Dead to Rights
Dead to Rights is the fourteenth studio album by American heavy metal band Metal Church, released on 10 April 2026 through Rat Pak Records. It follows Congregation of Annihilation from 2023 and carries on a run of records that stretches back to the band's self-titled debut in 1984.
This is the first record from a reshaped line-up. Brian Allen takes over on vocals from Marc Lopes, David Ellefson steps in on bass in place of Steve Unger, and Ken Mary replaces Stet Howland behind the kit. Hearing how that new rhythm section and singer settle into the band's established sound is the main reason to seek it out, particularly if you have followed Metal Church since the 1980s and want to know where they stand now.
Dead to Rights: tracklist, credits and charts
11 tracks · 53:49Tracklist
- 1Brainwash Game4:31
- 2F.a.F.O3:47
- 3Dead to Rights6:07
- 4Deep Cover Shakedown4:22
- 5Feet to the Fire5:43
- 6The Show5:12
- 7Heaven Knows (Slip Away)4:34
- 8No Memory4:30
- 9Wasted Time3:59
- 10My Wrath4:33
- 11Blood and Water6:31
- Produced by
- Kurdt Vanderhoof
- Recorded at
- English Channel (Yucca Valley, California)
- Recorded
- 2025
- Labels
- Rat Pak Records, Rat Pak
- Length
- 53:49
Singles
- “F.A.F.O.” · 21 November 2025
- “Brainwash Game” · 13 February 2026
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| German Rock & Metal Albums (Offizielle Top 100) · 2026 | 5 |
| German Albums · 2026 | 13 |
| French Rock & Metal Albums (SNEP) · 2026 | 15 |
| US Top Album Sales (Billboard) · 2026 | 15 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums · 2026 | 20 |
| Japanese Western Albums (Oricon) · 2026 | 23 |
| Swiss Albums · 2026 | 28 |
| Austrian Albums · 2026 | 42 |
| UK Independent Albums · 2026 | 49 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 2026 | 55 |
All 12 charts
| French Physical Albums (SNEP) · 2026 | 57 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 2026 | 99 |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
Released the same week
Also released on 10 April
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The label →How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 10 April 2026 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 10 April 2026 | |
| Wikidata | 10 April 2026 | |
| Deezer | 10 April 2026 | |
| US release | 10 April 2026 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 10 April 2026 | earliest UK or European date |
6 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 April 2026 | — | Rat Pak Records | 859728413650 | original |
| 10 April 2026 | — | Reaper Entertainment | 5026854388458 | original |
| 10 April 2026 | XE | Reaper Entertainment | 4255698501889 | original |
| 10 April 2026 | US | Rat Pak Records | 860014961502 | original |
| 10 April 2026 | DE | Reaper Entertainment | 4255698501872 | original |
| 15 April 2026 | JP | Rubicon Music | 4582798814657 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 1600x1600
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1600×1600 | native: native 1600x1600 |
| deezer | 1800×1800 | native |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |