XI
XI is the eleventh studio album by American heavy metal band Metal Church, released on 25 March 2016 through Rat Pak Records. It marked the return of vocalist Mike Howe, who had not appeared on a Metal Church record since Hanging in the Balance, 23 years earlier. Howe had stepped away from the music industry after the band's first split in 1996, so the record worked as a comeback for both singer and group.
It followed Generation Nothing in 2013 and was well received by reviewers. XI also became the band's first album since Blessing in Disguise in 1989 to enter the Billboard 200, peaking at number 57, their highest position on that chart. It was also the last album to feature drummer Jeff Plate, who left about a year after its release. For fans of the Howe-era records, it is the one to hear.
XI: tracklist, credits and charts
12 tracks · 1:02:16Tracklist
- Disc 1
- 1ResetKurdt Vanderhoof and Mike Howe3:53
- 2Killing Your TimeKurdt Vanderhoof and Mike Howe5:07
- 3No TomorrowKurdt Vanderhoof and Mike Howe5:09
- 4Signal PathKurdt Vanderhoof and Mike Howe7:12
- 5Sky Falls InKurdt Vanderhoof and Mike Howe7:01
- 6Needle and SutureKurdt Vanderhoof and Mike Howe4:39
- Disc 2
- 1ShadowKurdt Vanderhoof and Mike Howe4:09
- 2Blow Your MindKurdt Vanderhoof and Mike Howe6:29
- 3Soul Eating MachineKurdt Vanderhoof and Mike Howe4:41
- 4It WaitsKurdt Vanderhoof and Mike Howe5:15
- 5Suffer FoolsKurdt Vanderhoof and Mike Howe4:55
- 6Fan the FireKurdt Vanderhoof and Mike Howe3:47
- Produced by
- Kurdt Vanderhoof, Chris "Wizard" Collier
- Mixed by
- Chris Collier, Kurdt Vanderhoof
- Recorded
- 2015
- Label
- Rat Pak Records
- Length
- 1:02:16
Line-up
- Jeff Plate · membranophone
- Steve Unger · bass guitar
- Kurdt Vanderhoof · guitar
- Rick Van Zandt · guitar
- Mike Howe · lead vocals
Singles
- “No Tomorrow” · 5 January 2016
- “Killing Your Time” · 11 February 2016
- “Reset” · 18 March 2016
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 · 2016 | 57 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums · 2016 | 25 |
| Swiss Albums · 2016 | 30 |
| German Albums · 2016 | 34 |
| UK Independent Albums · 2016 | 42 |
| Austrian Albums · 2016 | 51 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 2016 | 94 |
| French Albums · 2016 | 153 |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
Released the same week
Also released on 25 March
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More on Rat Pak Records
The label →Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + wikidata; also seen: 2016-03-22 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 22 March 2016 | ignored lone early release dated 2016-02-25 |
| Wikipedia infobox | 25 March 2016 | |
| Wikidata | 25 March 2016 | |
| US release | 25 March 2016 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 22 March 2016 | earliest UK or European date |
8 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 February 2016 | — | Rat Pak Records | original | |
| 22 March 2016 | XE | Nuclear Blast | 727361368319 | other |
| 25 March 2016 | — | Rat Pak Records | 638647804325 | other |
| 25 March 2016 | JP | METAL FRONTIER | 4988003479039 | other |
| 25 March 2016 | — | Rat Pak Records | other | |
| 25 March 2016 | DE | Nuclear Blast | 727361368326 | other |
| 25 March 2016 | US | Rat Pak Records | 638647804929 | other |
| 25 May 2016 | US | Rat Pak Records | 638647804929 | deluxe |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · upscaled: major: best source 1000x1000, upscaled to 1500 (x1.50)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1000×1000 | upscaled: major: best source 1000x1000, upscaled to 1500 (x1.50) |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |