The mo… Read Full Bio ↴There are more than one band using the name Church Of Misery.
The most notable Church of Misery is a Japanese doom metal band with a specific extra-groovy sound that is often described as "stoner doom" but the band tends to snub this term saying "We hate trend. We hate corporate attitude. We hate the word 'stoner'. Death to false stoners!! Let there be DOOM!!" (citation from the Master Of Brutality album cover artwork notes).
Band was formed in 1996 in Tokyo by bassist Tatsu Mikami (ex-SALEM) and guitarist Tomohiro Nishimura, line-up was completed with singer Nobukazu Chow and drummer Hideki Shimizu. Band's raw and groovy style of doom metal rooted in 70s heavy rock with psychedelic feel and their notable lyrics mostly based on the famous serial killers' characters soon founded out the way into the hearts of the underground metal fans all over the world even though the band didn't play anywhere outside Japan until 2005. Band recorded first album entitled "Volume 1" at their live performance in Tokyo in 1996 for the Doom Records planning to release it in 1997 but the record company cancelled it fooling people who pre-ordered this album, and then released it as a rare unofficial bootleg. Next 1998 year three songs by Church Of Misery appeared on "Doomsday Recitation" compilation, soon this was followed by "Born Too Late" - the split record with Canadian band sHEAVY which included Saint Vitus' War Is Our Destiny song cover version. Band participated in the Doomsday Recitation tour and their live performance at Nanba Rockets Osaka venue on 13th of March was filmed, two songs from this footage appeared on a split video-tape with Japanese doom metal band Millarca. Same year the Bad Acid Records released band's "Taste The Pain" EP which included Iron Butterfly's In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida song cover version along with their own material. In 1999 Church Of Misery released the split record with British sludge doom legends Iron Monkey via the cult Man's Ruin label, also this year two new songs were released on 10 inch EP "Murder Company" by the Man label. During this period band is working actively recording a bunch of cover versions of the bands' like Death SS, Trouble and Black Widow songs for tribute compilations.
Southern Lord Records signed the band in 2001 and released their first official full-length album
"Master Of Brutality" that was featuring new vocalist Yoshiaki Negishi and drummer Junji Narita in February of the same year. Traditionally this release includes cover version of 70s rock legends' Blue Öyster Cult song "Cities On Flame" and the rest of the songs is devoted to mass murderers. Year later Kult Of Nihilow label released "Boston Strangler" EP both on 12 inch vinyl and mini-CD with quite different tracklists (vinyl version is lacking Candy Man (Dean Corll), CD-only bonus track). The Game Two label collected some of archive Church Of Misery songs and put them on a split album shared with british psychedelic/stoner doom band Acrimony in 2003. On 9th of June, 2004, band's second full-length The Second Coming saw the light of day being released via DiwPhalanx Records. This time "One Way... Or Another" song by Cactus was covered by the band, and the rest of material narrates about five new serial killers. This record also featured band's two new members: vocalist Hideki Fukasawa, also on synthesizers and guitarist Takenori Hoshi. Month later, on 28th of July, Leaf Hound Records released double CD entitled simply "Early Works Compilation" consisting of pre-"Master Of Brutality" songs with the addition of previously unreleased "Retal (Howard Unruh)" track. In late 2005 Church Of Misery first toured Europe supporting the European version of "The Second Coming" from Salvation Records.
Video footage of band performing four songs live appeared on DiwPhalanx's "Wizard's Convention: Japanese Heavy Rock Showcase" DVD that also features GREENMACHiNE, Boris and Eternal Elysium, released on 6th of June, 2005. In next two years Church Of Misery recorded material for three split releases with american doom metal bands: two different records with Sourvein, both came out in 2006, one for Calculon Records and the other one for Dadadrumming label, the other one with Deer Creek for Game Two label in 2007, this CD features the newest Church Of Misery band member, Australian guitarist Tom "Satan" Sutton, with whom Takenori Hoshi was replaced. There were also two video releases in 2006: DiwPhalanx Records presented "Houses Of The Unholy" DVD including two music videos ("Filth Bitch Boogie" and "I, Motherfucker") besides the live performance and Salvation Records presented "Live In Red, Eurotour 2005" DVD with seven live videos shot during the band's first European tour, which also includes the music video for Filth Bitch Boogie along with documentaries from various European cities Church Of Misery were playing at. On July, 31st of the same year Leaf Hound Records finally put out unfortunate first album "Volume 1" as an official one; there are two versions of this limited vinyl-only release: "Normal Edition" (limited to 450 copies) and "Die Hard Edition" (limited to 50 copies).
In 2008 Church Of Misery records limited 12 inch EP "Denis Nilsen" which includes Pentagram's "Hurricane" song cover version for Kult Of Nihilow Records and the Leaf Hound Records was going to release their long-awaited full-length entitled "Houses Of The Unnholy", that honestly continues tradition of the previous albums: there are six songs about serial killers and Sir Lord Baltimore's "Master Heartache" song cover version; but the band was not satisfied with final album mastering result and decided to re-record the whole album. It will be available via Lee Dorrian's cult Rise Above record label on 20th of April 2009. Also it was announced that vocalist Hideki left the band shortly after album recording comletion and was replaced with Negishi (who sung on "Master Of Brutality") for the upcoming tour dates.
In February 2010 the band will release their first live album on Roadburn Records: Live at Roadburn 2009. This blistering set will first be available only on cd but shortly after also on vinyl.
The original Church Of Misery was formed in 1992 in Bloomington, Illinois, United States by Stevo Dobbins (also known as Stevo De Caixo and Stevo St. Vitus), the vocalist of prominent death metal band Impetigo. The band was playing an unique brand of doom metal with the extreme metal influences, namely death metal and thrash metal. After the recording of "Sorrows Of The Moon" demo the band changed its name to Insomnia in April, 1993.
Plainfield
Church of Misery Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Name of slaughter house
Lonely old blood farmer
Resides in deserted house
Grave robber, body collector
Fall from sanity's grace
Digs up A bone and human body
With his bllody hands
Put on your "DEAD SKIN MASK"
Now's the time to perform the rite
Dancing on your grave
Dancing on your grave
Here's plainfield
Plainfield, terrors dwelling
Name of slaughter house
Mary hogan gunned down running
And blood fall to the ground
Barnice warden next victim
Headless body on A hook
Natural born psychopath
And his name "ED GEIN"
The lyrics of Church of Misery's song Plainfield describe the horrific events and characters surrounding the infamous murders that occurred in Plainfield, Wisconsin during the 1950s. The name Plainfield refers to the slaughterhouse where the murders took place, and the lyrics mention a "lonely old blood farmer" who resides in a deserted house. This character is likely a reference to Ed Gein, a notorious killer who lived and worked on his family farm in Plainfield.
The song mentions Gein's penchant for grave robbing and collecting human remains, as well as his descent into madness ("fall from sanity's grace"). The chorus urges listeners to put on their "dead skin mask" and perform a ritual dance on the graves of Gein's victims. The lyrics also mention the murders of Mary Hogan and Bernice Warden, both of whom became Gein's victims.
Line by Line Meaning
Plainfield, horrors dwelling
The town of Plainfield is known for its gruesome, terrifying murders.
Name of slaughter house
The town's murderous history is akin to a slaughterhouse, a place where innocent victims are taken to be killed.
Lonely old blood farmer
The killer responsible for the murders is a reclusive individual who enjoys bloodshed.
Resides in deserted house
The killer lives in an abandoned house, symbolizing his separation from society and descent into madness.
Grave robber, body collector
The killer digs up graves and collects human remains as trophies, demonstrating his twisted fascination with death.
Fall from sanity's grace
The killer has lost his grip on reality, and has sunk into a deranged mental state.
Digs up A bone and human body
The killer is shown actively committing an act of grave-robbing, demonstrating his disregard for the sanctity of human life and death.
With his bllody hands
The killer's hands are already covered in blood, demonstrating his immersion in violent acts.
Beneath the full moonlight
The scene described takes place at night, under the light of a full moon - a common literary device used to create an eerie, unsettling atmosphere.
Put on your "DEAD SKIN MASK"
The lyrics describe a macabre ritual, where the killer dons a mask made of human skin - a reference to real-life killer Ed Gein.
Now's the time to perform the rite
The song urges the killer to complete his gruesome act, suggesting that he is driven by some dark compulsion to commit horrific deeds.
Dancing on your grave
The killer seems to take pleasure in dancing on his victim's graves, suggesting a perverse satisfaction in the death and suffering he has caused.
Here's plainfield
The song's final line serves as a chilling introduction to the town of Plainfield, as if to warn listeners of the danger and violence that lurk around every corner.
Plainfield, terrors dwelling
The final repetition of the song's opening line hammers home the idea that Plainfield is a place of unspeakable horror.
Mary hogan gunned down running
A specific victim of the Plainfield killer, Mary Hogan, is mentioned. She was shot to death while trying to run away from the killer.
And blood fall to the ground
The vivid description of Mary's murder emphasizes the brutality of the killer's actions and underscores the grim reality of his crimes.
Barnice warden next victim
Another victim of the Plainfield killer, Bernice Warden, is mentioned. She was decapitated and her headless body was found hanging in the killer's shed.
Headless body on A hook
The details of Bernice's murder are graphic and grisly, highlighting the twisted, sadistic nature of the killer's crimes.
Natural born psychopath
The song suggests that the killer is not simply the product of his environment, but is instead a natural-born psychopath with a predilection for violence and murder.
And his name "ED GEIN"
The song's final reference to Ed Gein - another infamous Wisconsin killer - cements the idea that the Plainfield killer is a true monster, on the same level as some of the most infamous killers in American history.
Contributed by Taylor V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.