Highly respected Japanese doom metal band CHURCH OF MISERY has announced a U.S. headlining tour that will kick off on May 24 in Providence, RI. Presented by Brooklyn Vegan, the two week trek will showcase one of metal's most bizarre and exotic bands and one that Rolling Stone called "a dynamic articulated hell, like the Tokyo-Blue-Cheer crush of Boris but grounded in the British white-blues nightmares of early Seventies Black Sabbath." The tour will include special CHURCH OF MISERY appearances in Austin (as part of the 2012 Chaos in Tejas Fest) and Baltimore (as part of the 2012 Maryland Deathfest). True fans of heavy music cannot miss this rare chance to see Japan's true masters of doom!
Formed in 1996 by bassist Tatsu Mikami and guitarist Tomohiro Nishimura, the Tokyo-based CHURCH OF MISERY's formidable sound melds early-era Black Sabbath style doom with powerful psychedelic rock. Major players in Japan's underground music scene, the celebrated quartet dwells obsessively on the topic of infamous serial killers; the subjects-at-hand are both the focus of the band's lyrics and its overall sweeping thematic. Merging disturbing lyrical imagery and macabre news reel sound bites with infectious Wah Wah-driven Acid Metal, CHURCH OF MISERY is a far-out treat for fans of early 70's Hard Rock and traditional Doom Metal alike. Support on the CHURCH OF MISERY U.S. tour will come from a rotating cast of today's best UG metal acts including Rwake, Hail! Hornet and The Gates of Slumber.
CHURCH OF MISERY U.S. Tour Dates:
# = support from The Gates of Slumber
% = support from Rwake & The Gates of Slumber
* = support from Hail! Hornet & The Gates of Slumber
May 24 Providence, RI AS220 #
May 25 Brooklyn, NY Cameo %
May 26 Philadelphia, PA North Star %
May 27 Baltimore, MD Sonar (as part of Maryland Deathfest)
May 28 Wilmington, NC Soapbox *
May 29 Charlotte, NC Tremont Music Hall *
May 30 Atlanta, GA The Earl *
May 31 New Orleans, LA Siberia *
June 1 Austin, TX Red 7 (as part of Chaos in Tejas)
June 3 Albuquerque, NM Launchpad *
June 4 Scottsdale, AZ Chasers *
June 5 Los Angeles, CA Satellite *
June 6 San Francisco, CA Elbo Room *
June 8 Portland, OR Branx *
June 9 Seattle, WA Studio Seven *
Whereas other left field Japanese rock bands such as Boris, Melt Banana and Boredoms have managed to achieve a considerable amount of status over the course of the last few decades, CHURCH OF MISERY have made a conscious decision to remain encased in a morgue of both mystery and confusion. Over the course of its distinguished career, CHURCH OF MISERY has released music on labels such as Man's Ruin, Southern Lord and Rise Above. COM released its latest album Houses of the Unholy in 2011 and the band's classic records Master of Brutality and The Second Coming have just been reissued with bonus tracks via Metal Blade.
Updated news and tour information will be made available via CHURCH OF MISERY online.
"CHURCH OF MISERY holds the distinction of being one of the first doom metal bands to emerge from Japan. There are no high or low spots, no weak tracks to be avoided, or embarrassing experiments. CHURCH OF MISERY may very well be the undisputed (and unchallenged) kings" - ALL MUSIC
"Japan's Church of Misery have two features that not only set them apart from their stoner-metal peers but make them, quite bluntly, more enjoyable than most. One is their knack for groove. Church of Misery's second interesting feature is their lyrics. The guys obsess on the morbid — namely serial killers" - DETROIT METRO TIMES
"Exponentially extreme. How can a band singing almost exclusively about serial killers engender so much life?" - THE AUSTIN CHRONICLE
"gut-throbbing riff-centric doom done right…it's been a while since rock and roll legitimately scared the bejabbers out of the squares. These guys may actually think they are 1973-vintage BLACK SABBATH…and are you gonna tell them they're not?" - BLABBERMOUTH
http://www.metalblade.com/churchofmisery
Saturday, May 5, 2012 at 9:47AM 
