Matthias Kirchgessner aka Church

Matthias Kirchgessner, aka Church, is a professional German live and studio guitarist and guitar teacher. He started playing classical guitar at the age of ten and received his first electric guitar at thirteen. At 17, he bought his first Ibanez guitar, a Paul Gilbert PGM, and has remained a dedicated Ibanez player ever since.
Growing up, Church was influenced by artists such as Malmsteen, Satriani, Extreme, Mr. Big, Queensrÿche, and Dream Theater. In 1991, he joined the Bavarian progressive metal band Transcendence. He later studied Rock, Pop & Jazz Guitar at the Future Music School in Aschaffenburg, graduating in 1994.
Throughout his career, Church has performed at more than 2,000 live shows and has been involved in numerous projects and bands, including Transcendence, Haggard, and Nevio. As a studio guitarist, he has worked with artists such as Paul Di’Anno (formerly of Iron Maiden), Haggard, Nevio and Meg Pfeiffer.
In 2015, Church released his first solo album, "Tears of God", an instrumental release. His second solo album, "Dusk Meets Dawn", followed in 2017.
In 2020, Church co-founded the German power metal band Sons of Eternity together with former Shylock vocalist Matthias Schenk and former Beyond the Black keyboardist Jonas Rossner, who now plays guitar in the band. Sons of Eternity released their debut album "End of Silence" in 2023, followed by their second album, "Human Beast", in 2026.