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, including guitarist/songwriter Brian Korban. Bassist Angel Espino quit Uncle Slam in 1990 and joined Reverend for their "Play God" album and stayed with the band until their demise in 1992. Angelo later reappeared in Hirax, Once Dead and Anger As Art.
Reverend 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.
David Wayne passed away from complications after a car accident David Wayne on 5/11/2005.
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 an Ebay seller named Dave Weber (davesmetal). This guys can find anything! 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)
"Play God" is much more of the same speed metal that Reverend are know for. This disc probably is not as memorable as some of those Metal Church classics, but a bit more aggressive. Actually, I think that David Wayne took this album back toward that same line between heavy metal and thrash metal that Metal Church walked on thier first album. "Blessings" is a more melodic number with Wayne giving the vocal performance of his life. He actually has a nice clean voice that he uses sparingly on this song. The CCR cover is interesting and was most likely recorded to be released as a single. Personally, I don't think this is the most interesting song on the CD and think that TT Quick's 1984 version is a bit better. However, the rest of the material here is all solid and has held up well over the years. "Butcher of Baghad", "Promise Land" and the title track all being full throttle speed metal.
Bassist for this album, Angelo Espino who had been with Uncle Slam prior to this recording, went on to perform with Hirax and Once Dead. My copy of "Play God" CD is autographed by Angelo.
Reverend - Live (Charisma) 1992
1. "Gunpoint" (4:20)
2. "World Won't Miss You" (4:48)
3. "Scattered Wits" (4:54)
4. "Butcher of Baghdad" (3:56)
5. "Promised Land" (3:02)
6. "Power of Persuasion" (4:02)
This creatively titled EP, is a a vicious live offering from David Wayne and Co. "Live" is actually quite good; well produced, tight musicianship, excellent crowd interaction and pure power metal aggression. The only problem I find with this release is that it's much too short. I don't know if Reverend ever played any Metal Church or Heretic songs, but it would have been interesting to hear a song from one or both of those as well. The EP opens with a funny moment as David Wayne bellows into the mic, "I haven't seen this motherf***er so filled-up since Metallica wamed up for Metal Church!"
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:
1. "Massacre the Innocent"
(5:41) |
 |
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 Wayne 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.