Review Summary: This is the story of a girl named Petunia…and a Metal Church review.
Once upon a time, back in the year of 1993, a girl by the name of Petunia was born. She was brought up by an eclectic family, a family of circus freaks and entertainers. Her father led the local circus for many years, her mother was a successful musician who played and performed in the vein of Madonna (so she was quite an attraction), and her siblings and uncles/aunts did a mixture of retail and other jobs such as psychics and clowns to get through the tough economic times. But despite their uncommon career paths, they were a normal family like anyone else; They ate breakfast in front of the television, worked their 9 to 5’s, ate supper at the dinner table, established a family game night once or twice a week, and said goodnight to each other at the end of a long day. The mixture of a normal lifestyle at home and unique professions sculpted the eclectic tendencies of Petunia who was sadly made fun in school by her peers due to her overweight physique and “offputting” choices of clothing (perhaps the most “offensive” weapon in her arsenal was a viking stripper outfit complete with a pointy bra and stripper leggings), both of which were frowned upon in the 90’s. Despite the condescending attention and the societal expectations of the time, she wasn’t afraid to try new things or set herself apart from the crowd without giving up (“Losers In The Game”). She grew up being able to read between the lines of an oppressive, hypocritical society (“No Friend of Mine” and “End of The Age”) and never thought twice about standing up to it in her own little niche. She eventually gained a cult following for her struggles, her outspoken attitude, and for being an attention-grabbing tightrope walker which she performed in her viking stripper outfit and high heels.
With all that said, she was not without her influences. Her uncle John, who was nicknamed Johnny (check the song “Low To Overdrive” for the reference), was a huge influence in her life for he had seen a thing or two and went through a thing or two. He was raised in Hiroshima in his early childhood years, survived the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki despite losing his parents in that catastrophic event (“Little Boy”), was adopted and further brought up in the ghettos of Detroit, Michigan (“A Subtle War”), took a train after running away from his adopted parents (“Conductor”), went to a new, industrial city full of double standards everywhere you go (“Down To The River”), struggled with loneliness and depression from unfortunate life events during this time (“Waiting For A Savior”), and turned to drugs and nearly committed suicide before having a big “turnaround” in his life (“Gods of Second Chance”). Petunia took his stories to heart, and this has allowed her to cope with her own struggles in a manner her uncle John wished he had done and to avoid diving into mistakes he made. Her mother and father also never dismissed Petunia for her flashy style and encouraged her for it, and they brought her up to appreciate traditional hard rock and heavy metal music. These things, among others, have shaped Petunia into the woman that she is today.
At this point, you may be questioning what this story has to do with the album itself or why I placed song titles throughout the story right? The answer is rather simple; Hanging in the balance is the underlying metaphor of this album and the life story of Petunia, the woman on the album cover. Each song describes her life story or someone else of her family in some way, and the album’s appropriate title reveals the core of these details. Basically, she is the album. With all that said and done, you must think the album is good right? To put it bluntly, good is an understatement. Expertly performed and written with surprising depth, Hanging In The Balance may very well be Metal Church’s most interesting work to date.
Like Petunia, Metal Church established the foundation of this album in the vein of traditional hard rock and heavy metal, resulting in a nice balance of tracks that are riff-driven (“Down To The River,” “Conductor”), atmospheric (“Gods of Second Chance,” “Little Boy,” “Hypnotized”), and influenced by other genres (“End of The Age,” “No Friend of Mine”). The band also made a smart choice in toning down the preachy, down your-throat approach from The Human Factor this time around and instead touch on a variety of subjects from the bombing of Hiroshima (“Little Boy”) to prejudice and discrimination (“No Friend of Mine”) to suicide and lost faith (“Gods of Second Chance” and “Waiting For a Savior” respectively) and even vampires (“Hypnotized”). This is made better with well-written, introspective lyrics and memorable choruses, the latter of which they’ve had the upper hand with compared to their thrash metal brethren.These factors make Hanging In The Balance their most diverse and accessible album, but that’s not to say they’ve abandoned their identity in any sense for this is undoubtedly a Metal Church album.
So how do the band members performances hold up to these factors? Since Blessing In Disguise, the band received a net gain in the form of Mike Howe, and he makes no exceptions here. His signature snarls and passionate, melodic delivery result in a performance that is powerful and distinctive. For example, in the song “No Friend of Mine,” when he delivers lines like “you must think have have more rights to be living in this place/have you lost your mind/you’re no friend of mine,” you are convinced on how pissed off he is about this unnamed scalliwag. The guitar work of John Marshall and Craig Wells propel these songs with pummeling riffs such as the ones on “Conductor” and “Down To The River,” and they have perfected their craft in technical, melodic solos such as the ones on “No Friend of Mine” and “Little Boy,” the latter of which is propelled by dramatic song structure. They also up the ante by adding spanish guitar and acoustic pieces/sections (“Lovers And Madmen,” “Down To The River”) and tasteful power chords (“Losers In The Game”). The band’s rhythm section don’t disappoint either. Their drummer Kirk Arrington takes on a simple but tasteful approach to the music with restrained but strong beats, competent cymbal work, and delicious drum fills when necessary, resulting in a performance that is upbeat and sometimes funky. Duke Erickson’s bass lines are potent and audible throughout and often drive the songs such as the ones on “Gods of Second Chance” and “A Subtle War.”
Having covered the band members and album themes, now comes the most important question: Are the songs themselves up to par? Absolutely. You may be out of luck if you’re looking for fast-paced numbers like “Flee From Reality” and “Ton of Bricks” from previous albums, but Hanging In The Balance offers a batch of well-crafted songs with something to love for everyone. “Little Boy” is perhaps the magnum opus of this release with its thrashy riffing, thematic lyrical content, and dramatic structure consisting of galloping verses, stop-go choruses, and an eerie mid-section and would feel at home on my Metal Church album. “Conductor,” “Down To The River,” and “No Friend of Mine” are hard-hitting, mid-paced numbers with huge choruses and acoustic passages and are sure to please any fan of heavy metal with flare and bite. “Gods of Second Chance” and “Hypnotized” are blanketed with atmospheric soundscape and dark vibes, and “Losers In The Game” takes an uplifting, melodic approach. “Lovers And Madmen” and “End Of The Age” lay down the acoustics and crossover potential of the record, and “A Subtle War” and the powerful “Waiting For A Savior” make for well-rounded songs that encompass a little bit of everything that makes this album enticing to the ears. These songs are made even better by the crisp, clean production values which gives a pleasant, airy feel to the music and allows every instrument to sound audible and balanced. As a side note, the European edition features the track “Low To Overdrive” which also feels at home on any Metal Church album with its pummeling riffs and gruff vocal delivery.
Much like Petunia, Metal Church’s fifth album wasn’t appreciated for being so different and bold at the time of its release and didn’t receive the recognition and success it deserved, but time has been kind to the record and Petunia, having received a cult following and newfound praise as one of their best albums and an overlooked masterpiece. With its diverse lyrical themes, expert performances, and a batch of excellent songs, Hanging In The Balance is an excellent record to behold and proves how the band defied the expectations of the times by trying new things with huge pay off. Accessible, diverse, and bold yet firmly rooted in identity like the protagonist Petunia, Metal Church’s fifth album is grade-A storytelling and will leave you hanging….in a good way of course.
