Church of Misery

Church of Misery
Church of Misery in 2019.
Background information
Also known as	CoM
Origin	Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
Genres	Doom Metal, Stoner Rock, Psychedelic Rock
Years active	1995 - Present
Associated acts	Sonic Flower, Nepenthes, Coffins, The Order of Israfel, Firebird, Horisont, Earthride, Blood Farmers, Sithter, Psychotoblack, Mono, Eternal Elysium, G.A.T.E.S., Salem, Repulsion, Night Viper, Skull Pit, Auma
Website	Official Website
Current members	Tatsu Mikami Kazuhiro Asaeda Fumiya Hattori Toshiaki Umemura
Past members	See former members
Band Logo

Church of Misery is a doom band from Tokyo, Japan, formed in 1995. The band was formed by Tatsu Mikami, who has been the sole consistent member of the band through several line-ups. The band is notable for its use of serial killers as a lyrical theme (Along with frequent samples related to said serial killers), typically in the perspective of the serial killers' lives and actions.

The band also has a knack for using frequent visuals similar to Black Sabbath, such as the Vertigo logo, the devil that appeared in the Dio-era releases and typography similar to the ones used in classic releases.

History

Church of Misery was formed by Tatsu Mikami, who had previously played bass in the Japanese thrash metal band Legend in 1984, who would become Salem in 1988. After Salem's breakup in 1994, he decided to start a doom band, influenced by bands such as Black Sabbath and Saint Vitus. In 1995, Mikami (bass) enlisted Tomohiro Nishimura (guitar), Hideki Shimizu (drums) and Kazuhiro Asaeda (vocals) into his band, which became Church of Misery. The band would perform live for the first time on 18 February 1996 at Meguro Live Station in Tokyo, Japan.

Between the months of April and June 1996, the band recorded a demo, then titled "ADV.1996", for promotional use within the doom scene. Without the permission of the band, Doom Records of USA, unofficially released the demo as Vol. 1. Though the bootleg release of the demo displeased the band, they did gain listeners and support outside of Japan due to its release. Later in 1996, after the recording of "ADV.1996", Asaeda was replaced on vocals by Nobukazu Chow.

Church of Misery's first official musical release came in 1998 on Doomsday Recitation. This was a compilation record released by Japanese label, Cornucopia Records, which also featured fellow Japanese doom bands Eternal Elysium, Millarca and Berenice. Their first solo release also came out the same year, in the form of the EP Taste The Pain, via Bad Acid Records. Another release by the band in that year was Born Too Late, a split EP with the Canadian band Sheavy. With these releases and consistent stage time, predominantly in Tokyo, the band began to carve a reputation in the Japanese metal scene. 1999 saw two releases from the band. Their second EP, Murder Company and a split EP with Iron Monkey were both released via Man's Ruin Records.

Church of Misery in 1999.

In October 1999, Mikami oversaw a reshuffle of the bands line-up. Chow and Shimizu were replaced by Yoshiaki Negishi on vocals and Junji Narita on drums. As well as this change in a persona came a shift in style; psychedelic elements were introduced to their sound, notably through the use of synthesizers, as well as an aggressive streak, likely due to Negishi's background in hardcore and death metal. Their first full-length studio album, Master of Brutality, was released in 2001 through Southern Lord Recordings. Shortly after the release of their debut album, personal reasons forced Nishimura to leave the band. He was replaced on guitar, briefly, by Osamu Hamada and more permanently by Takenori Hoshi. With this line-up, the band released a third EP, Boston Strangler, in 2002 through Kult of Nihilow and in 2003 a split release with Acrimony.

In 2004, Negishi left the band citing musical differences and was replaced on vocals by Hideki Fukasawa, formerly of the hardcore punk band Bleed For Pain. Later in the year, they released their second studio album, The Second Coming through Diwphalanx Records. A compilation of the bands early work was also released in the same year. 2004 also marked a significant increase in the bands presence worldwide. The band began to tour outside of Japan in 2005, sharing the stage with bands such as Orange Goblin, Saint Vitus and Electric Wizard in the years that followed. The bands first video release came in 2005, when they appeared on Diwphalanx Records' Wizard's Convention, alongside Greenmachine, Eternal Elysium and Boris.

Church of Misery El Padrino (Adolfo De Jesus Constanzo) Live at 20000V 28 Dec 2013

Hoshi left the band in 2006 citing personal issues. His last performance with the band was on April 1, 2006. and was replaced by Tom Sutton, an Australian guitarist known to the band. Sutton had previously taken part at Church of Misery gigs and therefore could play many of the bands songs as soon as he joined the band. With this lineup, the band released three splits in 2006; the first with Deer Creek and two others with Sourvein. In 2007, the band officially released Vol. 1 through Leaf Hound Records, the demo which had been released years earlier without their consent.

In 2008, the band released their 4th EP, Dennis Nilsen via Kult of Nihilow. In April of the same year, the band made their first appearance at that years Roadburn Festival. They would go on to perform three more sets over the following two years of Roadburn. The band released their 3rd studio album (4th if Vol. 1 is counted) Houses of the Unholy via Rise Above Records in 2009. Shortly after the release of this album, Fukasawa left the band in strange circumstances and was replaced by former vocalist Yoshiaki Negishi. With Negishi back in the band, they released their 5th EP Greetings From Jonestown via A Pile of Dirt Music.

In 2010 the band released Live at Roadburn 2009 via Roadburn Records. Sutton chose to leave the band in 2010 due to him resettling in England, but stayed for the duration of the Houses of the Unholy Tour so that the band were not struggling to find a replacement. He was replaced on guitar, briefly, by Kensuke Suto who joined them on their European tour, which included a slot at the first ever DesertFest London. However, upon the end of the tour, Suto and the vocalist Negishi parted ways with the band citing musical differences. The band convinced Hideki Fukasawa to rejoin the band as vocalist and in May 2012 hired Ikuma Kawabe on guitar, with the bands first ever tour of the United States to follow. Towards the end of 2012/beginning of 2013, the band wrote and recorded their 5th studio album, Thy Kingdom Scum. The album was completed on January 26th 2013. The album was released via Rise Above Records and Metal Blade Records. A string of European dates and a second tour of the United States would follow.

Three tours of Europe would follow in 2014. On November 3rd 2014, Mikami announced via the bands Facebook page that Hideki Fukasawa had decided to leave the band in September of that year, quickly followed by Junji Narita and Ikuma Kawabe, making Mikami the sole member of the band. Later the same day, Mikami confirmed that the band would continue, once new members were found. In May of 2015, Mikami traveled to Maryland, USA to record Church of Misery's 6th studio album, with Dave Depraved of Blood Farmers on guitar and Eric Little of Earthride on drums. Eventually, Scott Carlson (Repulsion, Cathedral, Death Breath) would be announced as the vocalist for the next album. Church of Misery's fifth (Or sixth if you count Vol. 1) album And Then There Were None... was released on March 4, 2016.

On 24 March 2017, Church of Misery announced on their Facebook "CoM rises again!" with a new lineup. Along with Mikami the lineup consists of vocalist Hiroyuki Takano (Sithter) Psychotoblack), Drummer Junichi Yamamura (Empire) and guitarist Yasuto Muraki. On 15 May 2017 Desertfest Belgium would announce Church of Misery as one of the headliners, the band's first announced show in three years. Other dates would trickle in before the band would announce a full European tour on 6 July 2017.

Church of Misery would return to more frequent touring throughout the next few years, notably unveiling two new songs in "Unabomber" and "Hungerford Massacre" at their final show of 2019. On 7 August 2020 the band would announce two new members: Yasunori Takeda on drums (Who previously performed with Mono) and Fumiya Hattori on guitar. However both members would also leave in 2021 due to personal reasons.

On 8 July 2022 Church of Misery would announce that a new studio album was in the works, featuring six originals and one cover of a 70s heavy rock band. Notably, Toshiaki Umemura (Auma, Eternal Elysium, Sonic Flower) would join on drums and Yukito Okazaki (Eternal Elysium) would join on guitar. Tour dates of Europe would be announced in late 2022, including festival appearances at Desertfest London and DesertFest Berlin. A second European tour would be announced alongside Eyehategod and confirm the new album's title being Born Under a Mad Sign. For both Europe tours, Fumiya Hattori would rejoin the band on guitar while original CoM vocalist Kazuhiro Asaeda would rejoin on vocals, his first performances with the band in over 25 years. It would also be confirmed in a Twitter post in November 2022 that Takano had left the band and Asaeda had recorded the vocals for the new album, his first appearance with the band since 1996's Vol. 1. Fumiya Hattori would also return to the band as a full-time guitarist, having previously played with Sonic Flower.

Discography

Church of Misery - Killifornia

Studio Albums

• Master of Brutality (2001, Southern Lord Records)
• The Second Coming (2004, DiwPhalanx Records)
• Vol. 1 (2007, Leaf Hound Records) (Recorded 1996)
• Houses of the Unholy (2009, Rise Above Records)
• Thy Kingdom Scum (2013, Rise Above Records)
• And Then There Were None... (2016, Rise Above Records)
• Born Under a Mad Sign (2023, Rise Above Records)

Extended Plays

• Taste The Pain (1998, Bad Acid Records)
• Murder Company (1999, Man's Ruin Records)
• Boston Strangler (2002, Kult of Nihilow)
• Dennis Nilsen (2008, Kult of Nihilow)
• Greetings From Jonestown (2009, A Pile of Dirt Music)

Splits

Church of Misery "Brother Bishop" (OFFICIAL VIDEO)

• Born Too Late (1998, Game Two Records)
  with Sheavy
• Iron Monkey / Church of Misery (1999, Man's Ruin Records)
  with Iron Monkey
• Acrimony / Church of Misery (2003, Game Two Records)
  with Acrimony
• Church of Misery / Deer Creek (2006, Game Two Records)
  with Deer Creek
• Church of Misery / Sourvein (2006, Calculon; Dada Drumming)
  with Sourvein

Live Albums and DVDs

• Houses of the Unholy (2006. DiwPhalanx Records)
• Live in Red, Eurotour 2005 (2006, My Own Salvation)
• Live at Roadburn 2009 (2010, Roadburn Records)
• Terror in Tokyo (2013, Emetic Records)

Compilations

• Early Works Compilation (2004, Leaf Hound Records)

Selected Compilation Appearances

• Doomsday Recitation (1998, Cornucopia Records)
• Bastards Will Pay - Tribute To Trouble (1999, Freedoom Records)
• Stone Deaf Forever (1999, Red Sun)
• Wizard's Convention (2005, DiwPhalanx Records)

Personnel

Tatsu Mikami, the sole surviving original member of Church of Misery, alongside then vocalist, Hideki Fukasawa, at the 2012 edition of Roadburn Festival.

Current Members

• Tatsu Mikami - Bass (1995 - Present)
• Kazuhiro Asaeda - Vocals (1995 - 1996, 2023 - Present)
• Fumiya Hattori - Guitar (2020 - 2021, 2023 - Present)
• Toshiaki Umemura - Drums (2022 - Present)

Former Members

• Tomohiro Nishimura - Guitars (1995 - 2001)
• Hideki Shimizu - Drums (1995 - 1999)
• Nobukazu Chow - Vocals (1996 - 1999)
• Junji Narita - Drums (1999 - 2014)
• Yoshiaki Negishi - Vocals (1999 - 2004, 2009 - 2011)
• Osamu Hamada - Guitars (2001)
• Takenori Hoshi - Guitars (2002 - 2006)
• Hideki Fukasawa - Vocals, Synthesizer (2004 - 2009, 2011 - 2014)
• Tom Sutton - Guitars (2006 - 2010), Live Guitar (2011 - 2012)
• Kensuke Suto - Guitars (2010 - 2011)
• Ikuma Kawabe - Guitars (2012 - 2014)
• Scott Carlson - Vocals (2015 - 2016)
• Eric Little - Drums (2015 - 2016)
• Dave Szulkin - Guitar (2015 - 2016)
• Junichi Yamamura - Drums (2017 - 2020)
• Yasuto Muraki - Guitars (2017 - 2020)
• Hiroyuki Takano - Vocals, Synthesizer (2017 - 2022)
• Yasunori Takeda - Drums (2020 - 2021)
• Yukito Okazaki - Guitar (2022 - 2023)

List of Known Tours

NOTE: Tours from 1995 - 2004 will be documented when more information is found. Most of the bands tours can be sourced at the official website.

• Doomsday Recitation Tour (With Millarca) (1998)
• The Second Coming European Tour 2005 (2005)
• No Sleep Til' Halloween European Tour 2006 (With Sourvein)(2006)
• Doom Age Festival Vol. 1 (With Orange Sunshine) (2007)
• Eurotour 2007 (With Gonga; Canceled) (2007)
• Church of Misery / The Hidden Hand Japan Tour (With The Hidden Hand; Canceled) (2007)
• Doom Age Festival Vol. 2 (With Electric Wizard) (2007)
• Doom Age Festival Vol. 3 (With Witchcraft) (2008)
• Doom Age Festival Vol. 4 (With Blood Farmers and Ogre) (2008)
• Doom Age Festival Vol. 5 (With Revelation) (2008)
• European Tour 2009 (2009)
• European Tour 2010 (with The Gates of Slumber, Cathedral, Death Row) (2010)
• Retox & Nihilism Over Europe: Summer 2011 (With The Gates of Slumber, Eyehategod) (2011)
• European Tour 2012 (2012)
• North American Tour 2012 (With The Gates of Slumber, Hail!Hornet, Rwake) (2012)
• Doomsday Festival (With Clagg) (2013)
• North American Tour 2013 (2013)
• Last Patrol European Tour (With Monster Magnet) (2014)
• April European Tour 2014 (2014)
• Summer European Tour 2014 (2014)
• European Tour 2017 (2017)
• European Tour 2018, Part 1 (2018)
• European Tour 2018, Part 2 (Select dates with Bongzilla, Sons of Otis, Dopethrone) (2018)
• Doomsday Festival (With Witchskull) (2018)
• North American Tour 2019 (With Mondo Generator, Toke, The Atomic Bitchwax depending on dates) (2019)
• European Tour 2019 (Select dates with Admiral Sir Cloudsley Shovell) (2019)
• 25th Anniversary North American Tour (Select dates with Truckfighters, Valley of the Sun, Forming The Void, Black Wizard, Wizard Rifle) (2020)
• Spring 2023 European Tour (2023)
• Summer 2023 European Tour (With Eyehategod) (2023)

External Links

• Official Website
• Original Website via Wayback Machine
• Facebook