David Wayne of METAL CHURCH

Interview by Bob Nalbandian, Shockwaves  (circa. 2000)

Shockwaves: Let's talk a bit about your new CD Masterpeace...this is the first Metal Church album in about six years, and actually your first album with the band since The Dark in 1987...it's been a while! How did the band come to reform with all the original members?

David Wayne: That's a good question...and a good story. What happened was, Metal Church's old manager, Kenny Laguna, who also manages Joan Jett, released a recording from Japan without the band's consent or foreknowledge. I don't know all the ins and outs, I wasn't around then, it was with Mike Howe. But, he claims he had the permission to release it, be that as it may, it's a really crappy live record and the band tried to shut it down, but the tapes were in the hands of Kenny Laguna - and he's somewhat of a shark. Anyway, Kenny got all this money from SPV (Europe) and laid out this crappy live album. Also during that time, Craig had come across these old Metal Church tapes, stored in these humidified storage rooms of this old studio we recorded in. The guy at the studio said he was gonna trash the tapes if we didn't pick 'em up. So Craig grabbed the tapes and got a hold of Kurdt (Vanderhoof). Apparently SPV was really ticked about the live record, so we tried to salvage these recordings with a process of baking the tape, which would give us one good recording out of it. Believe it or not, they baked the tapes in a Pizza Hut oven! And we ran it onto new tape and mixed it down. That is what gave Metal Church the idea to reform the original band. I only lived 5 minutes away from Craig, so we ended up all getting together and started writing together again. It's funny, because it all came together from a need that SPV wanted to salvage this shitty live record that Kenny Laguna gave 'em.

SW: That's pretty messed up. But I guess it all happened for a good reason - that being the fact that Metal Church reformed out of this!

David: There was a silver lining to that dark cloud in that we all got back together and wrote and recorded Masterpeace.

SW: So what were on the old tapes that were salvaged?

David: They were live recordings from Minnesota, New York, Texas...we don't really know where they're all from.

SW: So, the songs on Masterpeace are all new songs that were written and recorded when the band got back together.

David: Correct.

SW: How was the vibe writing and recording with the guys, seeing that you haven't been with the band in over a decade?

David: I had some doubts in my mind. It's been 12 years since Kurdt and I wrote The Dark together. So in my mind I'm thinking 'how is this gonna jibe, is he gonna have a lot of attitude that I'm gonna have to deal with?'. But he and I both went into it for the FUN of it. And that's how the music wrote itself. We've always done the music first, and then I would just let the music tell me what I wanted to say.

SW: So, you first left Metal Church in what? 1988-89, during The Dark tour?

David: Yeah. There were some drug problems, and I don't put it on Metal Church. I'm through candy-coatin' it. I used to think that 'I'm gonna be the nice guy and put all the blame on me,' and that's what I've done in the last two years of doing interviews, but I'm not gonna lie about it anymore. It's BS if the guys can't stand up for the problems they had. I do say that I had a problem, and I took steps to correct it. One of the things I had to do, but didn't want to do, is leave Metal Church. In my meetings, my sponsors were telling me I had to make a lifestyle change, I had to change friends, and it killed me that I had to walk away from Metal Church. The band told me not to do a press-release, so that I wouldn't have my version out there first. And, stupid me, I trusted them, because we were all very close, like a marriage. So, the next thing I know is that they put out this press release saying 'We kicked Dave Wayne out of Metal Church', and I, of course, was horrified. So, I went off and got to do my own thing, Reverend, which was quite pleasing and enjoyable. In fact, I recently got the Reverend guys back together, since Metal Church wants to be on hiatus for a while. I need to get out there and work. I say you strike while the iron is hot, and now everyone is doing their own projects...Kurdt is doing this and that. So, I just got my own Reverend band back together here in Seattle.

SW: Now, is this the same Reverend line-up with the old Heretic guys?

David: No, Heretic is back down in LA. This is the Seattle line-up.

SW: What I found ironic was the fact that when you originally left Metal Church and formed Reverend, you hired the Heretic musicians as your back up band and Metal Church hired Heretic vocalist Mike Howe! How did that come into play?

David: That's like a cosmic joke on all of us (laughs). Metal Church actually hired Mike Howe first. I was running around LA at the time, trying to find the hottest band that I can be a part of. At one time, Randy Piper had just been separated with Blackie Lawless from WASP. I met with him at his house and he had Gold records on his walls and I'm thinking, 'this is the guy I wanna hook up with,' even though his music was a lot more commercial than Metal Church and I didn't really like that aspect, but it was exciting writing and playing with him. But, the very reason I left Metal Church started happening with Piper's band, Animal. In the meantime, the Heretic guys kept calling me saying 'you gotta at least listen to our songs' and I would say 'No! Your singer is now in my band and you want me to join you...are you nuts!' But just by being persistent they got me to meet them at a Denny's Restaurant and they played me some songs on this old tape recorder. I listened to the tunes and it just knocked my socks off! And that's how we ended up working together. It's ironic, and it's funny, but those guys are good songwriters.

SW: So what have you done in between that time and the reformation of Metal Church? Any other projects apart from Reverend?

David: I left Los Angeles. I had been playing original music since 1983, and when I came back up to Seattle around '92-'93, right around the time Metal Church broke-up, I joined a bar band. I always liked the idea of doing cover songs...and of course, anyone who's in a bar band wants to go and do original material! So the guys that I'm jamming with are telling me, 'How can you do this? Let's write original songs and get a real band going'. And I'm like, 'I just want to drink beer every night, and chase the women. I wanna be in a bar band for a while'. And they just couldn't understand that. I wanted to sing some Rob Halford songs, do some Deep Purple, Metallica, Scorpions, ya know? So for a year or so I sang for this house bar band where we were the main act every Friday and Saturday night. (Laughs) The place was the Little Dutch Inn.

SW: So, what about tour plans for Metal Church, I know you did some European Festivals, what about the States?

David: We did the Wacken Open Air Fest (Germany) in August. In October, we took off and played a ton of dates in Germany, and all over western Europe with Thunderhead. It was a successful tour and show us that the fans still love us out there. We're supposed to go out with WASP in the States but since everybody in this band is doing their own thing, I'm just waiting for management to find out the verdict. I mean, we gotta start rehearsing soon if we're gonna embark on an American tour!

SW: Who manages Metal Church these days?

David: We're managed by Krebbs Communications.

SW: Is that David Krebbs?

David: Yes it is. The former Ted Nugent & Aerosmith manager in the '70s.

SW: Let's go back to the old days, when Metal Church formed back in '84...this was long before the grunge movement hit Seattle. Not many people are familiar with the old Seattle metal scene, but I was pretty hip to the Northwest scene back then...bands like Metal Church, Queensryche of course, Wild Dogs, TKO, Culprit...

David: Wow, very good! You know your music.

SW: Do you feel that bands such as Metal Church may have inspired, or paved the way for, the Seattle grunge movement?

David: It could have been. I know for a fact, that in one of the books, Kurt Cobain listed Metal Church as one of the bands that he used to see in concert. Metal Church originally formed out of Auburn and then moved into the Kent/Seattle area.

SW: I have heard stories that even Alice In Chains used to play cover tunes from '80s metal bands like Armored Saint and Metal Church...

David: Yeah. My band bumped into Layne Staley, the singer, at one of their shows in LA and he was asking 'where's Dave Wayne from Metal Church!'.

SW: So, what was it like back then, in the mid-'80s, playing the Seattle club circuit?

David: It was a great scene to be involved in. There was a huge party going on, and we loved it. We were riding the crest, as they say, of the new wave of American metal. And it went to our heads so bad. We played with bands like Raven and Exciter. And we had what they called the Northwest metal festival, with your buddy Jeff Gilbert at the helm, and that was great. We were going to the coolest parties, had chicks all over us...it was just a mind-blower! Queensryche and Metal Church were the toast of Seattle at that time. I just wish that I never got hooked up with the coke...If I could do it all over again, Bob, I would've never had touched the blow.

SW: I remember a major breakthrough in Metal Church's career was when you first supported Metallica in Europe....

David: That Metallica tour lasted over a year and it was amazing. We played all over Europe, and I couldn't believe just how many places a band can play in Europe. And then we came back and did the States with them. All this unfortunately came on the tragic news of Cliff Burton's death. Anthrax originally had gone out with Metallica, only for about a week or so before the bus crash. It broke all of our hearts, I remember getting to know Cliff quite well....we used to chase girls together. He was really a sweet man and such an amazing bass player. We ended up doing Canada and Europe with Metallica on that tour, and that was a HUGE break for Metal Church.

SW: What is your view on the Internet, particularly online radio, and record companies that offer the downloading of music? Many bands are going this route...

David: I think that everybody better damn well get on board because there's no way to stop it! And I think that the record companies, up to this point, have been dragging their feet and it's nothing but sheer ignorance on their part. The record companies need to get in and be a part of this or they're gonna lose out, 'cause it's here to stay. We got a website you can check out at: www.metalchurch.com.

SW: It's good to see a lot of the great metal bands from the '80s reforming...Of course, you got Dickinson back with Maiden, Chris Holmes and Blackie together again in WASP, Armored Saint got together and just finished a new record, and Metal Church is now together again. It's a really good time for metal...

David: It's all coming back. And we have Europe to thank for it, honestly. They've held the torch so high, and now the light is shining over here.

* SW: This new Metal Church record is out on Nuclear Blast... this indie label has been dominating the metal market in Europe over the past few years. I hear that Nuclear Blast may be re-issuing the old Metal Church catalog as well?

* David: Yes, we're working on that right now. Also I have the new Reverend record coming out soon as well, and Nuclear Blast will have the first crack at that as well.

SW: I can't wait to get the re-issue of the debut Metal Church CD. I still think the open riff to the song Metal Church is one of the all-time heaviest riffs! And then, when your vocals come in... 'Many, many years ago on a distant shore!'...it still sends chills down my spine! One of the heaviest tunes ever!

David: Thanks Bob! I really look forward to hooking up with you in LA!