Blessing in Disguise is the third studio album by the American heavy metal band Metal Church, released on 7 February 1989 through Elektra. It followed their self-titled debut of 1984 and The Dark of 1986, and it stands in the middle of a long run of studio albums that carries on right up to the present day.

The record draws on heavy metal, speed metal and thrash metal, so it suits anyone who likes their riffs with a bit of pace and bite. If you know the band through their first two albums, this is the next step in their story, and a good place to hear where they stood as the 1980s drew to a close.

Blessing in Disguise: tracklist, credits and charts

9 tracks · 54:21

Tracklist

  1. 1Fake HealerKurdt Vanderhoof and Craig Wells5:55
  2. 2Rest in Pieces (April 15, 1912)Kurdt Vanderhoof and Craig Wells6:38
  3. 3Of Unsound MindCraig Wells and John Marshall4:44
  4. 4Anthem to the EstrangedKurdt Vanderhoof and Craig Wells9:31
  5. 5BadlandsVanderhoof, Wells, Howe7:21
  6. 6The Spell Can’t Be BrokenMarshall, Vanderhoof, Wells6:46
  7. 7It’s a SecretCraig Wells3:47
  8. 8Cannot Tell a LieMarshall, Vanderhoof, Wells4:17
  9. 9The Powers That BeKurdt Vanderhoof and Craig Wells5:22
Produced by
Terry Date
Recorded at
Kajem/Victory Studios (Gladwyne, Pennsylvania)
Recorded
29 August – 4 October 1988
Mixed by
Joe Alexander, Terry Date
Engineered by
Terry Date
Labels
Elektra, Elektra/Asylum
Length
54:21

Line-up

  • Kirk Arrington · membranophone, drums (drum set)
  • Duke Erickson · bass guitar
  • John Marshall · guitar
  • Craig Wells · guitar
  • Mike Howe · lead vocals

Singles

  • “Fake Healer” · 1989
  • “Badlands” · 1989

Peak chart positions

ChartPeak
US Billboard 200 · 198975
German Albums · 198939

From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.

47.1
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24k
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Releases and pressings

How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz
SourceDateNote
MusicBrainz7 February 1989
Wikipedia infobox7 February 1989
Wikidata1989
US release7 February 1989earliest US date
UK / Europe release1989earliest UK or European date
12 editions
DateCountryLabelBarcodeKind
1989XEElektra075596081719other
1989USElektra075596081740other
1989USElektraother
1989XEElektra075596081726other
7 February 1989USElektra075596081726original
7 February 1989USElektra075596081726original
25 February 1989JPElektra4988014724920other
1998DEElektra075596081726other
16 February 2010XWElektra075596081764other
18 December 2013JPElektra4943674163076other
2 June 2014XEMusic on Vinyl8718469535996other
2018XEMusic on CD8718627225943other
Cover art sources

coverartarchive · upscaled: minor: best source 1425x1425, upscaled to 1500 (x1.05)

SourceSizeVerdict
coverartarchive ✓1425×1425upscaled: minor: best source 1425x1425, upscaled to 1500 (x1.05)
deezer1200×1200upscaled
fanarttv1000×1000upscaled