Church of Misery
"Master of Brutality"
Southern Lord Records
By Vinnie Apicella By the looks of things, the land of the rising sun's about to get some serious cloud cover. Church of Misery is as their name would suggest-or at least their latter half, though this might include the former depending on whom we ask I'm sure. Religious affiliations aside, this latest force is a four man Japanese wrecking crew-and I'd love to see the condition of their instruments when they're done with a show. A writhing, grinding, gut churning existence comes to be on "Killfornia," with guest vocals by none other than Ed Kemper. right, and "Ripping Into Pieces," a reckless and riff driven Iommi-like performance that'll make your skin crawl. Not that their Japanese background has any bearing here-and not that you can really tell any difference-this isn't the second coming of Loudness, but they deliver the distortion as well as anything you're likely to hear this side of the pipe. They're not sons of the stone age or rather prefer to take an independent stance over the Stoner Rock vibe that's been numbing the airways for some time now, opting instead for a "Let There Be Doom" outcall and righteous "Death to False Stoners" battle cry. "Megalomania's" easily the catchiest of the lot-there's only six total tracks here on their debut LP but rest assured once the sums are totaled up, you'll feel like you been there a while. Interesting take on the old B.O.C. non-classic I suppose, "Cities on Flame" (I guess "Godzilla's" still a sore subject) before their ode to John Wayne Gacy or "Master of Brutality" signals a disquieting and undignified ending to this latest burnt offering by these up and coming purveyors of drudgery and distress.
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