Throughout the career of Metal Church, guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof has always been considered the leader of the band, and their 2006 release A Light in the Dark, proves it once and for all. Being the only original member left in attendance by this point, Vanderhoof knows exactly what Metal Church fans look for in each release, and on their ninth release overall, the group plays largely by the rules. Despite the absence of familiar faces, the sound is unmistakably Metal Church — Vanderhoof can still riff with the best of ‘em, while singer Ronny Munroe and drummer Jeff Plate sound almost precisely like original members David Wayne and Kirk Arrington, respectively. Turning a blind eye to modern-day metallic trends, A Light in the Dark could easily be mistaken for a thrash metal release of the ’80s — back when Master of Puppets was turning the metal world upside down — as evidenced by such tracks as the album-opening title track and “Beyond All Reason.” And closing the album is a re-recording of Metal Church’s best-known track, the eerie “Watch the Children Pray,” which is dedicated to Wayne (who passed away in May of 2005) and sticks closely to the original recording. – Greg Prato