U would think a fan would know the singer..Mike Howe was singer for this album, his 1st with MC ,Vanderhoof has never been the singer..amazing song,amazing band,amazing front man Howe was, fan since 85 here, had the pleasure of seeing them with Howe..RIP
The song is about having some empathy. Be thankful for what you have and hope like hell you don't find yourself in a situation where you have lost EVERYTHING. Have the humility to understand that you could find yourself in an unbearable situation, and consider if you would have the tenacity to persevere. This is one of my favorite Metal Church songs and MIke Howe was my favorite of their vocalists. Rest in Peace, Mike.
One of the best metal tunes ever!!! Such a sad song, about the homeless. Mike Howe (RIP) was the vocalist. His vocals were pretty awesome! The guitar solos in this song were so tasty!!! I bought the cassette of Blessing in Disguise back in 1989, shortly after it was released. One of the best cassettes i have ever bought!!!
My band forever...rocked the dark when I was 14..never looked back. Im almost 50 now...And still rock it. Mike, I will see u in the after...look foward to it
YOU JUST DID THE BEST SONG EVER... To showcase this horribly underrated vocalist... RIP 🙏 I am from Central WA and Metal Church was our local favorite band growing up 👌 Always wanted to see a reaction to this song but obviously never ever thought this would ever happen 😳 Awesome 🤘
Mike Howe is the vocalist, who we lost last year, R.I.P. Mike. Kurdt Vanderhoof was the bands guitarist on and off, and the longest and only original member and main lyrists and the anchor of the band. Mike Howe was Metal Church's second vocalist after David Wayne. Ken you got the message of the song. To me it was about not casting the downtrodden and estranged aside. You could be there one day. As it says in the song he was "Once an influential man, once was in his prime"...now he's homeless It is scary, if you think about it, how close you can be to what the song describes, all of us. Metal Church is such an underrated and unappreciated band. Thanks Lee for your request. Other great Metal Church songs with great messages are: In Harms Way (about child abuse) do full album version In Morning (about parents laying blame for their child's death on the music industry) Fake Healer (about doctors caring about money over healing) Rest in Pieces (about the Titanic sinking) Cannot Tell a Lie (about politicians and their lies)
Vanderhoof is the driving force behind the band, he's more than just a guitarist, he's also their main lyricist and to put it bluntly it's his band. Even though he's not in the band photos for the three Howe era albums he played on and wrote most of the material. Metal Church is his baby albeit at that time behind the scenes, I think he had some health issues (chronic back pain) that prevented him from touring. Even though he wasn't always seen with the band he was always working with them in the background.
Mike Howe is the singer in this song, Kurt was the guitar player but for this album he only contributed to song writting Mike passed away last year, he's deeply missed in the metal community, he seemed to be a nice guy and better human being
METAL CHURCH w/ DAVID WAYNE opened for METALLICA on the MASTERS tour while they were on the self titled METAL CHURCH - still one of the best shows i ve ever seen
Mike Howe was the vocalist and very underappreciated at the time. I remember when their first song from this same album debut on MTVs Headbangers Ball. Still hits hard to this day.
Kurt never sang. Writer/ guitarist. Mike Howe is the vocalist here. Very talented singer and a very down to earth, good guy who sadly took his own life in July 2021. RIP.
I know this feeling very well, there times in my life i was close too this ! And i startet again with zero ! Now i am lucky cause i have 3 very good friends and my 2 cats ! This things light up my life and makes it better every day ! Greatings from germany ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
WOW METAL CHURCH..MAN THAT BRINGS ME BACK TO THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF 80'S THRASH!! I HAVENT LISTENED TO M.C. IN 20+ YRS...GREAT PICK...PEACE FROM THE NORTHEAST..
Classic band and a classic song, really wonderful to see you take it on in your own unique style. Metal Church has had several distinctly different but awesome vocalists over the 40-plus years of their existence, two of whom have passed away at this point; Rev Wayne, and this particular singer here Mike Howe.
Thank you for doing this! Metal Church have had a long career. I'm still most familiar with their 1980s material such as this song, which is one of my favorites. I'd like to thank the person who suggested this. Some things were a bit wrong on his or her writing though and I'd like to correct it here: The vocalist on this album was Mike Howe. It was his first album with the band. The vocalist on all of their previous albums was David Wayne. Kurdt Vanderhoof played the rhythm guitar but wasn't an active member at the time when this album was made. He still contributed to the songwriting and wrote many songs for the band. John Marshall played here instead. Both of these singers have passed away, David Wayne on May 10, 2005 and Mike Howe on July 26, 2021. They were excellent singers and were an inspiration to others as well. I've seen interviews featuring Mike Howe and he was not only a great singer... he was a great human being. The band started in 1980 and they were great from the start. Many fans of the genre have said that the self-titled album from 1984 is one of the best debut albums of all time. Songs like "Gods of Wrath" show the versatility of David Wayne's vocals and "Beyond The Black" was a great album opener. It also featured a fine cover of Deep Purple's "Highway Star". The later 1980s albums had worse production and the overall sound suffered from it quite a bit... most notably the drums. Some band members have also talked about it in their interviews. Some songs sounded better than others, which was a bit of a mystery. I don't listen to metal as frequently as I used to but I would really like to hear more of their newer material. I've heard some of it and also seen a couple of quite recent live videos. The band were definitely still going strong. Some of you might not be familiar with "Presto Ballet". It's one of Kurdt Vanderhoof's other bands and the style is closer to 1970s progressive rock. I've heard only a few songs but I definitely liked it. Well, I appreciate it if you read all this. It seems I wrote quite a lot... but Metal Church is definitely worth it. Take care and enjoy the music.
Great choice in song. My favorite Metal Church album is Badlands. All their stuff is awesome but Badlands introduced a different sound for them. Love to hear your take on some Fates Warning. Another 80’s prog song by them is The Ivory Gate of Dreams. It’s lengthy but awesome
I get what you're saying, but I was 14 when this song came out and, though my parents were by no means wealthy, I grew up in privilege, on military bases, never really being exposed to anything dirty or unsavory. This song opened my eyes to the fact that this wasn't just something that happened in the movies and that it could happen to anyone. It was pretty sobering.
Love the reactions. You should check out Steve Grimmets Grim Reaper. Fantastic voice and playing for 80s metal, but still going despite serious health problems.
It should be remembered the video was created by a fan sometime after the song was released based on your intro, visual cues have a powerful influence on our perception and comprehension. Further listening to an album pre 2000 rarely included the lyrics and there are great comic examples of misheard lyrics. I myself spent far longer than I would care to admit listing Metallica’s classic track Z-Patrol as a top 5 track and found it strange that most people hadn’t heard that track, I only avoided humiliation by my peer’s insecurities no one made the connection to “ Sad but True”. I learned from this and made sure to check the track listing which often required a visit to a music retailer as this was pre internet. And my backup copy on cassette often failed to document anything beyond album name and band. (I will admit nothing regarding where my original copy was stored). Great track from a band I don’t think I’d even heard of. Ken I always enjoy your reactions and have been introduced to many great bands and more often than not learn something too. Of all the new music I’ve heard Band-Maid is a stand out and well worth a listen and the realisation than I frequently can’t understand the lyrics from metal acts.
This is nice video editing. Kudos to Scott! On a separate note: Ken, I'm surprised you don't have any Shoshana Bean on your channel. Her cover of Make It Rain at The Theatre At Ace Hotel is a blues truffle. Come taste the velvety goodness inside.
2 things I love about this reaction.... Mike getting some recognition, second is how it opens the discussion of how the hell do we have starving people on a planet that can support space craft and billions on things that kill us.
Old school this singer is Mike Howe Kurt is the guitar this band kicks ass need to do there old stuff The dark With old singer song Ton of bricks badass band Rip mike
Loving your content Ken - a suggestion for a future react video, one of my favorite bands, The Beautiful South - they are an iconic British band and the lead vocalist (Paul Heaton) has a beautiful voice - you may recall the Housemartins from the 80s, he was their lead singer - please check out The Beautiful South “Let Love Speak Up Itself” live with Jules Holland, April 1995 - I’m curious what you think
Hey Ken, love the reactions. I've never heard this before so a new one for me too. You should checkout Steelheart (if you haven't already). Either 'She's Gone' or 'I'll Never Let You Go'. I'd love to see your reaction to his vocals.
Uh uh uh uh!! I subscribed along time ago 😃 Best vocal in rock/metal, imo is Dave wyndorf of monster magnet. Check out spacelord, melt, cry, master of light, gods and punks or really just anything. Might not be the most technical singer out there, but he does have something......great 😄
Mike Howe often got blamed by fans for not going as high as David Wayne =his predecessor in MC=. He could, he just didn't think he had to do it all the time and when Blessed in Disguise came out in '89 this was a relief. The 80s were infested by hordes of high pitched, shrill vocalists I got tired of.
Kurdt himself says that by losing David Wayne the band lost a lot of fans and momentum. He doesn't blame Mike, since David had a unique voice that was powerful in multiple octaves, and his natural baritone resonance was quite a bit different than Mike's thinner tenor.
Why do vocal coaches poke fun at metal vocalists? Is it a tongue in cheek thing, thinking that metal vocalists do nothing but grunt and scream? Nothing could be further from the truth. For the record, the vocalist is not Vanderhoof. Vanderhoof is a guitarist. Mike Howe, God rest his soul, supplied the vocals for this track and every other one on the Blessing in Disguised album. Many metal vocalists, Mike Howe included are very accomplished vocalists. Geoff Tate, Rob Halford, and Bruce Dickenson... all fantastic vocalists with at least a 3 to 4 octave range. I'm sorry, it just pi$$es me off when someone gives a wink-wink gesture to metal music without giving it a fair shake. You don't get that kind of range in Country & Western, or Motown music. And you damn sure don't get that kind of range in that $hitty a$$ HipHop. JaRule, LL Cool J, Kanye, and Beyonce' don't have that kind of range. Give metal music the same fair chance you use for other genres. If you have not experienced homelessness in your life, you don't have any idea what it's like to sleep in frigid temperatures, and scrounge in dumpsters behind restaurants to find something that will sustain you for just a little longer. One of the lyrics of this song says, "Once an influential man, Once was in his prime. He spends his day repeating lines, like, "Can you spare a dime."" Sixty-Nine percent of Americans experiencing homeless are veterans. These men and women who signed their name on a dotted line to sacrifice their life for our freedom, and their own country turns its back on them. Many times, veterans find themselves homeless because the transition to civilian life is extremely hard. Once a veteran is released from duty, they are not placed in a program to help them transition, find a job, and cope with the horrors they witnessed while serving. You want a statement that will shame the affluent? Those figures are correct. As a veteran who experienced homelessness, I know the trials and tribulations I had to go through. It was music like Metal Church that got me through those uncertain times.
Since this one is about a vocalist that passed. How about an analysis of the founding (or one of) band that started the Seattle grunge scene. Mother love bone with their song man of golden words. With the departed Andrew Wood. May he RIP.
U would think a fan would know the singer..Mike Howe was singer for this album, his 1st with MC ,Vanderhoof has never been the singer..amazing song,amazing band,amazing front man Howe was, fan since 85 here, had the pleasure of seeing them with Howe..RIP
The vocalist is Mike Howe
R.I.P. Mike
Saw them at Bloodstock recently. Amazing live band.
The song is about having some empathy. Be thankful for what you have and hope like hell you don't find yourself in a situation where you have lost EVERYTHING. Have the humility to understand that you could find yourself in an unbearable situation, and consider if you would have the tenacity to persevere. This is one of my favorite Metal Church songs and MIke Howe was my favorite of their vocalists. Rest in Peace, Mike.
One of the best metal tunes ever!!! Such a sad song, about the homeless. Mike Howe (RIP) was the vocalist. His vocals were pretty awesome! The guitar solos in this song were so tasty!!! I bought the cassette of Blessing in Disguise back in 1989, shortly after it was released. One of the best cassettes i have ever bought!!!
My band forever...rocked the dark when I was 14..never looked back. Im almost 50 now...And still rock it. Mike, I will see u in the after...look foward to it
YOU JUST DID THE BEST SONG EVER... To showcase this horribly underrated vocalist... RIP 🙏 I am from Central WA and Metal Church was our local favorite band growing up 👌 Always wanted to see a reaction to this song but obviously never ever thought this would ever happen 😳 Awesome 🤘
Mike Howe is the vocalist, who we lost last year, R.I.P. Mike. Kurdt Vanderhoof was the bands guitarist on and off, and the longest and only original member and main lyrists and the anchor of the band. Mike Howe was Metal Church's second vocalist after David Wayne. Ken you got the message of the song. To me it was about not casting the downtrodden and estranged aside. You could be there one day. As it says in the song he was "Once an influential man, once was in his prime"...now he's homeless It is scary, if you think about it, how close you can be to what the song describes, all of us. Metal Church is such an underrated and unappreciated band. Thanks Lee for your request. Other great Metal Church songs with great messages are:
In Harms Way (about child abuse) do full album version
In Morning (about parents laying blame for their child's death on the music industry)
Fake Healer (about doctors caring about money over healing)
Rest in Pieces (about the Titanic sinking)
Cannot Tell a Lie (about politicians and their lies)
Vanderhoof is the driving force behind the band, he's more than just a guitarist, he's also their main lyricist and to put it bluntly it's his band. Even though he's not in the band photos for the three Howe era albums he played on and wrote most of the material. Metal Church is his baby albeit at that time behind the scenes, I think he had some health issues (chronic back pain) that prevented him from touring. Even though he wasn't always seen with the band he was always working with them in the background.
@@markbro4427 Agree and added it to my comment. Thanks Mark.
Mike Howe is the singer in this song, Kurt was the guitar player but for this album he only contributed to song writting
Mike passed away last year, he's deeply missed in the metal community, he seemed to be a nice guy and better human being
Metal Church tackled some some tough subjects, I would recommend giving Watch the Children Pray, Date with Poverty, and In Harms Way listens.
Mike Howe is a personal favorite since 1991, I have Blessing in Disguise on vinyl, a must for a metal collection
O.M.G...MIKEY HOWE. ...RES IN PEACE FRIEND 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭🙏🙏🙏🙏🙌🙌🙌🙌
METAL CHURCH w/ DAVID WAYNE opened for METALLICA on the MASTERS tour while they were on the self titled METAL CHURCH - still one of the best shows i ve ever seen
Mike Howe was the vocalist and very underappreciated at the time. I remember when their first song from this same album debut on MTVs Headbangers Ball. Still hits hard to this day.
Kurt never sang. Writer/ guitarist. Mike Howe is the vocalist here. Very talented singer and a very down to earth, good guy who sadly took his own life in July 2021. RIP.
RIP Mike Howe. 🪦
I know this feeling very well, there times in my life i was close too this ! And i startet again with zero ! Now i am lucky cause i have 3 very good friends and my 2 cats ! This things light up my life and makes it better every day ! Greatings from germany ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
Kurt Wanderhoof the guitarist and the leader of Metal Church, Mike Howe is the singer.
Mike Howe was the singer of this. He sadly passed away last year.
It's about someone that had it all and lost it. Adding to it the singer is the Late Mike Howe.
Another great band who should have been massive.
I got to see Metal Church on this tour great show R.I.P. Mike Howell
Mike Howe.
WOW METAL CHURCH..MAN THAT BRINGS ME BACK TO THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF 80'S THRASH!! I HAVENT LISTENED TO M.C. IN 20+ YRS...GREAT PICK...PEACE FROM THE NORTHEAST..
Classic band and a classic song, really wonderful to see you take it on in your own unique style. Metal Church has had several distinctly different but awesome vocalists over the 40-plus years of their existence, two of whom have passed away at this point; Rev Wayne, and this particular singer here Mike Howe.
Thank you for doing this!
Metal Church have had a long career. I'm still most familiar with their 1980s material such as this song, which is one of my favorites. I'd like to thank the person who suggested this. Some things were a bit wrong on his or her writing though and I'd like to correct it here:
The vocalist on this album was Mike Howe. It was his first album with the band. The vocalist on all of their previous albums was David Wayne. Kurdt Vanderhoof played the rhythm guitar but wasn't an active member at the time when this album was made. He still contributed to the songwriting and wrote many songs for the band. John Marshall played here instead.
Both of these singers have passed away, David Wayne on May 10, 2005 and Mike Howe on July 26, 2021. They were excellent singers and were an inspiration to others as well. I've seen interviews featuring Mike Howe and he was not only a great singer... he was a great human being.
The band started in 1980 and they were great from the start. Many fans of the genre have said that the self-titled album from 1984 is one of the best debut albums of all time. Songs like "Gods of Wrath" show the versatility of David Wayne's vocals and "Beyond The Black" was a great album opener. It also featured a fine cover of Deep Purple's "Highway Star". The later 1980s albums had worse production and the overall sound suffered from it quite a bit... most notably the drums. Some band members have also talked about it in their interviews. Some songs sounded better than others, which was a bit of a mystery. I don't listen to metal as frequently as I used to but I would really like to hear more of their newer material. I've heard some of it and also seen a couple of quite recent live videos. The band were definitely still going strong.
Some of you might not be familiar with "Presto Ballet". It's one of Kurdt Vanderhoof's other bands and the style is closer to 1970s progressive rock. I've heard only a few songs but I definitely liked it.
Well, I appreciate it if you read all this. It seems I wrote quite a lot... but Metal Church is definitely worth it. Take care and enjoy the music.
Great choice in song. My favorite Metal Church album is Badlands. All their stuff is awesome but Badlands introduced a different sound for them.
Love to hear your take on some Fates Warning. Another 80’s prog song by them is The Ivory Gate of Dreams. It’s lengthy but awesome
I think you meant Blessing in Disguise as the album, Badlands is a song on the album. And yes Fates Warning The Ivory Gate of Dreams is an epic song
@@metalmark1214 oops my bad. Your absolutely correct
If I remember correctly, this was the first song Mike sang for MC, it was special to him because of that fact.
Mike Howe's voice was absolutely amazing. The video complimented the lyrics and gave it a real feeling of being alone.
Late Great vocalist Mike Howe.
I get what you're saying, but I was 14 when this song came out and, though my parents were by no means wealthy, I grew up in privilege, on military bases, never really being exposed to anything dirty or unsavory. This song opened my eyes to the fact that this wasn't just something that happened in the movies and that it could happen to anyone. It was pretty sobering.
Well put Leigh
Mike Howe , why????
I wish you were still with us!
Love the reactions. You should check out Steve Grimmets Grim Reaper. Fantastic voice and playing for 80s metal, but still going despite serious health problems.
RIP Mike Howe!!!
This vocal style reminds me of midnight the singer from crimson glory or I should say his phrasing
Mike Howe!!
Mike Howe is the singer
Mike Howe was the singer bro.
Dont be afraid ken.
thank you
It should be remembered the video was created by a fan sometime after the song was released based on your intro, visual cues have a powerful influence on our perception and comprehension. Further listening to an album pre 2000 rarely included the lyrics and there are great comic examples of misheard lyrics. I myself spent far longer than I would care to admit listing Metallica’s classic track Z-Patrol as a top 5 track and found it strange that most people hadn’t heard that track, I only avoided humiliation by my peer’s insecurities no one made the connection to “ Sad but True”. I learned from this and made sure to check the track listing which often required a visit to a music retailer as this was pre internet. And my backup copy on cassette often failed to document anything beyond album name and band. (I will admit nothing regarding where my original copy was stored). Great track from a band I don’t think I’d even heard of. Ken I always enjoy your reactions and have been introduced to many great bands and more often than not learn something too. Of all the new music I’ve heard Band-Maid is a stand out and well worth a listen and the realisation than I frequently can’t understand the lyrics from metal acts.
This is nice video editing. Kudos to Scott! On a separate note: Ken, I'm surprised you don't have any Shoshana Bean on your channel. Her cover of Make It Rain at The Theatre At Ace Hotel is a blues truffle. Come taste the velvety goodness inside.
2 things I love about this reaction.... Mike getting some recognition, second is how it opens the discussion of how the hell do we have starving people on a planet that can support space craft and billions on things that kill us.
watching here
If this song doesn't bring tears to your eyes then you didn't listen... We need to do better
Old school this singer is Mike Howe Kurt is the guitar this band kicks ass need to do there old stuff The dark With old singer song Ton of bricks badass band Rip mike
Loving your content Ken - a suggestion for a future react video, one of my favorite bands, The Beautiful South - they are an iconic British band and the lead vocalist (Paul Heaton) has a beautiful voice - you may recall the Housemartins from the 80s, he was their lead singer - please check out The Beautiful South “Let Love Speak Up Itself” live with Jules Holland, April 1995 - I’m curious what you think
In harm's way is another great performance from them.
Mike Howe seemed to be a very opinionated and pissed off person by his lyrics. Excellent band ! RIP Mike.
Hey Ken, love the reactions. I've never heard this before so a new one for me too. You should checkout Steelheart (if you haven't already). Either 'She's Gone' or 'I'll Never Let You Go'. I'd love to see your reaction to his vocals.
Dont pay attention to the pink thing...thats my daughter...lol
THE SINING ITS A MIKEY HOWE ...
You should try Greta Van Fleet- Heat Above, saw you’re reaction to Highway Tune and it brought me to your page! Think you would enjoy it!
Tu jhoom coke studio. Please react
Ok. You doin' a Tyler Childers song yet? . . . . . .
The first MC vocalist David Wayne is better than Mike Howe. Check out watch the Children Pray.
Uh uh uh uh!! I subscribed along time ago 😃
Best vocal in rock/metal, imo is Dave wyndorf of monster magnet. Check out spacelord, melt, cry, master of light, gods and punks or really just anything. Might not be the most technical singer out there, but he does have something......great 😄
Mike Howe often got blamed by fans for not going as high as David Wayne =his predecessor in MC=. He could, he just didn't think he had to do it all the time and when Blessed in Disguise came out in '89 this was a relief. The 80s were infested by hordes of high pitched, shrill vocalists I got tired of.
Kurdt himself says that by losing David Wayne the band lost a lot of fans and momentum. He doesn't blame Mike, since David had a unique voice that was powerful in multiple octaves, and his natural baritone resonance was quite a bit different than Mike's thinner tenor.
Why do vocal coaches poke fun at metal vocalists? Is it a tongue in cheek thing, thinking that metal vocalists do nothing but grunt and scream? Nothing could be further from the truth. For the record, the vocalist is not Vanderhoof. Vanderhoof is a guitarist. Mike Howe, God rest his soul, supplied the vocals for this track and every other one on the Blessing in Disguised album. Many metal vocalists, Mike Howe included are very accomplished vocalists. Geoff Tate, Rob Halford, and Bruce Dickenson... all fantastic vocalists with at least a 3 to 4 octave range. I'm sorry, it just pi$$es me off when someone gives a wink-wink gesture to metal music without giving it a fair shake. You don't get that kind of range in Country & Western, or Motown music. And you damn sure don't get that kind of range in that $hitty a$$ HipHop. JaRule, LL Cool J, Kanye, and Beyonce' don't have that kind of range. Give metal music the same fair chance you use for other genres.
If you have not experienced homelessness in your life, you don't have any idea what it's like to sleep in frigid temperatures, and scrounge in dumpsters behind restaurants to find something that will sustain you for just a little longer. One of the lyrics of this song says, "Once an influential man, Once was in his prime. He spends his day repeating lines, like, "Can you spare a dime.""
Sixty-Nine percent of Americans experiencing homeless are veterans. These men and women who signed their name on a dotted line to sacrifice their life for our freedom, and their own country turns its back on them. Many times, veterans find themselves homeless because the transition to civilian life is extremely hard. Once a veteran is released from duty, they are not placed in a program to help them transition, find a job, and cope with the horrors they witnessed while serving. You want a statement that will shame the affluent? Those figures are correct. As a veteran who experienced homelessness, I know the trials and tribulations I had to go through. It was music like Metal Church that got me through those uncertain times.
Since this one is about a vocalist that passed. How about an analysis of the founding (or one of) band that started the Seattle grunge scene. Mother love bone with their song man of golden words. With the departed Andrew Wood. May he RIP.
Mike Howe
Mike Howe is the singer