If you have been waiting for a reason to make the drive to Montage Music Hall in downtown Rochester, a Friday night Metal Church show with Bay Area thrash and Boston heaviness on the undercard might be exactly that reason.
Metal Church rolls into Rochester on Friday, July 24 as part of the Dead To Rights Tour 2026 — and this is not a nostalgia circuit. The West Coast heavy metal veterans are out behind Dead to Rights, their 13th studio album, released April 10 on Rat Pak Records. KNAC gave it a perfect 5.0/5.0 and ranked it among the top five Metal Church albums in a catalog that spans four decades. That is a real statement for a band that has been at this since the early 1980s.
The current lineup is worth paying attention to. Founding guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof is still at the center of it all, now flanked by David Ellefson — the ex-Megadeth bassist who came aboard in 2025 — alongside vocalist Brian Allen (Vicious Rumors), guitarist Rick Van Zandt, and drummer Ken Mary (Fifth Angel, Flotsam & Jetsam). Vanderhoof produced the record himself, with Zeuss handling the mix and master at Planet Z. The result, by every account, is a band that sounds like it has something to prove.
Vanderhoof on how the album came to exist at all: “This new album is very special to me for one reason: the band was over, and I honestly didn’t see it being resurrected.” Lead single “F.A.F.O.” has cleared 400,000 views since dropping in November. Not bad for a comeback nobody saw coming.
Supporting the night are Heathen — Bay Area thrash metal, precisely what the name suggests — and All Sinners, out of Boston. Three bands on a Friday night inside a 400-capacity club. Doors open at 6 p.m., so plan accordingly and do not be the person who shows up at 8 wondering what they missed.
Montage Music Hall is at 50 Chestnut St in downtown Rochester — a club-sized room that works well for this kind of show. This is a 16+ event. Tickets are on sale now via Etix.
Rochester is a straightforward drive whether you are coming in from Syracuse, Buffalo, or anywhere in between. Chestnut Street puts you right in the middle of the city’s downtown core if you want to grab dinner before the opener hits.