Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway

The legendary Metal Church has announced their replacement for drummer Jeff Plate who recently exited the band after 11 years. Their new kit-man is none other than Stet Howland, a man with an impressive resume himself.

Stet is perhaps best known for his years in W.A.S.P., where he recorded nine studio albums with the band. He has also played with Four By Fate, Lita Ford, Temple Of Brutality, Belladonna, Mike Vescera Project, Impellitteri, and many others.

Howland, who will join the band for their upcoming summer tour, shared this statement:

“Hello friends. I have an announcement that I am proud to make. The short story is that I am the new drummer of one of my favorite metal bands of all time, Metal Church. I was contacted by my good friend, Metal Church bass player Steve Unger recently, after their drummer Jeff Plate stepped down after 12 years of dedicated service. The band has a bunch of summer festival dates as well as other touring for the year.

“When Steve called, the first thing he said was ‘How busy are you right now?’. I laughed and asked him to get to the point, cuz anyone who knows me knows that I’m constantly busy. Steve confided that Jeff had given his notice and that they needed a drummer immediately. He said that their new CD is going through the roof and that they have a ton of summer dates. I was very excited to say the least.

“I became a hard-core fan of Metal Church when they toured with W.A.S.P. on our 2005 Metal Blast tour. Our then guitar player Darrell Roberts and I would stand in the wings watching every show, they kicked ass every single night! Their drummer at the time was Kirk Arrington, a great drummer and guy. We became friends immediately. And as it happens I’m also old friends with Jeff Plate, Metal Church’s most recent drummer of 12 years. Jeff is a monster drummer and one of the nicest guys you could ever hope to meet. It will be an honor and a privilege to step into his gig.

“I flew to Seattle and jammed with the band last week. We clicked immediately, nothing but big smiles from the first song to the last. It was great! I will post more details and tour dates, but I wanted to let the cat out of the bag. It’s a great band, great guys, and they have an excellent aggressive record label behind them. They are still making fresh and relevant music. This is an honor indeed.

“And to our dedicated 10,000 Views fans, no need to be discouraged. We will be continuing to play select shows as we have been doing since returning from Vegas. Timmy Johnston & Johnny Hyatt are my bros and band mates to the end! We have some awesome surprises and announcements coming as well. Life is good people. Very good. I thank you all for your ongoing love and support. It’s appreciated. Big love to all.”