Church Of Misery - Thy Kingdom Scum (2013)

Reviewed by Sebastian Kluth

Church Of Misery is one of the most famous contemporary doom metal bands from Japan. This is probably due to the fact that the quartet from Shinjuku in Tokyo has been on tour in all places both possible and seemingly impossible to spread their music over the years. Additionally, all of the band’s releases (with one exception) are dedicated to famous serial killers from all around the world. The concept may not be original, but who isn’t intrigued by insane minds and their curious crimes?

Last but not least, the band manages, in a very balanced way, to deliver precisely what we expect from them, and yet to be completely unpredictable. Heavy doom metal riffs, an almost constantly pumping bass guitar, heavy but varied drumbeats, a passionate use of the wah pedal, and excessive jam session-like instrumental parts meet original samples of news reports or taped confessions that add an atmospheric touch to the sinister songs. The music and the topics are kept together by an emotionally roaring, singing, and yelling vocalist who really sings with his heart and his soul without caring about aesthetic perfection. He is completely unpredictable, but absolutely unique within his niche. What he does always seems to fit even if it sounds completely disharmonic at some points. The vocals might sound odd at first, but they are doubtlessly an important trademark of the band.

If you want to listen to a typical song with all these trademarks on Thy Kingdom Scum, go for the epic closer “Düsseldorf Monster”, which is of course dedicated to the German serial killer Peter Kürten. This song might sound overlong at first contact, but it’s a passionate and hypnotizing piece of music that gets more and more fascinating with each spin. The other songs on the record are shorter and more consistent, but I really dig this drug-infused psychedelic old school jam session that lasts for almost thirteen minutes.

Apart from five regular tracks, the band also includes a great instrumental opener entitled “B.T.K.” in dubious honor of Dennis Rader. The song comes along with sound samples of a taped confession of the murders, strange atmospheric sounds, and a truly sinister atmosphere. There is probably no better way to open a conceptual record about serial killers than with a track like this.

As always, the band also includes a shorter cover song on the record. This time, the Japanese quartet chose the track “One Blind Mice” of the rather unknown old British progressive rock band Quatermass. The original song was recorded in the famous Abbey Road Studios in London back in 1970. Usually I happen to find Church Of Misery’s cover songs weaker than the originals, as well as weaker than the band’s own work. This choice is quite good, however, as it keeps the catchy parts of the original, adds some heaviness and pacing, and generally makes the whole thing sound extremely cool and simple. There is even some old school rock ‘n’ roll feel to this track. Obviously, this cover song is a little bit different from the other songs on the record, as the song is much shorter and catchier as well. If the band cared about getting some attention from the mainstream, this would be the obvious single candidate, but they definitely don’t care about such things.

In the end, Church Of Misery is probably the most interesting modern doom metal act in my eyes, save for the eternal and much more accessible Black Sabbath. Fans of psychedelic rock and the stoner scene should find this band quite accessible, and their most recent release to be one of their very best. If you are interested, I might suggest you many other quite diversified doom metal bands from Japan.

4.0 // 5

Tengger Cavalry - Ancient Call (2014)

Reviewed by Sebastian Kluth

Tengger Cavalry has by now released five studio records since its debut. Nationally and internationally, the band has grown more famous in the last three years than most other Chinese bands ever do in their entire careers.

The intriguing aspect about the band is that they mix Mongolian folk music, traditional throat singing, and legendary tales of the people of that fascinating country with some extreme metal influences. The use of two traditional Mongolian bowed string instruments called morin khuur and one long-necked lute called a dombra, gives the band a completely unique sound. Tengger Cavalry takes an equivalent inspiration from, and has a similar impact on Mongolian culture as Eluveitie have in Switzerland, for example.

Like their Swiss colleagues, this band has some pretty heavy tracks, such as the madly thrashing “Galloping Towards The Great Land” or the destructive “Summon The Warrior”. Both of which feature stormy riffs, up-tempo drumming, and harsh vocals. Other songs like the shamanic “Dance With The Wolf” or the joyful but mysterious “Echo Of The Grassland” are quite laid back and completely acoustic, with throat singing passages. It’s when both styles are fused in equal parts, as in the epic “Brave” or in the enchanting album highlight “Chant Of The Cavalry” that the band is most fascinating.

My favorite song is probably the closing “Legend On Horseback”, which features some Chinese folk influences. The song starts like a traditional lullaby before it gets heavier. The dark riffs are overpowered by the longing folk sounds that create a truly epic atmosphere. The song sounds structured, but always comes around with a few new ideas. Modern sounds and riffs meet the ancient grace of Chinese and Mongolian influence in a perfectly balanced symbiosis.

The mixture of genres might sound a little bit unusual at first, but let me assure you that this combination will be growing on you each time you listen, though I admit that this record is lacking a true hit. Folk metal fans simply can’t avoid band, which is a welcome alternative to acts like Eluveitie, Ensiferum, and Equilibrium, and complements its Chinese colleagues Nine Treasures and The Samans quite well. I’m already quite sure that you will see this record on my list of the best albums of the young year of 2014.

4.0 // 5

Within Temptation - Hydra (2014)

Reviewed by Sebastian Kluth

Do you remember Within Temptation? Yes, I’m talking about that Dutch band that played passionate gothic metal on early releases likeEnter and The Dance, and then switched to magical and inspired symphonic metal on later albums like Mother Earth, The Silent Force? The band began to go downhill on the more radio-friendly, Americanized record The Heart Of Everything. Genre fans surely remember hits like “Restless”, “The Other Half (Of Me)”, “Mother Earth”, “Ice Queen”, “Stand My Ground”, “Angels”, “The Howling”, and “Our Solemn Hour”. Even the acoustic duet with Chris Jones on “Utopia” was still a good song, but a sign that the band was venturing more and more into an exchangeable, mainstream direction. On the boring and powerless conceptual output The Unforgiving, the band sounded like a silly copy of ABBA rather than of Therion. Within Temptation went on to release a couple of cover songs entitled The Q-Music Sessions, where they obviously covered their new heroes. But these aren’t Enigma, Enya, Kate Bush, or Loreena McKennitt anymore. Their new sound has nothing to do with Edenbridge, Epica, Nightwish, or Sirenia either. Maybe they are still comparable to modern Lacuna Coil, but that’s not a good reference at all. No, the artists and bands that were covered during these sessions are Bruno Mars, David Guetta, Enrique Iglesias, and One Republic.

Die-hard fans might claim that I’m a closed-minded metalhead now, and that the band simply headed for new terrain. I (obviously) don’t mind bands experimenting with new sounds at all. In fact, almost everything would have been fine with me. If Within Temptation was about to release a world music album with different folk influences? Brilliant, that would grab my interest. If Within Temptation decided to do a cover record of classical music and opera pieces? Fine, I’m listening to that kind of music, too. Within Temptation records a progressive rock album? Why not, I adore that genre. But I don’t adore David Guetta, Enrique Iglesias, and One Republic who, make dull, easily imitable mainstream pop music. I’m not an enemy of pop: Japanese pop music is quite fascinating to me. I like some of the classics as well, such as ABBA, Madonna, and Michael Jackson. I even enjoy some modern American pop, but the mainstream music Within Temptation is playing now is just mooning and faceless.

At least the vocals sound juvenile and fresh. Many of these new pop songs definitely have catchy hooks. They stay on your mind even if you don’t want them to. It’s like a dog’s poo under your boots, if you get what I mean. Two or three tracks are actually quite solid on here, and I grant them that, but that’s it.

The down-tuned guitars, the artificially flavored symphonic elements, the repetitive hooks, and the weird choice of guest artists are the nails in the band’s creative coffin. The most convincing guest musician is actually rapper Xzibit. He makes a pretty average song called “And We Run” a little bit exciting. On the other hand, his angry parts don’t fit with the graciously high-pitched princess vocals. Try to imagine a mixture of Dr. Alban and Kate Bush and you might have an appropriate idea. The duet with Tarja Turunen entitled “Paradise (What About Us?)” is solid but highly predictable as well. Killswitch Engage’s Howard Jones and a certain Dave Pirner are just plain awful, but maybe it’s because they perform on truly boring tracks. My guess is that all these guest musicians are just there to give us a chance to distinguish all the exchangeable tracks. It didn’t really work out, even though the record only includes ten tiny tracks and less than fifty minutes of playing time after more than three years of waiting.

The band included one metal-oriented track on the record. “Silver Moonlight”‘s riffs try desperately hard to sound heavy, but they just feel worn-out. The orchestral elements feel by-the-way and cheesy as well. The track even includes a short guitar solo, and a catchy chorus is supported by a few male growls. It seems that the band is really trying hard to show us that they haven’t forgotten where they came from, and this song does indeed remind me of the band’s early days. It’s not a bad track, and might even be the best and most diverse on this release, but it just doesn’t sound credible anymore. It feels as if Rihanna had invited Morbid Angel to perform with her on one track, or as if Céline Dion collaborated with Anonymus. Imagine a mixture of Helene Fischer and Crematory…I think you’ve got the idea by now.

In the end, it’s all quite simple. If you liked the band’s last outputs in The Unforgiving and The Q-Music Sessions, you will also dig this record. If you are a fan of contemporary Lacuna Coil, you will also adore this. If you liked the band’s earlier works, initial creativity, and metal albums, you will probably hate this. The last Eminem record was honestly more metal than this. That’s the sad truth. Really.

1.75 // 5