Unfortunately, this band shall always be remembered as the band that Metal
Church's singer, David Wayne, formed after his departure from the band.
Several other members were formerly of Heretic. The band released four
cd's before breaking up in 1993. David reappeared in the 1998-99 Metal
Church reunion then reformed Reverend in 2000 releasing a self financed
EP.
Reverend (Caroline) 1989
1."Power of Persuasion" (3:57)
2."Dimensional Confusion" (4:28)
3."Wretched Excess" (3:08)
4."Ritual" (5:40)
Reverend (Caroline) FINALLY! I finally secured an original copy of the first Reverend EP. This darn thing has got to be one of the rarest freaking cds in the world. I can't even count the amount of times I bid on it on eBay only for it to go up in the $30 to $50 range. Geez, it's only a stinking EP!!! I even contacted people trying to PAY for a stinking CDR copy, but nobody would do it. So, I had all but given up when lo and behold, a generous trader from the PM Board (Ralf rules!) came through with a CDR copy for me. I even contacted the band in hopes they would be re-releasing it soon. According to them, Carolina owns the rights to this one and they have no right to release it, nor do they think it's ever going to happen. Well, I finally got this copy for the bargain price of $25 from Dave Weber. This guys can find anything!!! If your looking for out of print metal, contact him at davesmetal@excite.com. He is also a big eBay seller, so search for DAVESMETAL and check out his huge list of rare heavy metal. Anyhow, enough of the commercial. The music on this EP is without a doubt the best the band ever did. I have not found a Reverend fan yet who has not agreed with this statement. The discs best tracks, "Power of Persuasion" and "Ritual" both are on par, or even above the Metal Church standard. The EP is one serious metal album.
Reverend-The World Won't Miss You (Charisma)
1990
1. "Remission"
(4:24)
2. "Greed" (4:01)
3. "Scattered Wits" (4:54)
4. "Desperate" (4:57)
5. "Leader of Fools" (3:44)
6. "World Won't Miss You" (4:48)
7. "Rude Awakening" (4:39)
8. "Gunpoint" (4:20)
9. "Killing Time" (4:26)
10. "Hand of Doom" (6:56)
11. "11th Hour" (3:49)
Reverend's first full length disc is a bit heavier and darker than Metal Church, however, had I not known this was Reverend I may have thought it was Metal Church due to the similarities in music style and, of course, David Wayne's signature falsetto vocal style. Sometimes Reverend are so aggressive that they push the envelope of thrash metal. I didn't actually discover this band until after David rejoined Metal Church in 1998. Of course now their discs are much harder to come by since all of their albums are out of print. "Hand of Doom" is a smoking Black Sabbath cover.
Reverend-Play God! (Charisma)
1991
1."Butcher of Baghdad" (3:56)
2."Heaven on Earth" (3:56)
3."Fortunate Son" (3:09)
4."Blessings" (4:16)
5."Promised Land" (3:02)
6."Play God" (3:56)
7."Warp the Mind" (3:18)
8."What You're Looking For" (4:20)
9."Blackened Thrive" (2:59)
10."Death of Me" (4:20)
11."Far Away" (2:19)
This was a difficult find. Couldn't find a copy on eBay, no trader seemed to have a copy. Luckily a friend found a copy in a used store in Germany. It's good to have friends. (-: Anyhow, much more of the same speed metal. Probably not as memorable as most Metal Church discs, but a bit more aggressive.
Reverend-Live (Charisma)
1992
1. "Gunpoint" (4:20)
2. "World Won't Miss You" (4:48)
3. "Scattered Wits" (4:54)
4. "B.O.B." (3:56)
5. "Promised Land" (3:02)
6. "Power of Persuasion" (4:02)
A vicious live offering from David Wayne and Co. This disc is actually quite good; well produced, tight musicianship, and pure power metal aggression. Only problem is that it's much too short. Would have liked to have heard a Metal Church number too. Funniest line: "I haven't seen this many people in here since Metallica wamed up for Metal Church." "Power of Persuasion" is from their first EP. "B.O.B." is a new song.
A VISITOR to my site:
Hello,
Our early stuff is hard to find, we'll probably re-isssue the older stuff at
some point. I see it pretty regularly on eBay. You also may wish to check out
our new EP "A Gathering of Demons" available thru our website www.reverend.cx.
Thanks!
Todd from Reverend
I took him up on his offer and purchased:
Reverend-A Gathering of Demons (Neck Damage) 2001
1. "Massacre the Innocent" (5:41)
2. "Down" (5:15)
3. "Stealing my Mind" (3:42)
4. "Legion" (5:06)
Well, no one will accuse Reverend of selling out to trends. This EP smokes, sounding much more aggressive than anything either Metal Church or Reverend has done in the past. Even "Legion," a song written by Vanderhoof, Wells, and David Wayner is supercharged. (Actually this song is the EXACT same song as "Fake Healer" with different lyrics.) I would even go so far as to say that this EP is as good as or better than the first EP. Perhaps this is just my excitement over hearing something new by this band, but for the time being I am totally impressed.