Japan's Church Of Misery are prime Sabbath worship with added bluesy boogie. They possess colossal riffs that Tony Iommi would be proud of but it is the heavier boogie tracks like 'Come And Get Me Sucker (David Koresh)' where they shine brightest. Those bluesy jams are an integral part of what makes Church Of Misery special. However, something seems to be missing tonight. I can't even put my finger on what it is but even tracks like 'Born To Raise Hell (Richard Speck)' seem to be missing their usual magic. Good but they can be so much better.
Church Of Misery were the main draw for me tonight and having been disappointed, I wasn't holding out much hope for the headliners. I like the tone of Eyehategod's punky sludge but they fail to hold my attention over a full album. However, they hit an impressive groove immediately, although the vocals do sound a bit messy, but that is part of their charm anyway. They are heavy and powerful but their typical NOLA sound (which they are the originators of, to be fair) is shot through with a hardcore punk attitude. The occasions when they go all out hardcore are great. Sludgy, tar thick riffs are punctuated by feedback, which gives them a chaotic edge, but they are much tighter than you'd think. The overall feel is Sabbathian riffs as played by an anarchic punk band such as Antiseen. I enjoyed this much more than I expected to.
Eyehategod ****
Church Of Misery ***
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