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've 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.
