by Steve Huey
Metal Church actually sound more focused on the comeback album Masterpeace than they did on their last record, Hanging in the Balance; part of the reason may be an increased energy level due to the fact that this original lineup had not played together in over a decade. The record doesn't really break much new stylistic ground for the band -- one might say it even regresses to their mid-'80s style, before David Wayne departed -- but that's not the point; this is classic-style power/speed metal done pretty well by one of the genre's better bands.