Congregation of Annihilation
Congregation of Annihilation is the thirteenth studio album by the American heavy metal band Metal Church, released on 26 May 2023 through Rat Pak Records. It arrived five years after Damned If You Do, and it stands as the only record to feature vocalist Marc Lopes.
Lopes stepped in a year after the death of Mike Howe, which gives the album a particular place in the band's long story. It is also the last Metal Church album to include bassist Steve Unger and drummer Stet Howland. For anyone who has followed the group since their 1984 debut, it is a record worth hearing as a snapshot of a short-lived line-up, and as the final chapter before Dead to Rights, which followed in 2026.
Congregation of Annihilation: tracklist, credits and charts
11 tracks · 49:16Tracklist
- 1Another Judgement Day3:38
- 2Congregation of Annihilation4:24
- 3Pick a God and Prey4:39
- 4Children of the Lie5:48
- 5Me the Nothing5:34
- 6Making Monsters5:30
- 7Say a Prayer With 7 Bullets3:35
- 8These Violent Thrills3:46
- 9All That We Destroy4:12
- 10My Favorite Sin4:25
- 11Salvation3:45
- Produced by
- Kurdt Vanderhoof
- Labels
- Rat Pak Records, Rat Pak
- Length
- 49:16
Singles
- “Pick a God and Prey” · 24 March 2023
- “Making Monsters” · 28 April 2023
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| German Albums · 2023 | 14 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums · 2023 | 20 |
| Swiss Albums · 2023 | 25 |
| UK Independent Albums · 2023 | 27 |
| Austrian Albums · 2023 | 50 |
| Scottish Albums · 2023 | 83 |
From MusicBrainz and Wikipedia. Only what the sources record is shown.
Released the same week
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The label →How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 26 May 2023 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 26 May 2023 | |
| Deezer | 26 May 2023 | |
| US release | 26 May 2023 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 26 May 2023 | earliest UK or European date |
5 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 May 2023 | XW | Rat Pak Records | 5054197513305 | original |
| 26 May 2023 | XW | Rat Pak Records | 638647815123 | original |
| 26 May 2023 | US | Rat Pak Records | 638647815123 | original |
| 26 May 2023 | XE | Reaper Entertainment | 4251981703657 | original |
| 26 July 2023 | JP | Rubicon Music | 4560329803783 | other |
Cover art sources
deezer · native: native 1800x1800
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1800×1800 | native: native 1800x1800 |
| coverartarchive | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |