''The Weight of the World'' is the seventh studio album by American heavy metal band

Metal Church Metal Church is an American heavy metal band. They originally formed in San Francisco, California in 1980 and then relocated to Aberdeen, Washington the following year and briefly using the name Shrapnel. Led by guitarist and songwriter Kurd ...

. It was released in 2004 through the Steamhammer/SPV label. This album marks the beginning of Metal Church's third major line-up, with the addition of

Ronny Munroe Ronny Munroe (born November 22, 1965) is an American singer, most noted as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Metal Church from 2003 until the band broke up in 2009. His second tenure with the band lasted from 2012 when the group reunite ...

(vocals), Jay Reynolds (guitar), and Steve Unger (bass). This album is also the last to feature Kirk Arrington on drums. It is hailed by critics and fans alike as Metal Church's comeback album. The prevalent themes of this album include crime, war, rejection, and madness.

Reception

Reviews for ''The Weight of the World'' were mixed. Reviewer Eduardo Rivadavia of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

lamented "the band's maddening tendencies for songwriting inconsistency, matching every memorable turn like 'Hero's Soul' or 'Sunless Sky' with an equally forgettable outing like 'Wings of Tomorrow' or 'Bomb to Drop.'" He criticized new singer Ronny Munroe, who "doesn't always have the power or presence to match the surrounding onslaught", but stated his belief that longtime fans of the band would like most of the album's songs. Tony Daley of

Blabbermouth.net Blabbermouth.net is a website dedicated to heavy metal and hard rock news, as well as album and music DVD reviews. Blabbermouth.net was founded and is run by Borivoj Krgin. The first version of the website was launched in March 2001; in October ...

was also critical of Munroe's performance and was not convinced by "the sound of the pre-thrash

New Wave Of British Heavy Metal The new wave of British heavy metal (commonly abbreviated as NWOBHM) was a nationwide musical movement that started in England in the mid-1970s and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. Journalist Geoff Barton coined the term i ...

" the album offers and by "the pool of average ideas" that makes up the eight minute pièce de résistance "Madman's Soul". However he conceded that if "you don't mind the odd dip in quality, then ''Weight of the World'' is a likable, if flawed, piece of work." ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'' review by Greg Pratt was more positive, stating that ''The Weight of the World'' "gives that metal punch we all knew the band was capable of delivering", because "the ten tunes are jam-packed with classic '80s heavy metal riffs, from glorious thrash to some NWOBHM melodic near-punksters". ''

Rock Hard "Rock Hard" is a single by the Beastie Boys, released by Def Jam Records on 12" in 1984. The track contains samples from the AC/DC song "Back in Black", which was used without obtaining legal permission, causing the record to be withdraw ...

'' reviewer remarked the 1980s feel of the music and praised the "smoky-aggressive voice" of Munroe and Metal Church for providing "grand songwriting, horny hooks and a feeling for the synthesis of hammer-hard rhythms and memorable melodies." Despite "the somewhat muddy production and one or two average songs" he elected ''Weight of the World'' the comeback album of the year.

Track listing

Personnel

;Metal Church *

– vocals *

Kurdt Vanderhoof Kurdt Vanderhoof (born June 28, 1961) is an American guitarist, best known as the rhythm guitarist and founding member of the American heavy metal band Metal Church. Biography As early as 1976, Vanderhoof was ardently networking with loca ...

– guitar, producer, engineer, mixing *Jay Reynolds – guitar *Steve Unger – bass *Kirk Arrington – drums ;Production *Mark Greer – mixing, mastering at Bandit Audio in Olympia, Washington *Kurdt Vanderhoof, Kathy Moats – artwork *Dick Moats – photography *Chris Jacobson – executive producer

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weight of the World 2004 albums Metal Church albums SPV/Steamhammer albums