It is an beautiful components that the overwhelming majority of metalheads can get behind. Riffs. Serial Killers. This has been the CHURCH OF MISERY approach since 1995. Connoisseurs of these things will know what an absolute riff machine bassist Tatsu Mikami is, and “Born Beneath a Mad Signal” provides one other absurd splurge of post-Iommi godliness to his band’s already laudable catalogue. It is usually as heavy as something the Japanese miscreants have ever launched, which is not any imply feat.

First issues first. CHURCH OF MISERY have caught rigidly to a lyrical food regimen of real-life serial killer tales all through their prolonged profession, and since humanity stays totally fucked up, they nonetheless haven’t any scarcity of grim tales to discover, as large, swaggering doom riffs erupt round them. This time, an obsidian highlight is shone on John Allen Mohammad, who carried out a number of sniper assaults in Washington D.C. in 2002 (“Beltway Sniper”) and Fritz “The Butcher Of Hanover” Haarmann, who slaughtered 24 (or probably extra) younger males and boys in Germany, within the early twentieth century (“Most Evil”). As soon as once more, these macabre conceptual backdrops are excellent for Mikami‘s relentless cost into the void: riffs and our bodies pile up, side-by-side: it is an exquisite factor.

The horrors proceed, after all. “Freeway Insanity Boogie” is evil stoner rock par excellence, telling of Randy Kraft (a.ok.a. the “Scorecard Killer”). “Homicide Fortress Blues” is a dense dose of pure doom magic, haunted by the specter of nineteenth century con man killer H.H. Holmes. Waco whack-job David Koresh is a scorched however unrepentant presence on the fuzzed-out and funky “Come And Get Me Sucker”; whereas Robert Hansen (“Butcher Baker”) who kidnapped, raped after which murdered 17 ladies in Alaska between 1971 and 1983, brings the bloody curtain down over a minimum of two of CHURCH OF MISERY‘s biggest ever riffs. Followers of obscure, early ’70s proto-metal might be drooling at a beastly, organ-laced cowl of HAYSTACKS BALBOA‘s “Spoiler”, which inserts so snugly right here that it would as effectively be a Mikami unique. In the meantime, in case you are wise sufficient to purchase this report on vinyl, Fritz Haarmann‘s face will peer again at you from the second disc’s etched second aspect. Do have nightmares.

Ever since they launched 1998’s “Style The Ache” EP, CHURCH OF MISERY have been a dependable benchmark for suppurating, SABBATH-saluting doom. The serial killer factor is absolutely simply an added bonus, as a result of Mikami‘s riffs are uniformly magnificent, maybe much more so than on earlier peaks “Grasp Of Brutality” (2001) or “Homes Of The Unholy” (2009). The most effective concepts by no means get previous, homicide is all the time in model, and CHURCH OF MISERY have delivered one other basic.