CHURCH OF MISERY - JAPAN

Master Of Brutality. – 2001 – Southern Lord
The Second Coming – 2004 - Diwphalanx
Vol. 1 -2007 – Leaf Hound
Houses Of The Unholy – 2009 – Rise Above
Live At Roadburn 2009 – 2010 – Roadburn
Thy Kingdom Scum – 2013 – Rise Above
And Then There Were None… - 2016 – Rise Above
Born Under A Mad Sign - 2023 - Rise Above

Church Of Misery image
  
 
Members
Vocals
Asaeda Kazuhiro>>Sonic Flower – Coffins, G.A.T.E.S>>Negishi Yoshiaki>>G.A.T.E.S, Nepenthes – Fukasawa Hideaki– Coffins, Coffins, G.A.T.E.S.>>Negishi Yoshiaki>>G.A.T.E.S, Nepenthes – Fukasawa Hidaki– Repulsion, Genocide, Death, Septic Tank, Cathedral>>Scott Carlson>>Repulsion, Septic Tank - Sonic Flower>>ASAEDA KAZUHIRO>>Sonic Flower

Guitar
Sonic Flower>>Tomohiro Nishimura>>Sonic Flower, Solo – Sonic Flower>>Takenori Hoshi>>Sonic Flower – Thomas Sutton>>The Order Of Israfel, Night Viper, Cardinal Maniac – Ikuma Kawabe – Blood Farmers, The Disease Concept>>Dave Szulkin>>Blood Farmers, The Disease Concept - Afterzero, Sonic Flower>>HATTORI FUMIYA>>Afterzero, Sonic Flower


Bass
Salem, G.A.T.E.S., Sonic Flower, Skull Pit, Solo>>MIKAMI TATSU>>G.A.T.E.S., Sonic Flower, Skull Pit, Solo

Drum
Hideki Shimizu – Sonic Flower>>Narita Junji>>Sonic Flower – Internal Void, Earthride>>Eric little - Eternal Elysium, Deadclaw, Chorkers Queen>>UMEMURA TOSHIAKI





History & Biography
Japan-based Church Of Misery has been delivering doom metal about serial killers since 1995. Japanese doom bands are quite a rarity, but this one has been going in a fashion since that year. The band recorded an album, which was not issued until bootlegs started to make the rounds prompting the act to eventually release it as Vol. 1 in 2007. The first official release was the Taste The Pain EP of 1998. The line-up was Chow Nobukazu, guitarist Nishimura Tomohiro, Mikami Tatsu on bass and drummer Shimizu Hideki. The band was heard on the Doomsday recitation compilation and issued a split with Canada’s Sheavy, which screamed Black Sabbath. Murder Company was a single in 1999. The group signed with Southern Lord Recordings and instead of Master Of Reality issued Master Of Brutality. Once again the songs are about serial killers and dedicated to the same. Boston Strangler was a 2002 EP. This album was on a Japanese label although Rise Above later re-released it. A few more split releases followed until 2009’s Houses Of The Holy. The band played at the Roadburn festival in The Netherlands in 2009 and issued the recording as a limited edition in 2010. Thy Kingdom Scum was issued by Rise Above in Europe and Metal Blade in USofA. Tatsu’s Skull Pit was signed to Metal Blade five years later. Terror in Tokyo was a full-length DVD in 2013. It also had a clip of the band at Maryland Deathfest in 2012. The group toured Australia in 2013. Line-up changes have been normal within the band, but three members packed up and left in 2014 following heavy touring. And Then There Were None… was recorded in the USA and featured three Americans. The title reflected the member departures. Church Of Misery had opened for Blood Farmers on a tour of Japan and so a member of Blood Farmers was the focal point in this new line-up. Takano Hiroyuki became the singer in 2017. The band toured overseas in 2017 and 2018. The band toured Japan with Eyehategod in 2019. Guitarist Hattori Fumiya and drummer Takada Yasunori lasted part of 2020 and 2021 only. Fumiya returned in 2023. The band conducted a 25th anniversary tour of North America in early 2020. Tatsu also announced a solo album. Singer Kazuhiro returned in 2022. The band toured Europe in the spring and summer of 2023. Rise Above Records released the Church Of Misery album Born Under A Mad Sign in 2023. Orange Goblin was to tour in Japan, Australia and New Zealand in April 2024. Support in Japan was to come from Church of Misery.

Many members have come and gone. Only bassist Tatsu Mikami has remained from the original line-up. Sonic Flower is a psychedelic doom band that was founded as Church Of Misery’s side-project in 2001. Church Of Misery was also the name of a band in Illinois, USA for a while.


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