A Tribute to Mike Howe of Metal Church (1965-2021) 

First original vocalist David Wayne in '05 and now their second Mike Howe. Growing up Metal Church was the first thrash band I became a fan of. Rest well Mr. Wayne and Mr. Howe you are sorely missed 🌹

This is devastating. Mike was an amazing vocalist and an even better human being.

I never met Mike, but his death hit me hard like I lost a good friend.

My prayers for Mike, his friends and family. Mike’s legacy will live on through his music. Rock in peace. 🎤🎸🎵🎹🥁

I saw them live in 2016 and was blown away! Mike Howe moved and sang like he was 25 again ,so much energy. You could tell he was genuinely enjoying himself ! I can see Kurt and Metal Church calling it a day or continuing on under a different name , but without Mike it wouldn't be the same. R.I.P

A legendary singer and the legendary band...all hail

He was one of my favorites.

So saddened by this news. I had the pleasure of interviewing Mike and met him briefly when the band last played in Scotland. Superb singer and such a great guy. A really sad loss. RIP Mike,

This one shocked me. He seemed healthy and this was sudden. Going to blast me some “Anthem to the Estranged.” Rest In Peace, Mike. 😢

Loved Metal Church because of Mike's vocals. He really drew you in and hooked you. Was really looking forward to seeing them again after all the craziness. R.(Rock) I. (in) P. (Paradise) buddy.

We truly live in a world without heroes. One by one, they fade away...

When I think of all the music that could have been, it saddens me but it also makes me cherish the music we do have even more. The hereafter just got itself a legendary singer. R.I.P. Mike Howe.

Great singer .I met Mike. He was a awesome dude .Really nice.

Tomorrow is guaranteed to no one unfortunately. Things like these show how fragile we all are.

I saw them in 1989 in Providence, RI. Stood right up against the front of the stage. I had a 2 foot long hand-made banner that I drew that said "Start the Fire". I held it up at the end of a few songs, hoping they would play it... then Mike Howe grabbed it from me, held it up to the audience and said "Now, it's time to Start the Fire"!!!. The guitar riff kicks in, then the drums. I'll never forget that.

I have been blessed to see all singers in this band, why? Cause Metal Church Rules! David Wayne was so unique live, almost Halford like range on the top end. When he passed i never thought i’d be ok with who was next ( ala Bon passing ACDC) Munroe was cool & all but didn’t do anything for me, then Mike comes along & it was like Yes! Now were talkin, great scream like Wayne. RIP Mike, RIP David

Such sad news. I saw the headline popup on my news feed this morning, and played Blessing In Disguise while running errands. RIP Mike

I must have been 15 or 16 years old ay the time and l'd rewind the Badlands video over and over again. What a band? What a voice? God Bless you Mike.. 🙏

Some sad news of Mike's passing yesterday for sure. Super cool guy and had the pleasure of interviewing him (along with Kurdt and Rick Van Zandt) back in like 2016 for my Rusted Metal NW book (when they co-headlined with Armored Saint - an awesome show!). It was nice to see Mike fronting Metal Church again and a nice revisit as I had seen them first in Portland back in 1989 with Mike on vocals. R.I.P.

I’m totally heartbroken 💔 what a great guy . I met him three times and each experience was awesome. His music lives in our hearts forever.

I was really shocked when I saw Metal Church's announcement on facebook. I'm glad he was able to put out some more great music with Metal Church to be remembered for. Also got a signed Mike Howe copy of From the Vault. Now I have to think of somewhere special to put my Mike Howe sticker I got with From The Vault.

R.I.P. Mike Howe, you’re a wonderful singer and will be truly missed!

Glad to see Mr Howe getting some love! David & Mike were the only 2 Metal Church singers I cared for!! RIP 🤘

Saw Mike in Metal Church in 1989 in SF and they Kicked ass! We were born the the same year and I am grateful to have seen him on stage! Gone to soon! 🔥✨✨

Rest In Peace Mike. Love Metal Church. Prayers to his family and friends.

One of the few metal bands I like. R.I.P. Mike.

The first time I've seen and heard Mike was in the premier of the Badlands video on in 89. I was at a house party feeling pretty drunk and had to sit down, I found a seat in the Livingroom where they had on the Headbangers Ball, and on comes the song Badlands from Metal Church with new singer Mike Howe. When the song ended, I was soo blown away by his killer voice, I stood up feeling stone cold sober for the rest of the night.. THATS how much Mike Howe Influenced me.

Mike ended up taking his own life. I hope all your pain is gone mike. Rip....you were loved and now missed

Such a shock...awesome vocalist. He will be missed

Thank you for this tribute Pete. Mike Howe was a freak of nature as a singer and a performer. My condolences go out to Mike's family and friends and to Metal Church. RIP.

So saddened to hear the news about Milke Howe this Morning. Such an iconic voice in Metal. Condolences to his family and and the rest of Metal Church. RiP 🤘🏽

RIP. He was a great vocalist who will be missed.

I was lucky enough to meet mike a couple years ago, what a great human being! I’m blown away by this, god speed brother mike

In 1993, I saw Mike Howe at a Hall Aflame show in Seattle. Hall Aflame was an awesome side project from Kurdt Vanderhoof. Mike jumped onstage and did one of the encores with the band. A really great night of music. Mike Howe is sorely missed...

Yeah man this hurts!!! He was great and 4 days older than me! Makes you think. RIP Mike!!!

It is a great loss for me and metal church fans, i remember the first time listening to the album xi, mike started to sing his first vocals and i said to myself, it is like he never left the band, metal church had some of the best vocalists in metal music, david wayne was ahead of his time, mike howe was a perfect replacement to david wayne and ronny munroe is a great vocalist that sounded somtimes like david wayne and somtimes like himself, mike howe rest in peace.

The Human Factor is a top 10 (of all time/genre) album for me. This hurts. XI and Damned if You Do were amazing and I was so ready for what was next. Rest In Peace Mike.

Love you brother Mike

Such an underrated vocalist from such an underrated band. Their debut is easily a 10/10.

Mike Howe was an awesome vocalist! He will be forever missed by so many of us Metal Church fans and Heretic fans! May he RIP! 🙏😥💔 Hoping it wasn't a covid death. Lotsa death in the rock and metal world lately.

Saw him live with MC the first time here in Germany around 1990 and also had the pleasure to talk to him after their show 1993 at the famous Rockfabrik Ludwigsburg!!! He was very cool and such a funny Guy! I'm very sad!!! RIP Mike!!!

Hanging in the balance was also a great album. I myself thought the cover was a trip!. The music was killer especially with Mikes vocals. He made everything sound amazing. One of my top 5 singers and band of all time! Heretic was great. Again, anything he sang on was great. A powerful perfect metal voice. Live was even better than the albums. I really hope he did vocals for some of the new music and we get to hear it. I can't say enough about him. I am so glad I got to see him a few years ago with Metal Church . I could and do listen to him daily. So sad. So glad he made a comeback before his passing. And please, try out Hanging in the Balance again or for the first time. Mike vocals are sick and strong as always.

Revolution Underway from Damned if You Do is an incredible song. Thanks for this. RIP Mike Howe.

Very sad & totally unexpected news. Saw him live with long and short hair, always a great performer. „Date with poverty“ was ( and will be ) played on EVERY birthday of a friend since its release. Rest in Peace !

Rest In Peace Mike You will be missed. Condoleances to all his family, friends and bandmates.

This really breaks my heart. Mike Howe was the first lead singer I ever listened to in Metal Church back in 1989 at barely 10 years old. When I first listened to Badlands I instantly loved Metal Church, and eventually got their whole catalog. I love the David Wayne era big time, but the Mike Howe era has a special place in my heart. Blessing In Disguise and The Human Factor are classics and MASTERPIECES to me. Rest In Peace Mike Howe! Thank you for all the music. It helped make growing up much easier.

Lost a great voice in Mike Howe. Just watched on Rock Feed, Joey Jordison original drummer of Slipknot passed away in his sleep at age of 46 also on July 26.

Rest In Peace Mike...going to jam to some Metal Church today in his honor \m/

Very sad to learn of Mike Howe's passing. R.I.P. Mike

Love Metal Church. Sad news .

Rock in peace Mike howe

He was living in Eureka and would stop by the local independent record store the Works and have amazing conversations about music. Great singer and a better dude. RIP

Absolutely brutal news. This is a tough pill to swallow. RIP

Вечная память Майку. Прекрасный был вокалист.

Pete - came to this group due to SoT. So sad to hear this news after just finding the band in the last year or so. RIP Mike Howe, too young to have left us. Really appreciate your tribute shows, Pete.

I caught Metal Church a couple of times in 2017: At a Chicago festival in the summer and at ProgPowerUSA in September. The festival gig was very short (30 minutes), but they headlined the 2nd (?) night of PPUSA, and they delivered a killer set. If you closed your eyes, you wouldn't have known that Mike Howe had been in semi-retirement as his vocals were every bit as strong as they were in the 80's and 90's. RIP.

Mike war ein Mann der diese Welt zu einem besseren Ort gemacht hat!!

R.I.P. Mike. Been jamming Metal Church all morning at work.

This is a very big tragedy in metal. Metal Church are legends and the Human Condition and Blessing in Disguise are great albums. Rest in Peace Mike Howe.

Uno de los mejores vocalistas del mundo. Descanse en paz

RIP Mike Howe and God bless. ✝️💐

RIP!

I've been a metal fan for decades, but I'm really just beginning (very belatedly!) to learn about the great music of Metal Church, partially thanks to Pete and SOT. Even as an MC novice though, Mike's passing saddens me. We are losing so many great metal vocalists and musicians, and it's going to continue. Sigh! Rock in peace, Mike!

Well said m8 ,rip mike 🤘🤘🤘

I didn't know he passed until last night when Queensryche posted about it on their Instagram. I am still very sad that he is gone. RIP Mike you will be missed.

Great tip of the cap to Mike 😇🙏🏻

Listen to Mike punch it out on Classic Live, holy moly!

Very sad about this...you will be sorely missed Mr. Howe. I think it would be cool if you did ranking show for all the Howe Metal Church albums, it would be interesting to see your order...just a thought. R.I.P. Mike Howe

RIP MIKE HOWE AND RIP JOEY JORDISON!!!

I grew up with mike spent many summer vacations together a devistating loss

So sad he was a great vocalist!😞

So sad to hear about this. Metal Church is one of my favorites. Mike Howe was crazy great vocalist. One of the most unique in metal. RIP Mike Howe. Thank you for all the great music. I will listen to the Human Factor album today.

Mikes voice box went out. Thats what killed him, rip Mike. Always love metal church.

I've seen him performing with Metal Church in Wacken 2016. A great singer. May he rest in power.

I have meet him twice. Great MAN R. I. P.

Yikes 😔 ..Godspeed Mike Howe...♥️🔥

Who gave this a thumbs down?Assholes,that who.RIP,MikeHowe.

The human factor i found by accident and it was a great album in fact those first four MC albums were great. Then XI came out and it was an amazing return to form. Glad i got to see them live about four years ago. What a loss. So sad.

I caught Metal Church in Pittsburgh in 2019 on the "Damned if You Do tour" and they were excellent (as one would expect) and Mike and the band were just too cool to us, the fans, and met with us after the show to sign autoutgraphs and just bullshit. They were just so down to earth which is so rare now a days. And to boot, I am sure that you are in the know about these two deaths, but Joey Jordinson, a former drummer for Slipknot died yesterday and bassist Dusty Hill of ZZ Top died today. I am assuming that I/we are going to have to endure the deaths of our idols until we get chosen ourselves when the time comes. I have not seen anything on this from you, but I know that you are a huge fan of Frank Marino. I had no clue who he was until 1978 when I was about 15-16 years old and Frank Marino and Mahoghany Rush "Live" was released and have been a fan ever since, but in '81 I joined the Marines and lost touch with a lot of my metal sources and it was like he just disappeared off the face of the earth until he resurfaced maybe 5 years ago and in the Spring of 2021 I secured ticket to see him only for the show to be postponed to September of this year and he unfortunately came down with an illness that prohibits him from playing now. I realize that this sounds selfish, but after watching a couple of tunes off of the live recordings from The Agora Theater, ("The Answer" and "You Got Livin' - my personal favorite album is "What's Next") he sounded and looked great. I am not sure if you listen to "Accept," but they have a song called "Dying Breed" off of "Blind Rage" or Annihilator's (or should I say Jeff Water's) "Army of One" off of their "Annihilator Metal" album, but I am not digging this dying/aging hero merry-go-round that I am finding to be inescapable and see no end to it until my end. But I will take the moment to thank Mr. Marino for sharing his skill set as an unbelievable vocalist/guitarist with us for all of these years. I wish you well. And Pete, thank you for sharing your wealth of musical knowledge with us rivet heads. Take care.

R.I.P. Mike way too young.Very talented.

R.I.P. Mike. \m/ \m/

RIP Mike Howe

God I miss my cow one of the greatest voices ever I miss Kevin dubrow. Ronnie James Dio. May they rock forever amongst the clouds

RIP🥺

Holy sh**...............

Robby Steinhard, Jeff la Barr and now Mike. This is too much. RIP, fallen heroes. Your legacies will live on for ever!

Do you know if Mike did any pre-production vocals for what would’ve been the next album?

I did not know Kurt was on your channel, I better look that one up

😢🥺

Damn. Really sorry to hear this. I saw him with Metal Church in 90 or 91

Probably from a spike protein. R.I.P. this guy was such a badass.

Very sad news Pete. Am a big Metal Church fan,he was a Great Vocalist.

amazing singer. wonderful band. a true tragic loss.

Just bought "Damned if you do" last week. Great album! RIP Mike Howe.

R.I.P 😞

Didn't know that...I am two minutes from Taylor, Michigan. Sad loss. Human Factor powered me through some difficult times in my college days.

no way !! this is devastating news . I didnt know he passed away. so sad. he was a unique talented singer. he replaced a great singer in david wayne . blessing in disguise is a great metal church album. my deepest condolences to his family. and I also heard the sad news that Joey jordison the ex drummer for Slipknot passed away too. man what a sad week has been

Nach Jesus Christus, war Mr Mike Howe der beste Mensch den die Welt jemals gesehen hat!!!

I was just listening to Blessing in Disguise, may he rest in peace

😔