In a recent interview with The Metal Voice, METAL CHURCH vocalist Marc Lopes was asked about the band’s status, a year after they canceled their planned 2024 tour dates due to guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof‘s “ongoing back issue.”
He responded (as transcribed by Blabbermouth): “Ask them. [Laughs] I don’t know anything about nothing.”
“It was doing amazing, everything was going really good, and then stuff happens. [Laughs] I haven’t heard from anybody in a long time. That happens.”
“People sometimes, they’ve gotta go do their thing,” Lopes added. “So I don’t know. I don’t know. I have no idea… There’s nothing to hide. I don’t know anything. You know what I mean? [Laughs]”
A year ago, Lopes spoke to same the outlet regarding METAL CHURCH‘s decision to cancel their tour: “We did this whole tour from May [of 2023] till December [of 2023], [finishing] in Australia. [Kurdt‘s] had a chronic problem with his back for a long time. And I can understand that, ’cause I do too. It’s a little bit different. But he battled through as best as he could always; I mean, he never not did what needed to be done. And it just got to the point where if he didn’t address it, it would just end up being — he wouldn’t be able to play. So, rather than take that chance, it was better off that he go and get it taken care of and then carry on from there.”
Lopes became a member of METAL CHURCH in the summer of 2022, stepping in for Mike Howe, who sadly passed away in July 2021. The band’s latest lineup also included guitarist Rick Van Zandt, bassist Steve Unger, and drummer Stet Howland.
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