With the recent release of the single “Mother Mary Medusa,” one thing is for certain: Snakehandler Church are in session and you best take a seat. 

That banger is our first taste of their follow-up to 2022’s Electric Baptism EP. 

Top Notch Heavy Rock will be released on Friday, May 3, and the band will celebrate with an album release party at The Brass Rail with local outfit The Holy Nothing and Mean Mistreater out of Austin, Texas. 

Banished to rock

Snakehandler Church are a cluster of all things stoner rock, metal, doom, hard rock, and punk. 

The trio of guitarist/vocalist Pete Dio, drummer Matt Belcher, and bassist Drew Snyder, are not only face melters, but have fictional stage personas to boot: Dio is Johnny Saltine, Belcher is Ace Blade, and you can call Snyder Killdozer. 

As their bio states: “Johnny Saltine and the Pepper Boys are on a mission from God. One-time pastor turned Pro Wrestling manager and his tag team champion duo spread a gospel as immediate and powerful as a lightning strike from the big man upstairs himself. 

“Banished from the Pentecostal church after being caught putting on independent wrestling promotions after hours, Pastor Brother Johnny Saltine knew there was one thing to do, take his message out on the road. 

“And with tag team partners ‘Cheap Heat’ now moonlighting as his formidable rhythm section, Snakehandler Church was born.” 

Dio says he’s always liked the character stuff like Kiss, so he decided to give the band a similar dose and bring in a wrestling and religious angle. 

Aggressive as ever

Whether their identities are fictional or not, they continue to spread the gospel loud and clear with their new album. 

Perhaps no one knows it best than the man who recorded it, Dan Kinnaley of Chipped Tooth Audio and The Holy Nothing.

“Snakehandler Church are the real deal,” he said. “It’s always a pleasure working with rock n’ roll lifers. Over three EPs, they’ve carved out a unique niche somewhere between stoner, rock, doom, and punk, and I think this is their best material yet. 

“They come in over a weekend, turn their amps up loud, and hit their drums hard, and their experience and proficiency shows in their songs.” 

As always, the Kinnaley production is ear-flattering and gives the album the depth and punch it deserves. 

“(Chipped Tooth Audio) is out in the country, which made for a relaxing setting and for everything to go smoothly,” Snyder said of recording with Kinnaley. 

The tracks were recorded in October, but the band decided to sit on them a bit and not get too ahead of themselves. They would rather give fans a chance to enjoy their releases live and maybe go back and make adjustments if needed. 

“It was business as usual,” Belcher said about the three days of recording. “With two years of being a band, the feeling between us is really there, and we just settled in and got it done. 

“My favorite take from the album is ‘Knife Fight at the Waffle House,’ a fun wrestling song and just a straight-up rocker that features Pete getting psychedelic in the middle of it, and I have a four-bar drum solo.” 

The title alone sparks attention, and Dio tells me it’s based on a true story of the late Randy “Macho Man” Savage getting into a knife fight at a Waffle House. 

Another track, “Into the Light,” is sure to be a fan favorite. The first minute consists of a classic snaking groove, and dare I say beautiful build-up, before things kick in. As Snyder puts it, “It’s a slower stoner rock number with a good intro and heavy riffs. It’s a song about Jim Jones and the whole drinking the Kool-Aid cult stuff. Easily one of my favorite moments on the album.” 

Then there’s a two-minute number titled “Kiss the Ring” which is considered Saltine’s theme song, a recruitment for the church about saving all the lowly souls swimming in sin. 

All together, these eight tracks may be the band’s most dangerous declaration to date. 

Other contributors include Paul Bennett Audio on the mastering and Craig Horky on the amazing artwork.

Copies will be available

Come out and hear the new numbers live May 3 and let Snakehandler take you on a sonic roller coaster.

Dio tells me CD copies will be available shortly with vinyl hopefully available by the end of the year. 

By the way it sounds, they are working on dates and hope to branch out of the area to spread the gospel. 

Snakehandler Church have become one of the most reliable groups for a quality experience of heavy, instrumental music and should be enjoyed by all. 

Just be careful as these songs may just grab you out of nowhere, and before you know it, you’re on your back counting lights.