Junji Narita

Junji Narita
Narita in 2005.
Background information
Birth Name	Junji Narita
Alias	J.J.
Occupation	Musician
Genres	Doom Metal, Stoner Metal, Psychedelic Rock
Instrument(s)	Drums
Years active	1990s - Present
Labels	Southern Lord Records, Rise Above Records, Game Two Records, Leaf Hound Records, DiwPhalanx Records, Metal Blade Records
Associated acts	Church of Misery, Sonic Flower

Junji Narita is a musician based out of Japan, best known for his tenure with the doom metal band Church of Misery. Narita would be the longest tenured member of the band aside from bassist and bandleader Tatsu Mikami, he performed around the world with Church of Misery for roughly fifteen years. Narita appears on four of the band's six studio albums amid a wide range of other releases.

Biography

Church of Misery

• For more details feel free to view the page on Church of Misery.

Narita would join Church of Misery in 1999 alongside vocalist Yoshiaki Negishi. Sometime after this lineup had formed, work would begin on their official debut studio album (Omitting Vol. 1). Following recording in the Spring of 2001 it would be announced that Summer that Southern Lord Records would release the debut album sometime in the Fall. Takenori Hoshi would join in 2002 and after recording in the Summer, would release The Boston Strangler EP via Finnish label Kult of Nihilow. On 25 July the band would announce their new singer in Hideki Fukasawa. Work would begin on The Second Coming in the Fall, recording at the Los Angeles Club (Tokyo, Japan) from November 2003 to March 2004.

Following a string of live performances The Second Coming would be released on 9 June 2004. In 2005 The Second Coming would be re-issued by French label My Own Salvation, surrounding the band's first ever tour of Europe, known as The Second Coming European Tour 2005. A follow-up tour of Europe known as No Sleep Til' Halloween European Tour 2006 would take place the next year with Sourvein. Church of Misery would largely perform in Japan through 2007 and 2008, supporting touring acts as part of Doom Age Festival. Finally, after their first appearance at Roadburn Festival in April 2008 and releasing the Dennis Nilsen EP, work would begin on a new album.

The band originally recorded the album in 2008 in Den Haag with Guy Tavares (Orange Sunshine) but due to recording issues among other things the sessions were scrapped. Thus, recording would take place with longtime engineer O-Mi Kihara at Los Angeles Studios in Tokyo through November 2008. Mastering would take place at Peace Music in January 2009. When the sessions would be finished, vocalist Hideki Fukasawa would abruptly leave the band, as announced on 23 January 2009, with Yoshiaki Negishi taking his place for two hometown shows and a tour of Europe. It had been stated that Hideki simply disappeared without warning, forcing the band to eventually recruit Negishi after talking things out. Houses of the Unholy would be released in England on 20 April 2009 and on 7 July 2009 in the United States via Metal Blade Records, attaining positive reviews.

Church of Misery would tour Europe, Australia, Japan and North America over the next few years, eventually building up to a new studio album. Recording with longtime producer O-Mi Kihara, Thy Kingdom Scum would be released circa 21 May 2013 via Rise Above Records and 11 June 2013 in North America via Metal Blade Records. Church of Misery would tour extensively to support the album. However following three tours of Europe in 2014, Narita, guitarist Ikuma Kawabe and vocalist Hideki Fukasawa would all leave the band at the end of September 2014.

Little is known of Narita outside of his lengthy tenure with Church of Misery.

Bands

• Church of Misery - Drums (1999 - 2014)
• Sonic Flower - Drums (Unknown Time Period)

Selected Discography with Church of Misery

• Master of Brutality (Studio Album) (2001, Southern Lord Records)
• Boston Strangler (EP) (2002, Kult of Nihilow)
• The Second Coming (Studio Album) (2004, DiwPhalanx)
• Church of Misery / Deer Creek (Split with Deer Creek) (2006, Game Two Records)
• Church of Misery / Sourvein (Split with Sourvein) (2006, Dada Drumming; Calculon)
• Dennis Nilsen (EP) (2008, Kult of Nihilow)
• Houses of the Unholy (Studio Album) (2009, Rise Above Records)
• Greetings From Jonestown (EP) (2009, A Pile of Dirt Music)
• Live at Roadburn 2009 (Live Album) (2010, Roadburn Records)
• Thy Kingdom Scum (Studio Album) (2013, Rise Above Records)