Metal Church is an American heavy metal band formed in 1980. Originally based in San Francisco, California, they relocated to Aberdeen, Washington the following year and briefly called themselves Shrapnel. Led by guitarist and songwriter Kurdt Vanderhoof, the band has released thirteen studio albums and is considered to be an integral part of the then-emerging Seattle heavy metal music scene of the 1980s. They achieved considerable popularity that decade, with two of their first three albums entering the Top 100 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. The band's early lyrical topics, such as conflict and paranoia, later expanded into philosophical, political and social commentary. Metal Church has had a revolving lineup of vocalists, guitarists, bassists and drummers throughout its 45-year career, and Vanderhoof remains the group's sole consistent creative force, despite reducing his role strictly to composition in 1986 after tiring of performing live. The "classic" lineup of Vanderhoof, vocalist David Wayne, guitarist Craig Wells, bassist Duke Erickson, and drummer Kirk Arrington recorded the band's first two studio albums, Metal Church and their major breakthrough The Dark.