Standard NATO code for a friendly infantry battalion.

Australian 11th (Western Australia) Battalion, 3rd Infantry Brigade, Australian Imperial Force posing on the Great Pyramid of Giza on 10 January 1915

A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel. Several battalions are grouped to form a regiment or a brigade.

The nomenclature varies by nationality and by branch of arms, for instance, some armies organize their infantry into battalions, but call battalion-sized cavalry, reconnaissance, or tank units a squadron or a regiment instead. There may even be subtle distinctions within a nation's branches of arms, such as a distinction between a tank battalion and an armored squadron, depending on how the unit's operational role is perceived to fit into the army's historical organization.

A battalion is generally the smallest military unit capable of independent operations (i.e., not attached to a higher command), although many armies have smaller units that are self-sustaining. The battalion is usually part of a regiment, group or a brigade, depending on the organizational model used by that service. The bulk of a battalion will ordinarily be homogeneous with respect to type (e.g., an infantry battalion or a tank battalion), although there are many exceptions. Every battalion will also include some sort of combat service support, typically organized within a combat support company.

The term is Italian in origin, appearing as battaglione. The French changed the spelling to bataillon, whereupon it directly entered into German.

British Army[link]

Symbol of the Austrian 14th Armoured Battalion in NATO military graphic symbols

The term battalion is used in the infantry, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, and Intelligence Corps only. It was formerly used for a few units in the Royal Engineers (before they switched to regiments), and was also used in the now defunct Royal Army Ordnance Corps and Royal Pioneer Corps. Other corps usually use the term regiment instead.

An infantry battalion is numbered ordinarily within its regiment (e.g., 1st Battalion, The Rifles, usually referred to as 1 Rifles). It normally has a headquarters company, support company, and three rifle companies (usually, but not always, A, B and C Companies). Each company is commanded by a major, the officer commanding (OC), with a captain or senior lieutenant as second-in-command (2IC). The HQ company contains signals, quartermaster, catering, intelligence, administration, pay, training, operations and medical elements. The support company usually contains anti-tank, machine gun, mortar, pioneer and reconnaissance platoons. Mechanised units usually have an attached light aid detachment (LAD) of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) to perform field repairs on vehicles and equipment. A British battalion in World War II had around 845 men in it, and as of 2012 a British battalion has around 650 soldiers. With successive rounds of cutbacks after the war, many infantry regiments were reduced to a single battalion (others were amalgamated to form large regiments which maintained multiple battalions, e.g., the Royal Anglian Regiment).

Important figures in a battalion headquarters include:

• Commanding officer (CO) (invariably a lieutenant colonel or even a colonel)
• Second-in-command (2IC) (usually a major, or a lieutenant colonel if the battalion is commanded by a colonel)
• Adjutant (captain or major)
• Quartermaster (QM) (captain or major)
• Quartermaster (technical) (QM(T))
• Regimental medical officer (RMO) (Army Medical Services captain or major)
• Regimental administrative officer (RAO) (Adjutant General's Corps captain or major)
• Padre (Royal Army Chaplains Department chaplain 4th or 3rd class)
• Regimental intelligence officer (IO) (lieutenant or captain)
• Regimental signals officer (RSO) (lieutenant or captain)
• Regimental sergeant major (RSM) (warrant officer class 1)
• Regimental quartermaster sergeant (RQMS) (warrant officer class 2)
• Regimental quartermaster sergeant (technical) (RQMS(T)) (warrant officer class 2)

Battalions of other corps are given separate cardinal numbers within their corps (e.g., 101 Battalion REME).

Battalion group[link]

A battalion group is a military unit based around a battalion. A typical battalion group consists of an infantry or armoured battalion with sub-units detached from other military units acting under the direct command of the battalion commander. Battalion groups may be permanent or temporary formations.

Under modern military doctrine battalion groups are being replaced by battlegroups.^{[citation needed]} The key difference between battalion groups and battlegroups is that battlegroups consist of a mixture of sub-units and typically do not include all sub-units of any single battalion.

The battalion staff includes the operations officer (usually a major) who is also generally the next in command hierarchy after the battalion second in command.

Armoured infantry battalion[link]

• Headquarters of five FV432, two Warrior MCRV (Mechanised Combat Repair Vehicle) and one Warrior MAOV (Mechanised Artillery Observation Vehicle)
• Four armoured infantry companies (one company has only two platoons):
  • Headquarters of two Warrior, one FV432 ambulance, two Land Rovers, one 8-ton truck, headquarters and sniper section
  • Three platoons of four Warriors, platoon headquarters (L9A1 51 mm Light Mortar), three sections (two L86 LSW each)
  • LAD section of one Warrior MCRV, one Warrior 512 and one FV432
• Manoeuvre support company:
  • Headquarters of five FV432, two Warrior MCRV and one Warrior MAOV
  • Anti-tank platoon:
    • Headquarters of two Warriors and two MILAN teams
    • Three sections of one FV103 Spartan (headquarters) three Warriors and six MILAN teams
  • Reconnaissance platoon:
    • Three sections of four Sabres
  • Headquarters ISTAR group of one FV432
  • Mortar platoon:
    • Platoon headquarters of two FV105 Sultan
    • Four sections of three FV432 with L16 81 mm mortar
    • Operations section of four MFC teams and four FV103 Spartan
  • CSS detachment of one FV432
  • Pioneer platoon of four Warriors, platoon headquarters (L9A1 51 mm Light Mortar), three sections (two L86 LSW each)
  • LAD section of one FV432, one FV434 "Carrier, Maintenance, Full Tracked" and one FV106 Samson

Canadian Army[link]

In the Canadian Forces, most battalions are reserve units of between 100–200 soldiers that include an operationally ready, field-deployable component of approximately a half-company apiece. The nine regular force infantry battalions are each composed of three rifle companies. Canadian battalions are generally commanded by lieutenant-colonels, though smaller reserve battalions may be commanded by majors.

Those regiments consisting of more than one battalion are:

• The Royal Canadian Regiment (3 regular and 1 reserve battalions)
• Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (3 regular and 1 reserve battalions)
• Royal 22^e Régiment (3 regular and 2 reserve battalions)
• The Royal New Brunswick Regiment (2 reserve battalions)
• Royal Newfoundland Regiment (2 reserve battalions)

Tactically, the Canadian battalion forms the core of the infantry battle group, which also includes various supporting elements such as armour, artillery, combat engineers and combat service support. An infantry battle group will typically be commanded by the commander of the core infantry battalion around which it is formed and can range in size from 300 to 1,500 or more soldiers, depending on the nature of the mission assigned.

Colombian Army[link]

In the Colombian Army, a battalion usually has a strength of 1,200 to 1,300 men, and is divided in companies. Normally it is commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel. Counter Insurgency Battalions are the exception as they usually have around 300 soldiers, and are commanded by a Major. Two or more battalions form a Brigade.

Battalions are numbered ordinarily and according to its speciality:

• Infantry
• Artillery
• Engineers
• Mechanized Infantry
• Mountain Infantry
• Counter-Insurgency
• Military Police
• Combat Service Support
• Infrastructure Protection

Royal Netherlands Army[link]

This article has been translated from a Wikipedia article in another language, and requires proofreading. If you are confident enough in your fluency of English and the original language, please feel free to join this translation.

• Infantry: one mechanised infantry platoon usually consists out of one one command- and medical company, three mechanised infantry elements, and one support company which has 3 platoons with heavy mortars and 1 (later 3) platoon(s) with anti-tank missiles (TOW). With the Dutch artillery units the equivalent of a battalion is called an "afdeling" (which translates to "department").
• Combat companies consist of (usually mechanised) infantry, combat engineers, or tanks. In the latter case the unit is called an "eskadron", which translates roughly to "squadron". There are also support battalions in the Dutch army, which specialise on specific task: for example, supplies and transport or communication.
• The Netherlands have four battalions that are permanently reserved for the United Nations, for the purpose of peacekeeping duties.
• An infantry battalion, logistical battalion, combat battalion, or even the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps all have a battalion structure. Each battalion usually consists of the following:
  • Battalion command
    • Commander
    • Second in command
  • General service
    • Personnel section
    • Intelligence section
    • Opterations section
    • Materiel section
    • Communication section
  • Command company
    • Command group
    • Administration group
    • Medical group
    • Communication group
    • Supply platoon
  • 3 Infantry companies
  • Support company
    • Command group
    • Recon platoon
    • Mortar platoon
    • Anti-tank platoon

Swiss Army[link]

With the major reform of its Armed Forces in 2004, the Swiss Army abandoned the old regimental system and adopted a combat team approach centred on battalions as the building blocks of mission-oriented task forces. Battalion sizes vary between branches. For example, an infantry battalion has a nominal strength of 1,224 men.

United States[link]

US Army[link]

In the United States Army, a battalion is a unit composed of a headquarters and two or more batteries, companies or troops. They are normally identified by ordinal numbers (1st Battalion, 2nd Squadron, etc.) and normally have subordinate units that are identified by single letters (A Battery, A Company, A Troop, etc.). Battalions are tactical and administrative organizations with a limited capability to plan and conduct independent operations and are normally organic components of brigades, groups, or regiments.

A US Army battalion includes the battalion commander (lieutenant colonel), his staff, and headquarters, the command sergeant major (CSM), and usually 3–5 companies, with a total of 300 to 1,200 soldiers. A regiment consists of between two and six organic battalions, while a brigade consists of between three and seven separate battalions.

During the American Civil War, an infantry or cavalry battalion was an ad hoc grouping of companies from the parent regiment (which had ten companies, A through K, minus J as described below), except for certain regular infantry regiments, which were formally organized into three battalions of six companies each (numbered 1–6 per battalion vice sequential letter designations). After 1882, cavalry battalions were renamed squadrons and cavalry companies were renamed troops. Artillery battalions typically comprised four or more batteries, although this number fluctuated considerably.

During World War II, most infantry regiments consisted of three battalions (1st, 2nd, and 3rd) with each battalion consisting of four companies. That is, companies A, B, C, and D were part of the 1st battalion, companies E, F, G, and H constituted the 2nd battalion, and I, K, L, and M in the 3rd. There was no J company: the letter J was traditionally not used because in 18th and 19th century old-style type the capital letters I and J looked alike and were therefore too easily confused with one another. It was common for a battalion to become temporarily attached to a different regiment. For example, during the confusion and high casualty rates of both the Normandy landings and the Battle of the Bulge, in order to bolster the strength of a depleted infantry regiment, companies and even battalions were moved around as necessary.

From the 1960s through the early 1980s, a typical maneuver (infantry or tank) battalion had five companies: Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) and A, B, and C Companies, plus a Combat Support Company with a scout platoon, mortar platoon and other elements that varied between organizations. These included heavy anti-tank missile platoons, ground surveillance radar sections, man-portable anti-aircraft missile sections and others. Beginning in the early to mid-1980s some elements of the combat support companies (the mortar and scout platoons) were merged into the Headquarters Company with the staff and support elements, others were moved to their parent type organization (ground surveillance radar and air defense), and in infantry battalions the heavy anti-tank missile platoon was organized as a separate company (E Company). Simultaneously, there was a fourth "type" company added (D Company) in most infantry and tank battalions.

In this older structure, US Army mechanized infantry battalions and tank battalions, for tactical purposes, cross-post companies to each other, forming a battalion-sized task force (TF).

Starting in 2005–2006 with transformation, the U.S. Army mechanized and tank battalions were reorganized into combined arms battalions (CABs). Tank battalions and mechanized infantry battalions no longer exist. These new combined arms battalions are modular units, each consisting of a headquarters company, two mechanized infantry companies, two armor companies, an engineer company, and a forward support company. This new structure eliminated the need to cross-post (or as it is more commonly referred to, cross-attach) companies between battalions; each combined arms battalion was organically composed of the requisite companies. At a higher level, each heavy brigade is composed of two CABs, an armored reconnaissance squadron, a fires battalion (field artillery), a special troops battalion (STB), and a brigade support battalion (BSB).

United States Marine Corps[link]

A United States Marine Corps battalion includes the battalion headquarters, consisting of the commanding officer (usually a lieutenant colonel, sometimes a colonel), an executive officer (the second-in-command, usually a major), the sergeant major, and the executive staff (S-1 through S-8). The battalion headquarters is supported by a Headquarters and Service Company (Battery). A battalion usually contains 2–5 organic companies (batteries in the artillery), with a total of 500 to 1,200 marines in the battalion. A regiment consists of a regimental headquarters, a headquarters company (or battery), and two to five organic battalions (Marine infantry regiments – three battalions of infantry; Marine artillery regiments – three to five battalions of artillery; Marine combat logistics regiments – two or more combat logistics battalions). In the US Marine Corps, the brigade designation is used only in Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB). A MEB is one of the standard Marine air-ground task forces (MAGTF), is commanded by a brigadier general or major general, and consists of command element, a ground combat element (usually one reinforced Marine infantry regiment), an aviation combat element (a reinforced Marine air group), and a service support element (a Marine logistics group, which includes naval construction force (SEABEEs) and naval medical elements).

In the U.S. Marine Corps, an infantry or rifle battalion typically consists of a Headquarters and Service Company (H&S Co.), three rifle, or line, companies (designated alphabetically A through M depending upon which battalion of the parent regiment to which they are attached) and a weapons company. Weapons companies do not receive a letter designation. Marine infantry regiments use battalion and company designations as described above under World War II, with company letters D, H, and M not normally used but rather held in "reserve" for use in augmenting a fourth rifle company into each battalion as needed.

United States Marine Corps infantry battalions are task organized into battalion landing teams (BLTs) as the ground combat element (GCE) of a Marine expeditionary unit (MEU). A "standard" U.S. Marine infantry battalion is typically supported by an artillery battery and a platoon each of tanks, amphibious assault vehicles, light armored reconnaissance vehicles, reconnaissance marines, and combat engineers. The battalion structure is designed to readily expand to include a fourth rifle company, if required, as described above under battalion organization. Often Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO) officers are assigned to the battalion, to coordinate naval gunfire support.

The United States Navy has also had construction battalions since World War II.

See also[link]

• March battalion
• Military organization
• Swedish Battalion of the 17th and 18th century

References[link]

External links[link]

• French Infantry of the Napoleonic Wars
• The Battalion Commander's Handbook, 1996, By Major General Richard A. Chilcoat, US Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania

Metal Church
Metal Church guitarists Jay Reynolds (left) and Kurdt Vanderhoof (right).
Background information
Also known as	Shrapnel
Origin	San Francisco, California, United States
Genres	Heavy metal, thrash metal, speed metal, power metal
Years active	1980–1994, 1998–2009
Labels	Ground Zero, Elektra, I.R.S., Epic, SPV, Nuclear Blast, Mercury
Associated acts	Hall Aflame, Presto Ballet, Vanderhoof, Reverend, Wayne, Heretic
Website	www.metalchurchmusic.com
Past members
Members

Metal Church was an American heavy metal band. They originally formed in San Francisco, California in 1980 before relocating to Aberdeen, Washington the following year and briefly using the name Shrapnel. Their eponymous first album was released in 1984, and their final, This Present Wasteland, in 2008.^[1]

The band is credited as a formative influence on the thrash metal sub-genre,^[1] melding the aesthetics of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and American heavy metal behind "incredibly tight musicianship" and "piercingly screeched" vocals.^[2][3] Early lyrical topics such as conflict and paranoia later expanded into philosophical and social commentary.

Founding guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof remained the group's sole consistent creative force throughout its career, despite reducing his role strictly to composition in 1986 after tiring of touring. Vanderhoof, vocalist David Wayne, guitarist Craig Wells, bassist Duke Erickson, and drummer Kirk Arrington composed the group's classic lineup featured on its first two records, while vocalist Mike Howe and guitarist John Marshall later contributed to the group's sound. After releasing five full-length albums and touring extensively throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Metal Church disbanded in 1994. They reformed four years later with their classic lineup, including Vanderhoof's return to performance, yielding the Masterpeace album. They endured numerous lineup changes thereafter, releasing three further studio albums while fronted by Ronny Munroe before again disbanding in July 2009.

Biography[link]

Formative years (1980–1984)[link]

Then based in San Francisco, Kurdt Vanderhoof formed the band in 1980 with various musicians, including a brief audition with future Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich.^[4] The three-song, instrumental Red Skies demo appeared in 1981, featuring Vanderhoof, guitarist Rick Condrin, bassist Steve Hott, and drummer Aaron Zimpel.

Vanderhoof returned to his hometown of Aberdeen in 1981 and began the new group Shrapnel with Craig Wells, Duke Erickson, drummer Tom Weber, and vocalist Mike Murphy. Murphy departed before their next demo, which was recorded without vocals, and Weber departed shortly thereafter. The enlistment of Kirk Arrington and David Wayne completed the group's classic lineup. They released the demo Four Hymns and spent following years touring and accruing material, readopting the Metal Church moniker in 1983.

First two records; commercial success (1984–1988)[link]

In 1984, they released their self-titled debut album, which included three songs from the Four Hymns demo and a cover of Deep Purple's "Highway Star". They sold 70,000 copies of the album independently before signing to Elektra.^{[citation needed]} According to Wayne, Ulrich and Metallica band mate James Hetfield urged Elektra to sign the band before another label did.^[5]

By the time Metal Church released their second studio album, The Dark, in 1986, they were touring with high-profile acts like Metallica. The Dark was a commercial success, helped by the fact that the band's first music video, "Watch the Children Pray", received frequent airplay on MTV. Shortly after the album's release, however, they were plagued by lineup changes: Vanderhoof ceased performing with the group in 1986, to be replaced briefly by Mark Baker and more extensively by John Marshall. Vanderhoof nonetheless continued to work with the group in composing thereafter, co-writing their subsequent material.

Further albums; first breakup (1988–1994)[link]

In 1988, the band replaced Wayne with former Heretic singer Mike Howe and released their third studio album, Blessing In Disguise, the following year. Critics responded favorably, including some assertions that the record was the group's strongest effort.^[6] Ironically, after being replaced by Heretic's former singer, Wayne recruited the remaining members of Heretic to form Reverend.

After further touring, Metal Church released its fourth studio album, The Human Factor, via Epic Records in 1991. Critics applauded the group for transitioning to a major label and successfully retaining the vitality of their sound,^[7] while also releasing a record with conceptual accessibility beyond the heavy metal genre.^[3] Vanderhoof formed the short-lived group Hall Aflame, who released Guaranteed Forever through I.R.S. Records later that year.

Metal Church followed with their fifth studio album, 1993's Hanging in the Balance on Mercury Records, but disbanded the following year, later citing management problems and poor record sales as factors.^[8] Vanderhoof formed an eponymous new group, Vanderhoof, along with Arrington. They released their self-titled debut album in 1997.

[edit] Reunion of classic lineup; Masterpeace (1998–2001)

Founding guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof began performing with the group for the first time in 12 years for their 1998 reformation.

The members of Metal Church began compiling their first live album in 1998, Live, which featured songs from their first two records performed by their classic lineup. During the production of Live, Wayne, Vanderhoof, Wells, Arrington, and Erickson decided to reform the band and began work on a new studio album. Wells was forced to depart the band due to familial obligations,^[5] however, and was replaced by the returning Marshall.

The resulting Masterpeace album was released in 1999 on Nuclear Blast Records. Critics responded positively, hailing it as a focused product that increased the energy over previous releases, despite its ultimately failing to break new ground.^[9] Arrington and Erickson were unable to tour behind the record, so the band enlisted Vanderhoof bassist Brian Lake and drummer Jeff Wade for live performances later that year.

Wayne expressed regret regarding the record, which influenced his musical output that followed.^[5] He again departed in 2001 due to personal and creative differences, forming the group Wayne with Wells and releasing the curiously-titled debut album Metal Church thereafter. Vanderhoof objected to the album's name and cover art; according to Wayne, the purpose of the album's name was to alert the audience of his involvement.^[5] Erickson and Marshall also ceased involvement with Metal Church after Wayne's departure.

Later activity (2004–2009)[link]

Vanderhoof's eponymous band released A Blur in Time in 2002, and he began working on new material for Metal Church's next album thereafter. In 2004, he and Arrington recruited singer Ronny Munroe, ex-Malice guitarist Jay Reynolds, and bassist Steve Unger to form a new lineup of Metal Church. They released the band's seventh studio album later that year, The Weight of the World. Critics generally received the record with a lukewarm response, recognizing its accomplishments while noting its lack of consistency and innovation.^[10]

On May 10, 2005, David Wayne died of complications from injuries sustained in a car accident that occurred months before. He was 47 years old.

In 2006, Arrington left the band due to health complications with diabetes. His replacement was Jeff Plate, who previously worked with Savatage, Chris Caffery and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.^[11] Later that year, the band released their eighth studio album, A Light in the Dark, which featured a re-recording of "Watch the Children Pray" as a tribute to Wayne. Vanderhoof said that the tribute was a way of showing fans that he harbored no ill will towards Wayne despite the contentious situation that existed between them before Wayne's death.^[12]

Reynolds left the group in 2008 and was replaced by Rick Van Zandt.^[13] The band's ninth and final studio album, This Present Wasteland, followed in 2008, which was hailed generally as an effective release consistent with their previous accomplishments.^[4] After subsequent touring, the band took a hiatus from performing due to Vanderhoof's back problems. They nonetheless continued studio work, while Munroe and Vanderhoof also completed the former's solo album.^[14]

After Vanderhoof's health improved, they returned to performing and composing new material. On July 7, 2009, however, the group announced unexpectedly that they were disbanding following a final performance at Rocklahoma two days later, cancelling numerous further live dates. They cited industry frustrations as a major factor influencing the decision. Several former members remained musically active, including Munroe and Vanderhoof in Presto Ballet^[15] and Plate in Machines of Grace.

Members[link]

Timeline

 id:Vocals              value:blue       legend:Vocals
 id:Guitars             value:orange     legend:Guitars 
 id:Bass                value:red        legend:Bass
 id:Drums               value:gray(0.45) legend:Drums
 id:Composition         value:yellow     legend:Composition
 id:Lines               value:black      legend:Releases
id:bars   value:gray(0.92)

 at:01/01/1984 color:black layer:back
 at:04/06/1986 color:black layer:back
 at:10/08/1989 color:black layer:back
 at:11/02/1991 color:black layer:back
 at:10/07/1993 color:black layer:back
 at:03/30/1999 color:black layer:back 
 at:06/26/2004 color:black layer:back
 at:07/27/2006 color:black layer:back
 at:09/26/2008 color:black layer:back

 bar:McKay text:"William McKay"
 bar:Bull text:"Ed Bull"
 bar:Murphy text:"Mike Murphy"
 bar:Wayne text:"David Wayne"
 bar:Howe text:"Mike Howe"
 bar:Munroe text:"Ronny Munroe"
 bar:Vanderhoof text:"Kurdt Vanderhoof"
 bar:Condrin text:"Rick Condrin"
 bar:Wells text:"Craig Wells"
 bar:Baker text:"Mark Baker"
 bar:Marshall text:"John Marshall"
 bar:Reynolds text:"Jay Reynolds"
 bar:VanZandt text: "Rick Van Zandt"
 bar:Hott text:"Steve Hott"
 bar:Erickson text:"Duke Erickson"
 bar:Lake text:"Brian Lake"
 bar:Unger text:"Steve Unger"
 bar:Wagner text:"Rick Wagner"
 bar:Zimpel text:"Aaron Zimpel"
 bar:Sacco text:"Carl Sacco"
 bar:Weber text:"Tom Weber"
 bar:Arrington text:"Kirk Arrington"
 bar:Wade text:"Jeff Wade"
 bar:Plate text:"Jeff Plate"

 width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
 bar:McKay from:01/01/1980 till:06/01/1980 color:Vocals
 bar:Bull from:06/01/1980 till:12/31/1980 color:Vocals
 bar:Murphy from:06/01/1981 till:09/30/1981 color:Vocals
 bar:Wayne from:12/01/1981 till:06/01/1988 color:Vocals
 bar:Howe from:06/01/1988 till:06/01/1994 color:Vocals
 bar:Wayne from:01/01/1998 till:03/01/2001 color:Vocals
 bar:Munroe from:01/01/2004 till:end color:Vocals
 bar:Vanderhoof from:01/01/1980 till:06/01/1986 color:Guitars
 bar:Vanderhoof from:06/01/1986 till:06/01/1994 color:Composition
 bar:Condrin from:01/01/1980 till:12/31/1980 color:Guitars
 bar:Wells from:06/01/1981 till:06/01/1994 color:Guitars
 bar:Wells from:01/01/1998 till:06/01/1998 color:Guitars
 bar:Baker from:06/01/1986 till:08/01/1986 color:Guitars
 bar:Marshall from:08/01/1986 till:06/01/1994 color:Guitars
 bar:Vanderhoof from:01/01/1998 till:end color:Guitars
 bar:Marshall from:06/01/1998 till:03/01/2001 color:Guitars
 bar:Reynolds from:01/01/2004 till:01/01/2008 color:Guitars
 bar:VanZandt from:01/01/2008 till:end color:Guitars
 bar:Hott from:01/01/1980 till:12/31/1980 color:Bass
 bar:Erickson from:06/01/1981 till:06/01/1994 color:Bass
 bar:Erickson from:01/01/1998 till:10/01/1999 color:Bass
 bar:Lake from:10/01/1999 till:12/31/1999 color:Bass
 bar:Erickson from:01/01/2000 till:03/01/2001 color:Bass
 bar:Unger from:01/01/2004 till:end color:Bass
 bar:Wagner from:01/01/1980 till:03/01/1980 color:Drums
 bar:Zimpel from:03/01/1980 till:10/31/1980 color:Drums
 bar:Sacco from:10/01/1980 till:12/31/1980 color:Drums
 bar:Weber from:06/01/1981 till:09/01/1981 color:Drums
 bar:Arrington from:09/01/1981 till:06/01/1994 color:Drums
 bar:Arrington from:01/01/1998 till:10/01/1999 color:Drums
 bar:Wade from:10/01/1999 till:12/31/1999 color:Drums
 bar:Arrington from:01/01/2000 till:03/01/2006 color:Drums
 bar:Plate from:03/01/2006 till:end color:Drums

Discography[link]

Studio albums

• Metal Church (1984)
• The Dark (1986)
• Blessing in Disguise (1989)
• The Human Factor (1991)
• Hanging in the Balance (1993)
• Masterpeace (1999)
• The Weight of the World (2004)
• A Light in the Dark (2006)
• This Present Wasteland (2008)

Live albums

• Live (1998)

Demos

• Four Hymns (1982)
• Hitman (1982)
• Red Skies (1981)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Interview with Kurdt Vanderhoof

v t e Metal Church Kurdt Vanderhoof Rick Condrin Ed Bull Rick Wagner Aaron Zimpel Mike Murphy Steve Holt Carl Sacco Craig Wells David Wayne Duke Erickson Kirk Arrington Mark Baker John Marshall Mike Howe Jay Reynolds William McKay Ronny Munroe Steve Unger Jeff Plate Rick Van Zandt Studio albums Metal Church The Dark Blessing in Disguise The Human Factor Hanging in the Balance Masterpeace The Weight of the World A Light in the Dark This Present Wasteland Live albums Live Demo albums Red Skies (1981 as Shrapnel) Four Hymns Hitman Related articles Heretic Megadeth Metallica Presto Ballet Reverend Wayne Metal Church (Wayne album) Portal:Heavy metal