Hard rock vocalist Mike Howe, who served two stints in Seattle thrashers Metal Church in the late 1980s and again in the 2000s, has died at age 55.
Before joining Metal Church, Howe spent time in the Detroit metal act Hellion and later Heretic, with the latter releasing just one album,After two albums with the initial Metal Church lineup, Vanderhoof reshuffled the deck, with Howe coming in as lead vocalist in 1986 and making his debut on the band's third album, 1989'swhich featured one of their most beloved songs, the urgent rocker"Badlands." They followed up with two more albums,, before splitting in 1996.
During his two-decade time out of the limelight, Howe said he supported his family by doing carpentry. He was also not back in the mix when the band re-re-united in 2012 with vocalist Ronny Munroe, but he slipped back behind the mic in early 2015, recording two albums with his mates before his death, 2016's. At press time no cause of death was given for Howe. Original vocalist Wayne died in 2005 at age 47.