Church of Misery, formed in Tokyo in 1995 by bassist Tatsu Mikami, emerged from Japan’s early Black Sabbath-inspired doom scene, combining heavy psychedelic textures with lyrics centered on serial killers and true crime. The band’s early recordings, including the unauthorized Vol. 1 (1997) and the Taste the Pain EP (1998), established their raw, fuzz-driven sound and attracted labels such as Southern Lord and Diwphalanx. Their official debut album Master of Brutality (2001) and its successor The Second Coming (2004) solidified their international cult following, while Houses of the Unholy(2009) and Thy Kingdom Scum (2013) under Rise Above Records further defined their legacy. Following multiple lineup changes, Church of Misery released And Then There Were None… (2016) and Born Under a Mad Sign (2023), continuing to tour Europe, North America, and Japan as one of the leading acts in global doom metal.
