By Andrew Bansal
November 23rd 2013, The Satellite, Los Angeles CA: Japanese doom metal band Church Of Misery have been around for eighteen years and have developed a cult following for themselves in various parts of the world over this period. They released their fifth studio album ‘Thy Kingdom Scum’ via Metal Blade/Rise Above Records earlier this year, and currently they are on a North American headline tour with support acts Zoroaster from Altlanta, Georgia and Against The Grain from Detroit, Michigan. Church Of Misery’s Los Angeles fan base came out in numbers to attend this show, and with the kind of vibe the Satellite is typically known for, it promised to be an ideal setting for the Japanese quartet to establish their church of Sabbath in. Doors opened at 8:30, and at 9 PM began what promised to be a gloriously heavy dose of live music on a chilly Los Angeles Saturday night.
Motor City madmen Against The Grain started things off with a blistering 35-minute set filled with a tasty blend of stoner, punk and speed rock. Aptly representing the city they hail from, their set started in top gear with a couple of fast ones, then slowed down and sped up, throwing more than a few variations in tempo at us and making it an amazingly diverse set of tunes for a duration as short as 35 minutes. There were no stoppages whatsoever as the four-piece outfit blazed through their set belting out songs one after the other. A majority of the 11-song set consisted of tunes off of their latest album ‘Surrounded By Snakes, as many as seven, and each one of them sounded better and more powerful in the live setting than on the studio album. The set also included a cover of Motörhead’s eponymous song but it fit in so naturally with their original tunes that it didn’t even feel like a cover. They ended with an unreleased song called ‘Sirens’, which really showcased the diversity in their music and was the perfect summation of this set. Quite a few people in the sparse crowd at this point of the evening were able to appreciate this band’s performance. Against The Grain’s latest album is great and a good show was expected from them, but they were far more impressive than anyone would have imagined. Those who arrived early enough to see their set should be thankful to have caught what turned out to be the best band of the night.
Against The Grain interview coming soon
Visit Against The Grain on the web:
againstthegrain-atg.bandcamp.com
facebook.com/Againstthegraindetroit
twitter.com/AgainstthegraMI
Set List:
1. Armadillo
2. Padded Cell
3. Night Of The Wolf
4. Raise Your Glass
5. Comin’ Home
6. Motörhead (Motörhead cover)
7. Livin’ A Lie
8. Last Breath
9. Get In The Van
10.Surrounded By Snakes
11.Sirens
Atlanta sludge trio Zoroaster took the stage soon after, with their dirty, heavy, low-end onslaught. For the genre of music they pursue, their set was not bad at all, but after seeing a band like Against The Grain who really gave it more than a 100 per cent and had various different elements to their music, Zoroaster in comparison sounded monotonous, at least in my opinion. As is typical of an all-out sludge band, Zoroaster’s set was devoid of melody and followed a slow pace for the most part. The faster bits were few and far between, but were certainly more enjoyable. Watching the drummer Dan Scanlan pound away on the skins on a drumkit that was placed at the forefront of the stage was probably the most positive aspect of Zoroaster’s performance. In all fairness, they weren’t bad but I would have to see them again in a different setting to find a better appreciation for their live show.
Following some well-chosen classic metal tunes played on the PA by the house DJ, the four members of Church Of Misery appeared on stage one by one, and began spreading their brand of classic doom amongst the masses gathered here. Their latest album ‘Thy Kingdom Scum’ is an unrelenting 50-minute slab of quintessential doom and is one of my favorite releases of this year. The band was able to replicate the impact of the new as well as old tunes on this lovely Satellite stage, but to be honest, in the live setting I was expecting something more from them. To me, their music somehow didn’t come across with any kind of conviction, and there seemed to be no real ‘feel’ in the musicianship, specially the guitar playing. Their on-stage movements seemed contrived and forced as well. It was exactly like listening to the album at home, but when you go see a band live there’s supposed to be an added dimension to it, which was missing from Church Of Misery’s performance. The blatantness of their Sabbath worship could be overlooked if the show was any good, but sadly it wasn’t. As a result of their downcast, low-energy stage presence, there was no activity in the crowd either, until about 30 minutes into the set when a mosh pit started but that was simply alcohol-induced and had nothing to do with the band. You’re going to tell me that it’s a doom metal band and is supposed to be low-energy, but I strongly beg to differ as I’ve seen plenty of other bands deliver the same style of music with much greater fervour. I would still recommend their new album as one that’s definitely worth the money, but their live performance left a lot to be desired and certainly didn’t blow my mind even to the slightest extent.
But overall, it was a great night out for any fan of heavy music, and in my opinion Against The Grain outshone the other two bands with the quality and intensity of their show.