Church Of Misery - Houses Of The Unholy
The Japanese doom/stoner metal band Church Of Misery started in 1995 and released a series of independent albums with material inspired by serial murderers like Richard Ramirez and Jeffrey Dahmer through the latter 90s. The band was formed by Mikami and Negishi who are likewise involved in the hardcore rock band G.A.T.E.S. and several other musical projects. In 2001 they released Master Of Brutality, their Southern Lord debut, which got them noticed in the States. Their new full length Houses Of The Unholy boasts a unique approach to doom metal, incorporating bluesy rhythms inspired by Black Sabbath and wah-wah lead guitars reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix. These influences are tied in with a heavily distorted wall of sound as relentlessly driven as a manic vocal style in which the vocalist seems to scream his throat raw during the songs. The CD commences with a spoken report of a 1989 incident in Mexico where the bodies of thirteen people were exhumed, having been brutally tortured and killed in some kind of occultic ritual. Whether this account is real or fictitious, it is a fitting introduction to an album that hypnotizes the listener with its pounding rhythms and graphic imagery.
1. El Padrino (Adolfo De Jesus Constanzo)
2. Shotgun Boogie (James Oliver Huberty)
3. The Gray Man (Albert Fish)
4. Blood Sucking Freak (Richard Trenton Chase)
5. Master Heartache (Sir Lord Baltimore)
6. Born To Raise Hell (Richard Speck)
7. Badlands (Charles Starkweather & Caril Fugate)
2. Shotgun Boogie (James Oliver Huberty)
3. The Gray Man (Albert Fish)
4. Blood Sucking Freak (Richard Trenton Chase)
5. Master Heartache (Sir Lord Baltimore)
6. Born To Raise Hell (Richard Speck)
7. Badlands (Charles Starkweather & Caril Fugate)
