And just try to stay mentally healthy too, 'cause that's probably one of the biggest parts of the battle; a lot of people don't understand. I know, 'cause I know at the beginning of this METAL CHURCH stuff, I was a mess — the stress and the amount of anxiety I had. I mean, the first batch of shows, I could barely get notes out, there was so much stress. I felt like everybody was just weighing on my chest. And now [I feel] just a lot more comfortable in my footing and having a lot more fun."

METAL CHURCH made its live debut with Lopes on June 3, 2023 at the Legions Of Metal festival at Reggies in Chicago, Illinois.

Lopes joined METAL CHURCH in the summer of 2022 as the replacement for Mike Howe, who tragically passed away in July of 2021. The band's current lineup is rounded out by founding guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof, guitarist Rick Van Zandt, bassist Steve Unger and drummer Stet Howland.

Lopes's first studio album with METAL CHURCH, "Congregation Of Annihilation" came out on May 26, 2023 via Rat Pak Records (America) and Reaper Entertainment (Europe). The LP was produced by Vanderhoof.