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 t...