Church of Misery
Church of Misery | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Origin | Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan |
Genres | Doom metal, stoner rock |
Years active | 1995-present |
Labels | Rise Above, Metal Blade, Man's Ruin, Diwphalanx |
Website | churchofmisery.net |
Members | Tatsu Mikami |
Past members |
Hideki Fukasawa Junji Narita Ikuma Kawabe Yoshiakki Negishi Tom Sutton Nobukazu Chow Tomohiro Nishimura Hideki Shimizu Takenori Hoshi Kensuke Suto |
Church of Misery (チャーチ・オブ・ミザリー Chāchi obu Mizarī) is a doom metal band from Tokyo, Japan. Church of Misery's style melds early-era Black Sabbath style doom with psychedelic rock.
History
Most songs by Church of Misery are about serial killers and mass murderers. After several releases on small independent record labels, they released the EP Murder Company on Man's Ruin Records, then moved on to Southern Lord Records to release their debut full-length album, Master of Brutality. In 2004 they released their second full-length album, The Second Coming. That same year Japan's Leaf Hound Records released a compilation of the band's early works. They released three split EPs, two with Sourvein and one with Deer Creek, and a live DVD of their 2005 European tour. They toured Europe in 2006 with Sourvein. They played the Roadburn Festival in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012.[1]
In 2014, Church of Misery toured Europe three times, the first run of which was a support for Monster Magnet. Following the band's extensive Summer tour, vocalist Hideki Fukasawa, guitarist Ikuma Kawabe and drummer Junji Narita collectively quit, leaving Mikami the only remaining member of the group.[2]
On New Year's Day 2015, through the band's Facebook page, Tatsu Mikami announced plans to record a new album, and flew to Maryland, United States for two weeks in May to record the band's sixth full-length record, And Then There Were None, with Dave Szulkin (Blood Farmers), Eric Little (Earthride) and Scott Carlson (ex-Cathedral, Repulsion). The album is due for release in March 2016 on Rise Above Records.[3]
Members
Current:
- Tatsu Mikami - bass (1995-)
Former:
- Tomohiro Nishimura - guitars (1995–2001)
- Takenori Hoshi - guitars (2002–2006)
- Osamu Hamada - guitars (2001)
- Kensuke Suto - guitars (2010-2011)
- Tom Sutton - guitars (2006–2010), (touring member only as of 2012)
- Ikuma Kawabe - guitars (2012-2014)
- David Szulkin - guitars (2015 recording contribution only)
- Kazuhiro Asaeda - vocals (1995)
- Nobukazu Chow - vocals (1996–2000)
- Yoshiaki Negishi - vocals (2000–2004, 2009-2011)
- Hideki Fukasawa - vocals & synthesizers (2004–2009, 2012-2014)
- Scott Carlson - vocals (2015 recording contribution only)
- Hideki Shimizu - drums (1995–2000)
- Junji Narita - drums (2000-2014)
- Eric Little - drums (2015 recording contribution only)
Timeline
Discography
Albums
- Vol. 1 (1997 Doom Records)
- Master of Brutality (2001 Southern Lord Records)
- The Second Coming (2004 Diwphalanx Records)
- Houses Of The Unholy (2009 Rise Above Records/Metal Blade Records)
- Thy Kingdom Scum (2013 Rise Above Records/Metal Blade Records)
- And Then There Were None (March 2016 Rise Above Records)
Reissued Albums
- Early Works Compilation 2xCD/3LP (2004 Leaf Hound Records / 2010 Emetic Records)
- The Second Coming CD re-release (2005 Salvation Records/Let There Be DOOM Records/2011 Emetic Records)
- Master of Brutality CD re-release (2006 Diwphalanx Records/2011 Emetic Records)
- Master of Brutality LP (2006 Leaf Hound Records)
- The Second Coming LP (2006 Salvation Records/Let There Be DOOM Records)
- Vol. 1 LP (2007 Leaf Hound Records/2011 Emetic Records)
- Master of Brutality CD with bonus tracks/2LP (2011 Rise Above Records)
- The Second Coming CD With Bonus Tracks/2LP (2011 Rise Above Records)
EPs/Split Releases
- Born Too Late split CD with Sheavy (1998 Game Two Records)
- Taste the Pain MCD (1998 Bad Acid Trip Records)
- We've Learned Nothing / Murder Company split CD with Iron Monkey (1998 Man's Ruin Records)
- Murder Company 10" EP (1999 Man's Ruin Records)
- Boston Strangler 12" EP/MCD (2002 Kult Of Nihilow Records)
- Split CD with Acrimony (2003 Game Two Records)
- Split 7" with Sourvein (2006 Dada Drumming Records)
- Split 7" with Sourvein (2006 Calculon Records)
- Split 12" EP with Deer Creek (2006 Game Two Records)
- Dennis Nilsen 12" EP (2008 Kult Of Nihilow)
- Greetings From Jonestown 12" EP (2009 A Pile of Dirt Music)
Live
- Live From the East split cassette with Millarca (1998 self-released)
- Wizard's Convention: Japanese Heavy Rock Showcase DVD (Diwphalanx Records 2005)
- Houses Of The Unholy DVD (2006 Diwphalanx Records)
- Live in Red, Eurotour 2005 DVD (2007 Salvation Records)
- Live at Roadburn 2009 (2010 Roadburn Records)
- Terror in Toky0 (2013 Emetic Records)
Compilation
- "Where Evil Dwells (Richard Ramirez)" and "Spahn Ranch (Charles Manson)" on Doomsday Recitation (1997 Conucopia Records)
- "Come Touch the Sky" on Bastards Will Pay: Tribute to Trouble (1999 Freedom Records)
- "Accident" on King of the Witches: Black Widow Tribute (2000 Black Widow Records)
- "Chains of Death" on Beyond the Realms of Death SS (2000 Black Widow Records)
- "Sick of Living (Zodiac)" on Stone Deaf Forever (2000 Red Sun Records)
- "Lucifer Rising (live)" on Blood Curdling Nightmare (2002 self-released)
References
- ↑ Griffioen, Ingmar (14 April 2010). "Opwarmen voor Roadburn met Shining, Enslaved, Brant Bjork, Jesu...". 3VOOR12. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
- ↑ "Church of Misery Facebook page". Retrieved 2 January 2016.
- ↑ "Rise Above Records Facebook page". Facebook. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
External links
- Church of Misery official webpage (mostly in Japanese)
- Church of Misery Facebook page
- Church of Misery at Allmusic