Am I hearing "groove" in this metal song?

[Bonano]

Metal Church's "Fake Healer"

After the heavy intro, it kicks into this "groove" which I think just sounds incredible! I can't figure out what it is about it though. Are they, or at least the rhythm guitarist with the chugging, playing ever-so-slightly behind the beat?

https://youtu.be/9MZfNOUji-I?si=G1lx8XmyNNZhqMNr

[nightflameauto]

Metal Church always had great groove.

I'm sensing a bit of a swing in that groove. It's hidden a bit since they aren't accenting every moment of it with drums, but it's there. I really dig the kick pattern being a little scattered rather than the modern take of "if there's a moment, fill it with kick."

[Ostinato Rubato]

Blue eyed groove.

[Devin]

Idk but this shit kinda fucks....I always ignored this band because of the dumb name

I may have fucked up

[Zozobra]

To be fair it is a gash name.

[RaceU4her]

Pretty swinging

[Rampage]

I’ve never listened to them but I’m liking this. Gives me Dio vibes.

[JiveTurkey]

Metal Church is awesome. I prefer David Wayne era. Definitely classic metal mixed with bits of speed and thrash but not too much. This one doesn't groove but it is

[nightflameauto]

I was always partial to Human Factor:

[JiveTurkey]

I watched a cool little doc on these guys on MetalSchool(?) YT channel. It covered pretty much everything up to now. They seemed to be victims of bad timing a number of times more than anything else. They weren't as heavy as there contemporaries, they lost their original singer, the 90s sucked for metal bands. Despite being some GREAT material put out?

They have a new album out with a new singer who is kind of David Wayne if he was less melodic? Not terrible but not something I am drawn to. I saw them with Howe back in 2017(?) and they were good live. Howe had kind of Gary Cherone stage presence thing which, combined with old biker dude aesthetic was a really weird fit visually speaking. They were tight tho \m/