Metal Church

If latest Metal Church singer Ronny Munroe was heralded as the meeting ground between Ronnie James Dio and Rob Halford on the band’s 2004 effort, The Weight Of The World, with This Present Wasteland, he’s morphed into nothing more than a Bruce Dickinson clone. From the gravelly, mid-range delivery to the elongation of particularly piercing notes, this is the most sincere form of flattery possible. Trouble is, while Munroe may be so far up Bruce’s ass he can smell his toothpaste, the rest of band aren’t following suit. With a fleeting understanding of what makes metal metal, This Present Wasteland is mired in more crooning, stock riffs and mid-tempo beats than anything truly engaging. Solid enough for anyone refusing to acknowledge metal’s advances since thrash yet boring to those whose music library boasts something post-1995, This Present Wasteland is a fitting moniker for a band living off nostalgia more than current ability.