Labels: Rise Above
Review by: Alex Deller
Listening to the latest Church Of Misery album is almost the same as giving a new Fu Manchu record its initial spin. You know before the first note’s even been struck what you’re gonna get: take a similar line in bellmottomed retro rock, heavy it up some and swap the time-honoured themes of dames and muscle cars for the bloody misdeeds of serial killers and you’re pretty much there. Needless to say, this latest effort is a bit of a stonker – rhino-sized riffs bounce evilly along, Crybaby pedals are ground into the turf and Yoshiaki Negishi’s bestially melodic vocals drive the whole thing forth, reins in one hand and flailing scourge in the other. Standout track is probably “Blood Sucking Freak” – a less-than-delicate ode to the Vampire of Sacramento – with its bloodied riffs, carved-up solos and borderline-anthemic moments, but in all honesty whichever of the seven tracks you haul from the boot of your car by midnight, it’s almost certain to be a killer.