| Born Under a Mad Sign | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Studio album by Church of Misery | ||
| Released | June 30 2023 | |
| Recorded | August 2022 - February 2023 at Eyestar Studio and Studio Zen in Japan | |
| Genre | Doom Metal, Psychedelic Rock | |
| Length | 53:26 | |
| Label | Rise Above Records | |
| Producer | Yukito Okazaki | |
| Church of Misery chronology | ||
| And Then There Were None... (2016) |
Born Under a Mad Sign (2023) |
TBA (TBA) |
Born Under a Mad Sign is the sixth (seventh if you count Vol. 1) studio album by the Japanese doom metal band Church of Misery. Released in 2023, it would mark the longest gap between albums at seven years.
Yukito Okazaki (Eternal Elysium) would perform guitar on the album but would leave the band after recording, while it would be the first CoM album to feature drummer Toshiaki Umemura. Vocalist Hiroyuki Takano was originally intended to perform on the album but would leave the band in November 2022. The replacement for the album would be Church of Misery's original singer Kazuhiro Asaeda, who makes his first appearance with the band since 1996's Vol. 1.
The albums title is a play on the Albert King song "Born Under a Bad Sign". The serial killer depicted on the album cover is Fritz Haarmann (1879 - 1925), erroneously spelled on the album as "Fritz Herman".
Background[]
Development on the next Church of Misery record had begun as far back as 2019, when two new songs would surface in "Unabomber" and "Hungerford Massacre" at their final show of 2019 and through the band's 25th Anniversary North American Tour.[1] Ultimately neither of these songs would appear on the album. Following a series of lineup changes and recording of a new Sonic Flower album,[2] an announcement would be made that a new studio album was in the works.[3] Along with Mikami and vocalist Hiroyuki Takano, Toshiaki Umemura (Auma, Sonic Flower) would join on drums and Yukito Okazaki (Eternal Elysium) would join on guitar.
Church of Misery in late 2022.
On 30 November 2022 it would be announced that Hiroyuki Takano had left the band and that original Church of Misery vocalist Kazuhiro Asaeda had rejoined the band for the recording sessions, his first studio appearance with the band in 26 years.[4][5] The album would be finished and sent to the label in March 2023.[6] Information on the album would surface in the Spring of 2023, setting the release on CD for June with vinyl to follow.
Tracklist[]
All music written by Tatsu Mikami except where noted.
- 1. Beltway Sniper (John Allen Muhammed) (8:44)
- 2. Most Evil (Fritz Hermann) (9:48)
- 3. Freeway Madness Boogie (Randy Kraft) (6:06)
- 4. Murder Castle Blues (H. H. Holmes) (7:58)
- 5. Spoiler (5:42) (Haystacks Balboa)
- 6. Come and Get Me Sucker (David Koresh) (6:49)
- 7. Butcher Baker (Robret Hansen) (8:19)
Personnel[]
Church of Misery[]
- Tatsu Mikami - Bass, Songwriting, Lyrics
- Kazuhiro Asaeda - Vocals
- Yukito Okazaki - Guitar, Engineer, Mixing, Mastering, Producer
- Toshiaki Umemura - Drums
Other Personnel[]
- Richard Schouten - Design