Former Metal Church vocalist Marc Lopes has opened up about the circumstances surrounding his exit from the veteran metal band, criticizing what he views as poor communication and a lack of integrity in how internal issues were handled. Lopes shared his perspective during an appearance on The Big Truth Podcast, where he addressed his departure after contributing to just one album, 2023’s Congregation Of Annihilation.
“For most of 2025 nobody knew what was going on with Metal Church. When Metal Church canceled the tour in 2024, there was a lot of things going on behind the scenes that we didn’t make public, obviously,” Lopes said. “People get mad, people have disagreements, and we kind of just let things lay for where they were in hopes that maybe we could have a conversation, like adults should.”
Lopes explained that the lack of direct communication throughout that period became a major source of frustration for him.
“If there’s a disagreement, resolve it one way or the other, whether it’s yes or no, or whatever the case may be. But there was no communication for that whole time,” he continued. “And I did a lot of interviews and a lot of people would always ask [about Metal Church’s status], and when I said I didn’t know it was, it was the truth — I did not know.”
The singer was particularly blunt when describing how the situation was ultimately handled, characterizing it as a failure of integrity.
“In a nutshell, now we’ve come out to where we are now, it’s basically no integrity. The cowardice of not confronting any of the issues, whether good or bad, it didn’t matter, in my book, that doesn’t work,” he said. “That doesn’t fly. If there’s an issue, no matter what it is, either you freaking take it out in the school yard, so to say, or you have that discussion and each person goes ‘fuck you’ and that’s the end of it. But when that doesn’t even happen, that’s a tough nail to bite.”
Lopes added that discovering key developments online, rather than through direct communication, was particularly upsetting.
“And then, obviously, the conclusion of it is to find out everything on the Internet. That was the ultimate ‘fuck you’. And that does not bide well with me personally, which will be addressed in another time,” Lopes added. “But, yeah, so that was a big, huge thing. And thankfully, I was still able to play and do stuff with Ross [The Boss], which I’m eternally grateful for, and it was awesome.”
Despite the frustration, Lopes indicated that he has moved on from the experience, acknowledging it as a difficult chapter while continuing to focus on his work with other projects.
Lopes’ departure marks another significant lineup change for Metal Church, a band that has experienced considerable turnover in recent years. According to Blabbermouth, Lopes joined Metal Church in the summer of 2022 as the replacement for longtime vocalist Mike Howe, who passed away in July 2021.
Congregation Of Annihilation remains Lopes’ only recorded contribution to the Metal Church catalog. Blabbermouth reported that the album was produced by founding guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof and released in May 2023 through Rat Pak Records in the United States and Reaper Entertainment in Europe.
Following Lopes’ exit, Metal Church once again reshaped its lineup. Blabbermouth confirmed that former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson and vocalist Brian Allen have joined the band, signaling Metal Church’s determination to move forward despite the internal tensions that led to Lopes’ departure.
The situation underscores the broader challenges faced by long-running metal bands as they navigate evolving personal dynamics and professional expectations. Metal Church’s ability to recruit high-profile musicians reflects its continued standing within the metal community as it works through yet another period of transition.
