Originally recorded in 1996 and long bootlegged before its official vinyl release in 2007 on Japan’s now-disappeared Leaf Hound Records, it’s not until some 15 years later that Church of Misery’s first album, Vol. 1, is seeing a legitimate CD release. Michigan imprint Emetic Records – who also reissued Church of Misery’s Early Works Compilation last year (another out of print Leaf Hound title) – has both CD and vinyl versions of the album, both with bonus tracks, and the Sabbath worship may have never been so complete. From the direct take on Black Sabbath’s Vol. 4 artwork, to the title, to the sampled storm that starts the album to the simplistic riff-based glory contained within the subsequent tracks, Church of Misery are missionaries spreading a message, giving praise in one of the most direct and vital ways: With groove.

The only remaining member (the only founding member left) from the Vol. 1 lineup of the band is Tatsu Mikami, whose wah-bass features heavily almost immediately with a solo on “Cloud Bed.” His Geezer Butler fills are to be expected, but like a lot of what Church of Misery has done musically over the course of their career, is no less glorious for hitting its marks. The serial killer obsession that’s come out in the vast majority of their lyrics is nascent on Vol. 1, vocalist Kazuhiro Asaeda handling most of the words with help from guitarist Tomohiro Nishimura, whose riffs – it should go without saying – are pure Iommic bastardization, and I mean that in the best way. The simple truth is that no one has ever quite captured the swing of mid-paced Black Sabbath as well as Church of Misery, and even as they close out Vol. 1 with a cover of Gun’s “Race with the Devil,” their treatment of it sounds like Trouble doing one of the tunes off Masters of Reality. Obviously, that’s a good thing. They’ve always been a “what you see is what you get” kind of band, an ethic they seem to share with British outfit Orange Goblin, who got started around the same time, but their simplicity is a huge part of their appeal. “Kingdom Scum” wouldn’t work if it wanted to do more than rock. The way “Celebrate Pigs” invokes “Snowblind” would fall flat if it was trying to be more than it is. Church of Misery requires prior induction, and as Vol. 1 shows, that’s apparently been the case right from the start.

Read more »

Good news for anyone who hates paying eBay prices for their doom: Michigan imprint Emetic Records will reissue Church of Misery‘s Volume 1 next month. Emetic released the band’s Early Works Compilation (originally out on the defunct Leaf Hound label) last year as well, and in case you missed it, it’s awesome and you should get it.

Emetic sent word along via the PR wire:

March 8 will see the official rerelease of Church of Misery‘s unreleased debut full-length Volume 1 via Emetic Records. This will be the first time this has been officially released on CD. A vinyl version will be released towards the end of March. This release has been remastered (Souichirou Nakamura at Peace Music) and sounds amazing compared to the original release. Originally recorded in 1996, this is the oldest Church of Misery recordings.

Volume 1 track listing:
1. Cloud Bed
2. Nutz
3. Kingdom Scum
4. Frog’s Funeral
5. Cerebrate Pigs
6. Chilly Grave
7. Race with the Devil
8. Race with the Devil (Single Version)
9. Chilly Grave (Single Version)

Church Of Misery Will be playing the following festival dates with more to added soon.
Hellfest – France June 17
Tuska Open Air – Finland July 22-24

If I posted news about it every time Boris had a release, I’d have to change the name of this website. The Oborisk or something like that. Oboriselisk. I don’t know. Point is, Boris put out records in like two-month intervals, but January marks the issue of their first-ever live DVD, appropriately-dubbed Live in Japan. The PR wire has the info:

Japanese rock experimentalists Boris are well-known not only for their epic discography — they’ve unleashed multiple releases to the public every year in countless formats since their formation in the early ’90s — but also for the captivating live performances they’re constantly booking, playing live throughout every habitable continent on the planet over the past decade and a half. The next official release from the band will bring fans a bit of both worlds, in the form of the band’s first official domestic live DVD from the band!

Set for release via Southern Lord on Jan. 18, 2011, the Live in Japan DVD captures the intriguing power, majesty and unique psychedelia that only Boris can deliver, and will bring the band’s incredible stage act to fans who have never witnessed the band live, as well as diehards who venture out to see the act every chance they get. The footage on this official DVD release was filmed in Tokyo at the final show of the band’s 2008 Smile world tour. Featuring a full set of 11 Boris originals filmed at Daikanyama Unit, as well as three bonus videos from a set at the Shibuya Club Quattro, this DVD is quite special since Boris actually play on other continents much more often than in their home country!

Boris Live in Japan DVD track listing:
1. Flower Sun Rain
2. Buzz-In
3. Laser Beam
4. Pink
5. Statement
6. Floor Shaker
7. Rainbow
8. My Neighbor Satan
9. Ka Re Ha Te Ta Sa Ki – No One’s Grieve
10. You Were Holding An Umbrella
11. ”     ”

Bonus tracks from Shibuya Club Quattro:
12. Tokyo Wonder Land
13. A Bao A Qu
14. Farewell

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

This is the mother of them all. Short of doing three songs in as many hours, which I could have done just as or even more easily, I don’t see how any audiObelisk Transmission could get heavier than this one. It’s just a little bit of an excuse on my part to have an easily accessible copy of Dopesmoker at all times, but with new music as well from Hypnos 69, a classic dirge from Teeth of Lions Rule the Divine and one of Boris‘ most avant garde moments, Transmission Zero Zero Nine is an absolute monster. I hope you dig it.

No need to hide the tracklist after a jump since it’s only four songs. Click the banner at the top of this post to get the file, or stream it on the player above. Here’s what we’ve got:

0:00:08 Sleep, “Dopesmoker” from Dopesmoker (Tee Pee, 2003)
There was no way I was going to make this podcast and not include this song. It’s the riff that launched a thousand clone bands, and Sleep‘s shining hour. Literally, an hour. Plenty of time to worship.

1:03:42 Hypnos 69, “The Great Work” from Legacy (Elektrohasch, 2010)
New music from these Belgian classic proggers. It’s the last cut on their new album, Legacy, and maybe their most aptly-titled song ever. Their sense of melody is second to none and the progressive elements in their approach have never shined brighter than they do here.

1:21:53 Teeth of Lions Rule the Divine, “He Who Accepts all That is Offered (Feel Bad Hit of the Winter)” from Rampton (Southern Lord, 2002)
The lineup of Lee Dorrian (Cathedral), Stephen O’Malley (SunnO)))/Khanate), Justin Greaves (Iron Monkey/now-Crippled Black Phoenix) and Greg Anderson (Goatsnake) only put out one album under this cumbersome moniker, taken from a song title on Earth‘s Earth 2. It’s a good thing. I don’t think the universe could handle a second without ripping in half.

1:51:35 Boris, “Flood” from Flood (MIDI Creative, 2000)
Is that guitar forward or backwards? Both? I doubt anyone really knows what Boris are getting up to for the entirety of this song, Boris included. I remember interviewing drummer Atsuo Mizuno a couple years back and he looked at me like my head was on backwards when I asked about it. See if you can figure it out.

Download audiObelisk Transmission 009 here.

You could probably throw darts at oddball combinations of rock bands for six years before you came up with Japanese experimentalists Boris and lead singer Ian Astbury of The Cult, so wouldn’t you know that would have to be the one that actually happened. It’s strange on paper and kind of strange in the hearing, but taking it from the perspective of Boris, who’ve done more collaborations and experimental pieces than I care or am able to count in their 18 years together, it’s just one more wacky thing to add to the list. In your best sitcom-mom voice: “Oh, that Boris. What will they get up to next?”

What they get up to with BXI (Boris x Ian, get it?) is some rock of varied tempo and approach; the EP is a self-titled sampling of what the two distinct personalities have to offer when combined. Four tracks in 20 minutes, it’s a short release, but Boris and Astbury, though it’s certainly an unexpected grouping, doesn’t really sound awkward — and if that seems like a contradiction to the last paragraph where I said it’s strange, you’re unfamiliar with Boris. For a band who so consistently strives to put themselves out of their element, doing something like making a record with Ian Astbury is no crazier than many of the other moves they’ve made. If you’re a Cult fan, that’s just a bonus.

The EP BXI (unsurprisingly released through Southern Lord) starts with “Teeth and Claws,” and right away we understand the idea is to meld a more atmospheric side of Boris’ riffy approach to Astbury’s gruff, classic rock vocalizing. His voice adds an almost Meat Loaf-style teen melodrama to the track, and of course it wouldn’t be Boris if that wasn’t completely turned in its head with the next song. “We are Witches” is driven most by its riff, and there’s a killer solo from either Wata or Takeshi Ohtani, but the bass, the drums of Atsuo Mizuno and Wata’s backing vocals (one could hardly hold being overpowered by Astbury against her) do just as much as any other element to make the song the highlight of the EP. With its oft-repeated title line, the song balances catchy and straightforward with unique and experimental in a way that best encapsulates BXI. If you’re going to sample a song before you decide whether or not to make a purchase, let it be “We are Witches.”

Read more »

For the life of me, I don’t know how Boris manages to stay so prolific. For example, within the next two weeks, the core unit of the band will be playing shows not only as themselves (concluding a US/Canada tour), but also as collaborative outfits with the likes of SunnO))) and Ian Astbury of The Cult. We should all be blessed with such a work ethic. I can barely take out the garbage without feeling like the world owes me an ice cream sandwich.

The PR wire has the specifics as to how Boris continues to make us all look bad:

As Boris wrap up their latest month-long North American tour with two California shows this week, they’re also prepare to join forces with several allies for their upcoming live work with Altar and BXI performances scheduled in New York.

First up, Altar (comprised of SunnO))) and Boris as one group) will perform at the All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival in Monticello, New York alongside Sleep, Iggy & The Stooges, Sonic Youth and countless more in a massive outdoor space. Two days later Altar will make another appearance, this time alongside the first official performance of BXI (Boris and Ian Astbury of The Cult), which will all go down at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple, which has been unarguably dubbed “the loudest room in NYC,” and presented by All Tomorrow’s Parties and The Blackened Music Series.

The debut release from BXI is a four-song self-titled EP, which was released by Southern Lord on Aug. 17. The EP is quickly surprising fans of both The Cult and Boris, as well as journalists across the globe, and has listeners taking this new collaboration quite seriously, making this official first concert together an exceptionally special performance for the unit.

Live Performances:
Boris
8/26/2010 Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA w/ Red Sparowes, Helms Alee
8/27/2010 El Rey – Los Angeles, CA w/ Red Sparowes, Helms Alee
8/28/2010 The Glass House – Pomona, CA w/ Red Sparowes, Helms Alee
Altar
9/05/2010 ATP Fest – Monticello, NY w/ Sleep, The Stooges, Sonic Youth, more
Altar and BXI
9/07/2010 Brooklyn Masonic Temple – Brooklyn, NY w/ Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter

Church of Misery covering Saint Vitus. If it gets more doom than that — no, wait, it can’t possibly get more doom than that, so I’m not going to entertain the hypothesis. This comes off the Born too Late split with Sheavy. Good stuff.

I’m running late, so I’m going to keep this short. As soon as this is posted I’m going to head out the door and jump on 95 to get down to Manhattan to catch the Melvins, Isis and Totimoshi at Webster Hall. If you’re going I’ll see you there. Don’t buy me a drink because when the show is over I have to drive back up to Connecticut.

Stick around for next week. We’ll finish up the Top Five of the First Half of 2010 and have an interview with Tony Reed of Stone Axe, plenty of other goodies as well. Whatever you’re up to this weekend, hope it’s a blast. Stay safe and we’ll see you back here on Monday.

Sometimes, my friends, the world is a very strange place. For example: of all the combinations that could happen, would you ever put Japanese rock monsters Boris with Ian Astbury of The Cult/The Doors? I most certainly would not, thus denying myself the right to claim I came up with BXI. It may not make any sense, but I’m willing to wager it kicks at least a little ass, and if there’s a chance of seeing Boris do an interpretation of The Doors‘ “The End” live, I’ll be honest, I could care less who else is around.

The PR wire has this:

Southern Lord proudly announces an incredible collaboration between label artists Boris and Ian Astbury of The Cult and The Doors! This finely-crafted four-song mini release, simply entitled BXI, was tracked and mixed in Tokyo in late April. Astbury‘s vocals are a perfect match for Boris‘s straightforward, laid-back, but still raw and imaginative songwriting constructed for the EP; another intriguing display within the band’s ever-morphing, extensive résumé of releases, tours and collaborations.

To see official CD, LP and digital release this September via Southern Lord, BXI will showcase the already unclassifiable rock of Boris in an entirely new light, and shows a new side one of rock and roll’s most notorious singers. The release features three new original tracks, as well as a cover of The Cult‘s song “Rain”, ethereally vocalized by Boris guitarist Wata. Art and design for the release was commissioned to Stephen O’Malley (Ideologic.org, SunnO))), etc.).

This past weekend, Ian Astbury made an unannounced appearance with Boris at the band’s performance at Sydney, Australia‘s Vivid Live appearance, blowing fans away with this unexpected set which showcased some of the material from the BXI EP as well as a cover of the classic “The End” by The Doors.

BXI EP track listing:
1. Teeth and Claws
2. We are the Witches
3. Rain
4. Magickal Child

Impulse usually plays a very small part in my CD purchasing, and even less so for buying online. Whether it’s eBay, Amazon, All that is Heavy or what, the final click may be on a whim, but I’ve usually sat and sweated over the decision of whether or not I actually want to buy this thing for at least a day or two.

Not so for the copy of Church of Misery‘s Early Works Compilation that I recently stumbled upon and snagged off eBay. The auction had been set to end in an hour when I found it and it was only at something like eight bucks at the time, and I was bored, so I watched it until there was less than a minute, then put in my bid and got it for about $11 before the shipping. It’s the original Leaf Hound Records version, and even with four dollars shipping from Britain, that’s not a terrible deal, but the purchase was ultimately pointless.

Here’s why: Early Works Compilation was just reissued. Weeks ago — maybe even three — by Emetic Records out of Michigan. I know Leaf Hound is probably defunct, and that’s the kind of thing I usually get off on, but what the hell? I could have just gotten the reissue on the cheap and probably filled a shopping cart with other goodies and had a great time. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I got the record, but it just feels a little silly. It’s like hunting down the Man’s Ruin version of Goatsnake‘s Flower of Disease when the one on Southern Lord is exactly the same (no, I did not do this; but I probably would if I didn’t already have the original of that album). Ridiculous.

I take solace in the fact that the dude I bought Early Works Compilation off of plays in The Heads. That’s kind of cool. Like when I bought the Orange Goblin/Electric Wizard split off Mike Scheidt from YOB, also on eBay. Maybe if I keep that in mind I’ll have an easier time accepting the outright dopeyness of the “grab it!” impulse and feel a little better about the whole thing. Maybe not. Whatever. At least I won something. There’s always that sense of accomplishment when eBay‘s form letters are so happy for you. Really makes you feel the achievement. I’m gonna try reveling in that for a while and see how it goes; maybe put on some Church of Misery to accompany.

12:05AM: City Hotel, Tilburg, The Netherlands: You know, before the day started (and by day, I mean the show, which started at 4PM), I didn’t think it was too ambitious a plan to review all of the Afterburner special post-Roadburn event in one sitting. “Nah, I can handle it,” I said with confidence that only my first shots of caffeine since last Wednesday could have given me. “No problem.”

Well, the thing is that Afterburner, while not quite as intense to witness as Roadburn itself because it only runs on two, not four, stages at the 013, is still a great deal of show. Even in this allegedly more laid-back setting of just the Green Room and the Bat Cave, I found myself unable to see absolutely everything, leaving me once again to pick my battles. This is not a complaint. I want to make that perfectly clear. It’s like trying to choose what to see at the Met in New York. Pretty much whatever direction you head in, you’re gonna see some cool shit, but to do it all in one day can’t be done.

In other words, bear with me. This could be a while.

Jex Thoth opened in the Green Room at 4PM. For a nifty comparison, I’ll put their opening slot today in contrast with Death Row‘s yesterday in the main hall. You know those Windows 7 commercials where they take the already exceptionally good-looking people and they all start talking about how they thought of Windows 7, and then it cuts to a dream sequence of even more cartoonish exceptionally good-looking people? That’s like the jump from Death Row, who already ruled, to Jex Thoth, who were good at what they were doing, but a little silly at the same time.

It’s no real puzzle why the San Francisco five-piece got such a huge response from the crowd (which Death Row could have used some more of yesterday afternoon). Be-caped lead singer Jessica Thoth being some kind of ritualistic cult doom sex symbol certainly doesn’t hurt. Yeah guys, she’s the cute redhead who’s into Pentagram and plays with candles and incense on stage while wearing a cape and singing about serpents and flame vigils. Have fun living in the woods together after your pagan wedding, raising naked children of the forest.

Because that’s supposed to be the fantasy, right? I don’t know. I didn’t get into the set. The music was cool, I guess, but nothing really mind-boggling, and I just have a hard time taking that kind of band seriously. You know, if you were a fat bald dude hitting those same notes, playing with incense and wearing a cape, you wouldn’t be playing Roadburn. You’d be playing Dungeons & Dragons. No, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. In your mother’s basement. Where you live. Oh, and you’re 47.

I think I’ve made my point. Looks matter. Even in doom, being the proverbial hot girl is helpful.

When they were done, Orange Sunshine‘s late-’60s obsessed garage psychedelic rock was a refreshing change of pace and a nod to the stoner rock purist set, who surely appreciated the lack of posturing. I know I did. I had to chuckle though at how much one of their riffs reminded me of Blue Cheer‘s version of “The Hunter,” but I’d soon learn just how honestly they come by it, since after an extended heavy jam on The Rolling Stones‘ “Gimme Shelter,” drummer/vocalist/Euro-Chong lookalike Guy Tavares shouted out their set to the memory of Dickie Peterson, then they closed with “Summertime Blues” and “Rock Me Baby,” in that order. There’s a word for that, and that word is “charm.”

And I’ll pause here for a quick side note. Nachtmystium played this fest. Where else in the world are you going to have the opportunity to see Nachtmystium and Orange Sunshine in the same building? These kinds of things only exist at Roadburn.

Church of Misery continued their assault on common decency with their set, playing mostly the same stuff as Friday when they were on the main stage, but killing nonetheless for the smaller capacity venue that is the Green Room. Hell, I’m relatively certain Walter could have had Church of Misery play the same songs every four days in a different room and people would have migrated from one stage to the other to see them again. It’s not a chance that comes up every day, and watching guitarist Tom Sutton do his stoner rock softshoe while vocalist Yoshiakki Negishi pretends to shoot people in the crowd — well shucks, my eyes get all misty just thinking about it.

Having seen them three times now over the last two years (all Roadburn performances), I can say they haven’t yet put out a studio record that captures just how heavy they actually are in a live setting. Houses of the Unholy came close, but the sheer volume they wield might be too powerful for modern recording technology. In this way, they are truly ahead of their time. As for their riffs, I think we all know they fall under the heading, “born too late,” which is just fine.

It was almost cruel to have to witness them do it, but Sweden‘s Graveyard followed in a sonic twist that came on like a big break between Church of Misery and Eyehategod. No complaints, it’s just not really my thing at this point. But hey, if you like skinny Swedish dudes with expensive equipment, vintage t-shirts and tight flannels, ’70s mustaches and hair looking like something off an Allman Brothers album cover, playing the rock and roll their dads probably listened to, then have I got a band for you.

To be fair, they were incredibly tight across the board, and the Green Room was so crowded that for most of the set, the only vantage point I had was through the doorway. It’s like there was a sign outside saying, “Must Be this Cool to Enter” with a line drawn under some guy with bellbottoms’ ‘stache as a measure. I’m nowhere near that cool, so I got some falafel and waited for Eyehategod. Things could have been worse.

I never fail to be surprised that I’m not the world’s biggest Eyehategod fan. According to my records, I own all of theirs (which isn’t saying much since they haven’t put out a full-length in a decade), but if you were to ask me to name six Eyehategod songs, I don’t think I could do it. Well, maybe six, but probably not 10. And I’ve dug it every time I’ve seen them, tonight included. They were fucking great, but in terms of what I listen to on a given afternoon, I’ll rarely reach for Eyehategod while sitting on the porch and sipping a beer.

A fun note; when bassist Gary Mader broke a string, vocalist Mike Williams, guitarist Brian Patton and drummer Joe LaCaze did a quick couple songs under the moniker of their “side-project,” Fuckmouth, and I managed to catch it on video, which you can see below.

Williams was good and fucked up tonight. When he came out on stage, I said to myself, “This looks like a guy who’s going to fall over at some point during his set,” and sure enough — toward the end, to his credit — he went backwards into LaCaze‘s drums. Where was Jimmy Bower in all this? Over up front on stage right, mostly in the dark, playing to the crowd. Kicking ass like he will.

Eyehategod was a good note to end Roadburn on. A slow, rung out, feedbacked note that seemed to last even after the amps were shut off. But being the greedy son of a bitch I am, I wanted to see what Dutch locals The Machine were doing in the Bat Cave, so I meandered in the middle of Eyehategod‘s set into the other room, only to find the young trio jamming out heavy Colour Haze style with vocalist/guitarist David Eering throwing in some “Stone Free” and not sounding like a complete jackass while doing it, which is nothing short of an astonishing feat for so junior and so caucasian a player.

Jamming is apparently their thing, but they do it well, and have two records out already with a third written and are looking for a label. I can’t imagine one of the sundry European heavy rock labels wouldn’t be interested given the opportunity. I know I would.

But alas, I only caught their last two songs — both jams — and they were done, so I went back to the Green Room to close out the night and the fest with Eyehategod. They slammed their way through an astonishing amount of material, and I’m pretty sure I heard Williams at one point start singing Pantera‘s “I’m Broken,” though it could have just been a coincidence of cadence. In any case, good times, and when it was done, I split out on the quick (no afterparties for my unfriendly ass) and came back here to write about it, stopping only for some pommes frites along the way.

This review is long enough, so I’ll save any grand reflections on Roadburn for another time under the consideration that even the most interested of Obelisk attendees has failed to make it this far (I don’t take it personally). My plan for tomorrow is to get up, be out of here by 11AM checkout and head — where else? — to Schiphol airport in Amsterdam to see when and if I can reschedule my flight. The Patient Mrs. says it might not be until next weekend, but I need to go in-person anyway since British Airways‘ sundry hotlines and website have proven useless in this volcanic clusterfuck. I expect to spend a good deal of time waiting on line only to find out nothing, but these are the things we have to do, aren’t they? That’s a small price to pay for the weekend I just had.

And I’ll tell you something else: If I am stuck in Europe for another week, you bet your ass I’m getting my francophile self to Paris tout de suite. I’m pretty sure I’d be the first displaced American ever to do that. Ever. In the history of the world. Ever.

Until then…

It was a recent Monday night in NYC and I was in town for a Precious Metal show at Lit Lounge, but having some time to spare, figured I’d hike over to St. Mark’s and see what was doing in the used CD bins at Kim’s Video, which was nothing, since Kim’s Video has apparently closed shop since the last time I was there. That’ll show me to not leave the house but twice a year.

Consolation came from Rockit Scientist Records right down the block across the street. The step-down-to-enter hole in the wall has long been a source of obscure psychedelic/proto-prog wonders, and among the assorted treasures — I’m looking at you, Popul Vuh remasters — I found the 1971 solo offering from Japanese guitarist Shinki Chen (hailed as the Hendrix of the rising sun), called simply Shinki Chen and His Friends, with a sticker on the front reading “Early 70′s Japanese Heavy Psych Jams.” Sold.

I’ve been on a kick for some old man rock lately, and digging into the early tape loops and King Crimson mid-”Moonchild” nosies of Shinki Chen and His Friends opener “The Dark Sea Dream” was right in line with what I was looking for, but the real deal surprise was the kick of fuzzier cuts like “Requiem of Confusion,” “Freedom of a Mad Paper Lantern,” the organ-diced “Gloomy Reflections,” and the hard-panned “Farewell to Hypocrites.” There’s an untenable current of weird running throughout — the drums are so far away that sometimes you forget they’re there at all — and man, it’s clear to see who’s got a remastering hyper-budget and who doesn’t, but I’m digging the hell out of the disc and thought I’d pass along the word to anyone else who might be interested (I don’t know if Rockit Scientist has another copy, but it might be worth hitting them up, since true independent record stores in Manhattan are getting fewer and father between). Hopefully that’s you.

After this album — the version of which I have is a 2005 Korean reissue distributed by World Psychedelia — Shinki Chen joined the trio Speed, Glue and Shinki, which as you might imagine didn’t last long. They put out one album and sort of another after breaking up, and that’s allegedly when Mr. Shinki decided he vastly preferred not recording to recording and stopped making albums. Shinki Chen and His Friends is still out there though for anyone willing to stumble on it, and although I’m still very much in the process of getting to know the album and the guitarist (and his friends, for that matter), I’d definitely suggest you figure out a way to do so.

Man, it was late when Japanese stoner doom legends — now in their 15th year of operation — took the stage at Roadburn 2009 at the 013 Popcentrum in Tilburg. Over on the main stage, Colour Haze was noodling out, and it was so packed in the side room that I could barely move, let alone get a look at vocal madman Yoshiaki Negishi as he plunged ever further into the sinister recesses of the human psyche. They’re going to be back there in 2010, and as a way to maybe bridge the gap one to the next, Roadburn Records/Burning World has issued their set from last year. As someone whose ears rang from it the next day and the day after, I can safely say it was the right move.

This is Church of Misery’s first live record, and it’s fitting that it would be from Roadburn, an environment in which the band is as appreciated as they’ll ever be, preaching not only to the converted, or to the choir, but to an entire order of boozed-up cult followers, gone mad on European weed and stoner riffs. For an unhinged act like Church of Misery — who take the riff-riff-riff formula so many stoner bands emulate to no end and actually make it sound dangerous — it was the perfect setting. They did tracks from their split with Sourvein (closer “For Madmen Only”), and from their Master of Brutality, The Second Coming and Houses of the Unholy albums. Even “Taste the Pain,” which can be found on a 1998 EP of the same name — or the Early Works compilation, for those who’d like the easy way out — makes an appearance.

Read more »

Ever the teases, Japanese bringers of the noise Boris have posted a new video to whip up the excitement of the masses as we near the release of their third and final in the Heavy Rock Hits trilogy of 7″s, aptly titled, Vol. 3. Being Boris, in addition to these three singles, they’ve also released a live album, a split with Torche, a split with 9dw and a remix EP this year. That’s just how they do. Here’s the video:

In case you missed the other two teaser videos, they’re after the jump.

Read more »

Like them or not, there’s no denying that Japanese experimental rockers Boris are psychotically prolific. With two splits already under their belt for 2009 (one with Torche and one with 9dw), the band are on the verge of releasing three new 7″s of new material in a series called Japanese Heavy Rock Hits. Here’s the deal from the PR wire:

For over 15 years Boris has lead the charge as Japan?s most exciting experimental rock act. This fall marks yet another first for the band as they release Japanese Heavy Rock Hits, a series of 7″s showcasing their wide-reaching, genre-smashing sound. The band has been locked in the studio over the last few months and in association with Southern Lord are ready to bring to you their latest offerings. Over the course of the next three months three brand new exclusive vinyl 7″s will be released.

September
Japanese Heavy Rock Hits Vol. 1
Side A: “8″
Side B : “Hey Everyone”

October
Japanese Heavy Rock Hits Vol. 2
Side A: “H.M.A. – Heavy Metal Addict”
Side B: “Black Original”

November
Japanese Heavy Rock Hits Vol. 3
Side A: “16:47:52?”
Side B: “…and Hear Nothing”

In a lot of ways, this review feels completely irrelevant. I mean, it?s KK Null. The guy has over 100 albums and makes electronic noise. What?s there to discuss? Wikipedia says he likes Butoh dancing… so there?s that. But basically, Tokyo?s Kazuyuki Kishino (aka KK Null) is an entity unto himself when it comes to sonic expression. And a prolific one at that. So far, according to the discography page on his website, he?s already got two records out in 2009, including a collaboration with Los Angeles noise composer John Wiese. I?m sure there are others to come or not yet listed.

2008?s Oxygen Flash is not Kazuyuki?s first album for Neurot. The label also handled 2003?s Atomik Disorder and the 2001 offering from his more straightforwardly musical band Zeni Geva, 10,000 Light Years. Kazuyuki also has his own label, Nux Organization, and has put out albums on Important Records, Crucial Blast, Alternative Tentacles and many others over the course of his career, and while Oxygen Flash borders on unlistenable, the experimental drive behind it (and I mean really experimental, not just putting guitar riffs in awkward time signatures) is admirable. The nine unnamed tracks go from aurally welcoming to punishingly abrasive, with high pitched electronic frequencies urging a visceral response from any and all who hear them. It?s one of those records that, were you to hear it under the influence of any sort of hallucinogen, you?d end up ripping your eyes out of their sockets.

Read more »