is a Japanese

doom metal Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...

band from

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, formed in 1995. Church of Misery's musical style melds early

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...

-style doom with

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

; most of the band's songs are about

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

s and

mass murderer Mass murder is the act of murdering a number of people, typically simultaneously or over a relatively short period of time and in close geographic proximity. The United States Congress defines mass killings as the killings of three or more pe ...

s. Bassist Tatsu Mikami has been the sole constant member in their line-up.

History

Beginnings and line-up changes (1995–2008)

Church of Misery formed in 1995 with a lineup of Mikami, vocalist Kazuhiro Asaeda, guitarist Tomohiro Nishimura and drummer Hideki Shimizu. This line-up recorded the ''Vol. 1'' album, released in 1997 by Doom Records without the band's consent (it was later officially reissued in 2007 by Japan's

Leaf Hound Records Leaf Hound Records is a Japanese record label specializing in 1960s and 1970s inspired stoner rock, stoner/doom metal. The label takes its name from the 1970s hard rock band Leaf Hound. Leaf Hound Records has released material from Japanese ban ...

). In 1996, vocalist Nobukazu Chow replaced Asaeda. The band's first EP, ''Taste the Pain'', was released in 1998 by Bad Acid Records, followed by the ''Murder Company'' EP in 1999 on Man's Ruin Records. Singer Yoshiaki Negishi and drummer Junji Narita replaced Chow and Shimizu, respectively, in 2000. In 2001, Southern Lord Records issued the band's official debut full-length album, ''

Master of Brutality ''Master of Brutality'' is the debut studio album by the Japanese doom metal band Church of Misery, released in 2001 by Southern Lord Records. Five of the six tracks were based on and titled after infamous serial killers Edmund Kemper, Peter S ...

''. After its release, founding guitarist Nishimura was replaced briefly by Osamu Hamada and then by Takenori Hoshi. New singer Hideki Fukasawa joined in time for the band's second full-length album, '' The Second Coming'', released in 2004 by Japanese label

Diwphalanx Records Diwphalanx Records is a Japanese rock music record label, which primarily releases Japanese bands. Artist list *Antiseen * Balzac *Banana Shakes *Bitter Sweet Generation *Blue Beat Players * Boris *Church of Misery *Central *Cool Wise Men *Dead ...

. That same year, Leaf Hound released ''Early Works Compilation'', collecting the first band's two EPs, cover versions and other material from 1998-2000. Guitarist Tom Sutton replaced Hoshi in 2006. They released numerous split albums and EPs between 1998 and 2006, including two with

Sourvein Sourvein is an American sludge metal band that formed in Cape Fear, North Carolina during 1993. The band has released four full-length albums, three EPs, and various 7" splits. Discography *Split with Buzzoven (Mudflap, 1995) *''He's No Good ...

, with whom they toured Europe in 2006. Church of Misery performed at the

Roadburn Festival Roadburn Festival is an international music festival held in Tilburg, Netherlands every April since 1999. It was set up as a spin-off from the Roadburn music blog founded by Jurgen van den Brand and Walter Hoeijmakers. Originally focused on stone ...

in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012. Church of Misery - Tuska 2011 - 01

Departures, line-up changes and recent activities (2009–present)

The band's third album, ''Houses of the Unholy'', was issued in 2009 by Rise Above Records and

Metal Blade Records Metal Blade Records is an American independent record label founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The US office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distrib ...

. Following its release, prior vocalist Negishi rejoined, lasting until 2011, while Sutton was replaced first by Kensuke Suto and then by Ikuma Kawabe. Fukasawa rejoined on vocals for their fourth album, ''Thy Kingdom Scum'' (2013). In 2014, Church of Misery toured Europe three times, the first being a support slot for

Monster Magnet Monster Magnet is an American rock band. Hailing from Red Bank, New Jersey, the group was founded in 1989 by Dave Wyndorf (vocals and guitar), John McBain (guitar) and Tim Cronin (vocals and drums); they have since gone through several lineup c ...

. Following the band's extensive summer tour, Fukasawa, Kawabe and Narita collectively quit, leaving Mikami as the only remaining member of the group. On January 1, 2015, Mikami announced on the band's official

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

page that he was planning a new Church of Misery album. Mikami recorded their sixth album, ''And Then There Were None...'', that May in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

in the U.S. with session musicians

Scott Carlson Scott Carlson is an American musician, who most notably worked as the lead vocalist and bassist of pioneering grindcore band Repulsion. Additionally, he was briefly the bassist and one of the vocalists of pioneering death metal band Death, as ...

(ex-

Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

, Repulsion), Eric Little ( Earthride) and Dave Szulkin (Blood Farmers). The album was released in March 2016 by Rise Above. This line-up did not tour. Mikami searched for new members, and vocalist Hiroyuki Takano (from Japanese sludge band Sithter) and guitarist Yasuto Muraki joined in 2015. On April 24, 2017, it was announced via the band's website and Facebook page that drummer Junichi Yamamura had been added as an official member, with the message "Church of Misery rises again!" A fall tour of Europe along with festival shows were confirmed shortly after, the first to feature the new line-up and the first shows for Church of Misery since the last live line-up ended in 2014. After extensive touring, in mid-2020 once again the band announced member changes. Muraki departed ways with the band followed by Yamamura, citing health reasons and creative differences for the latter in June. As quickly as August 2020 the band announced its new drummer and guitarist on its official Facebook page. Drumming duties were announced to be taken over by Yasunori Takada (ex-

Mono Mono may refer to: Common meanings * Infectious mononucleosis, "the kissing disease" * Monaural, monophonic sound reproduction, often shortened to mono * Mono-, a numerical prefix representing anything single Music Performers * Mono (Japanese b ...

) also with a new, young guitarist, Fumiya Hattori, on board. However, as soon as winter 2021 it was announced again on the official Facebook page that both members already left the band, the reasons being cited as "personal reasons."

Members

Current

*Tatsu Mikami – bass (1995–present) *Hiroyuki Takano – vocals (2015–present)

Former

*Tomohiro Nishimura – guitars (1995–2001) *Hideki Shimizu – drums (1995–2000) *Kazuhiro Asaeda – vocals (1995) *Nobukazu Chow – vocals (1996–2000) *Junji Narita – drums (2000–2014) *Yoshiaki Negishi – vocals (2000–2004, 2009–2011) *Osamu Hamada – guitars (2001) *Takenori Hoshi – guitars (2002–2006) *Hideki Fukasawa – vocals, synthesizers (2004–2009, 2012–2014) *Tom Sutton – guitars (2006–2010) *Kensuke Suto – guitars (2010–2011) *Ikuma Kawabe – guitars (2012–2014) *Yasuto Muraki – guitars (2015–2020) *Junichi Yamamura – drums (2017–2020) *Fumiya Hattori – guitars (2020–2021) *Yasunori Takada – drums (2020–2021)

Session

– vocals (2015) *Eric Little – drums (2015) *David Szulkin – guitars (2015)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

*''Vol. 1'' (1997, Doom Records) *''Born Too Late'' split with

Sheavy Sheavy is a Canadian band formed in 1993 in St. John's. Formation and name change Sheavy formed in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada in 1993, and originally performed under the name Green Machine. In 1994, the band discovered there ...

(1998, Game Two Records) *''

'' (2001, Southern Lord Records) *'' The Second Coming'' (2004,

) *''

Houses of the Unholy A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condit ...

'' (2009, Rise Above Records/

) *'' Thy Kingdom Scum'' (2013, Rise Above Records/Metal Blade Records) *'' And Then There Were None…'' (2016, Rise Above Records)

Singles and EPs

*''Taste the Pain'' CD EP (1998, Bad Acid Records) *''We've Learned Nothing/Church of Misery'' split with Iron Monkey CD EP (1998, Man's Ruin Records) *''Murder Company'' 10" EP (1999, Man's Ruin Records) *''Boston Strangler'' 12"/CD EP (2002, Kult of Nihilow Records) *''Acrimony/Church of Misery'' split with Acrimony (2003, Game Two Records) *''Church of Misery/Sourvein'' split with

7" single (2006, Dada Drumming Records) *''Sourvein/Church of Misery'' split with Sourvein 7" single (2006, Calculon Records) *''Church of Misery/Deer Creek'' split with Deer Creek 12" EP (2006, Calculon Records) *''Dennis Nilsen'' 12" EP (2008, Kult Of Nihilow) *''Greetings From Jonestown'' 12" EP (2009, A Pile of Dirt Music) *"Confessions of an Embittered Soul" flexi 7" (2015,

Decibel The decibel (symbol: dB) is a relative unit of measurement equal to one tenth of a bel (B). It expresses the ratio of two values of a power or root-power quantity on a logarithmic scale. Two signals whose levels differ by one decibel have a po ...

Flexi Series)

Live albums

*''Live Beyond the East'' split with Millarca EP (1998, self-released)

Compilation albums

*''Early Works Compilation'' (2004,

)

Compilation appearances

*"Where Evil Dwells (Richard Ramirez)" and "Spahn Ranch (Charles Manson)" on ''Doomsday Recitation'' (1997, Cornucopia Records) *"Sick of Living (Zodiac)" on ''Stone Deaf Forever'' (1999, Red Sun Records) *"Come Touch the Sky"

Trouble Trouble may refer to: Film and television * ''Trouble'' (1922 film), an American silent comedy-drama film directed by Albert Austin * ''Trouble'' (1933 film), a British comedy film * ''Trouble'' (1977 film), a Soviet drama film * ''Trouble'' ...

cover on ''Bastards Will Pay: Tribute to Trouble'' (1999, Freedoom Records) *"Accident" Black Widow cover on ''King of the Witches: Tribute'' (2000, Black Widow Records) *"Chains of Death" Death SS cover ''Beyond the Realms of Death SS'' (2000, Black Widow Records) *"Brother Bishop (Gary Heidnik)" on ''Sludge Metal Massacre Vol. 3'' (2013, Holy Grail from Hell)

Home videos

* '' 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) *''Live at Roadburn 2009'' DVD (2010, Roadburn Records) *''Terror in Tokyo'' DVD (2013, Emetic Records)

References

External links

Church of Misery official webpage (mostly in Japanese)

Church of Misery Facebook page
*

Church of Misery is a Japanese doom metal band from Tokyo, formed in 1995. Church of Misery's musical style melds early Black Sabbath-style doom with psychedelic rock; most of the band's songs are about serial killers and mass murderers. Bassist Tatsu Mikami ...

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

{{Authority control Japanese doom metal musical groups Japanese stoner rock musical groups Southern Lord Records artists Musical groups established in 1995 Musical groups from Shinjuku Musical quartets