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 performing. Vanderhoof, vocalist David Wayne, guitarist Craig Wells, bassist Duke Erickson, and drummer Kirk Arrington composed the classic Metal Church lineup featured on its first two records, while later members, vocalist Mike Howe and guitarist John Marshall, also contributed to the group's sound. It was during this period that Metal Church had achieved mainstream popularity, with two of their albums—"The Dark" (1986) and "Blessing in Disguise" (1989)—entering the Top 100 on the "Billboard" 200 chart. Their 1991 album "The Human Factor" and its 1993 follow-up "Hanging in the Balance" also received critical praise, but did not match the success of the group's 1980s releases.