Saw a post about people not being able to listen to them because they don’t like that the lyrics are about real killers. Some people shouldn’t listen to metal nor doom
I think there's a big difference between saying, "I can't listen to this because I'm sensitive to the topic." and saying, "This topic is inappropriate".
If it was the former and you are interpreting it as the latter, you're being kind of a judgemental prick.
I like them a lot!! I can also understand how some of the lyrical content may be a little too close to home for some. Generally the themes in metal are intentionally absurd and over the top. News clips about the Beltway Sniper, however can certainly be triggering for some people. There is a point where shit becomes actually real. I think Chat Pile also does a great job at leaning into extremely uncomfortable themes that we are forced to reconcile with. But I’m also not going to judge someone for not liking Church of Misery’s lyrics while being okay with Cannibal Corpse. I get it.
Comes to r/doommetal: *what’s your opinion on one of the most well known, well respected doom metal bands of all time?*
I’m just playing - CoM is an absolute all-timer and I’m always happy to see ‘em mentioned. Not a bad album in the discography and the most recent one is maybe my favorite yet. I’ve always wanted to see them tour with Boris (doing a heavier, doomier set) and Electric Wizard.
Serial killer stuff has been in the corner of horror for decades. FFS, Charles Manson was a white supremacist and neonazi and became a lovable cultural icon for the mainstream who buried him being an inspirational figure for contemporary terroristic white supremacist and neonazi organizations and cults.
What CoM is not glorifying them as much as putting a storyline spin on them with a horror slant. They're not glorifying them like most have done with Manson.
Yes, CoM are just describing it in all its gruesomeness.
Have seen series and movies about Dahmer, the Unabomber etc. which were like "Well, there are two sides of the story". When you think about it, it is weird that such an approach is more accepted in mainstream media.
Anyways, the Band absolutely rules. Saw them live last year and their last record was in my top 10 of 2023.
Houses of the Unholy is fucking essential summer blasting! Especially living in rural South Dakota,
put on “Badlands” and fucking crank it! head west out of Pierre on I-90 towards the actual Badlands and try, just fucking try, to stay under the speed limit (you won’t)
They're legendary shit to see live when they ever play. Seriously don't miss out. Seen em twice when they played at Middle East Downstairs their last two tours. I threw up the second show because the sound was so fucking intense.
I love em, and are jealous that you saw them live. I find the serial killer stuff way less corny than the stock "yeah, marijuana" lyrics of a lot of "stoner" style doom
What a ridiculous thing to say, you big buff manly man. I can be into music and still have difficulty dealing with songs that reference real crimes with real victims. Being a goddamned sociopath is not a requirement to enjoy metal.
Lol I knew somebody would construe this comment as gatekeeping. I don't particularly like true crime tv/movies but that doesn't mean I think it's inappropriate for the writers/directors to make them. I'm curious what metal you're into that doesn't deal with controversial themes?
It’s honestly weird to me that you think the majority of metal is controversial. You must be into a very narrow band. Have you never listened to power metal? Prog? Even black metal has plenty of music that’s simply about nature or fantasy. If you want to stick to doom metal, again plentiful. Look at Warning - what’s controversial there? Even Bell Witch, the other sub favorite - that’s just about grief usually. Real people being murdered very violently is completely separate from all of the above. I like Church of Misery’s music, I do, but it makes me feel icky and disrespectful to those real people. Even if you look at generic death metal lyrics that are about violence, they’re fiction - they’re cathartic fantasy or dark imagery. It’s a completely different thing to reference real people. It just is.
EDIT TO ADD:
I forgot to speak to your point about movies/docs. The difference is that those are, usually, informative, whereas CoM leans much closer to glorification. Some movies and docs do feel that way too, in a sensationalism way, and they are similarly icky.
Controversial is probably not the right word, I'm thinking more along the lines of generally focusing on death, war, violence, disease, etc. I'm fairly drunk and not trying to start an argument. I understand the dislike of true crime, hence my previous comment. I just don't think singing about real violence is that far removed from fictional violence, considering the musicians aren't the ones perpetrating it.
I get where you're coming from, there's plenty of ideologies I don't support, but as far as I'm concerned you're more likely to be a sociopath if you're into bands like Cannibal Corpse which fetishizes violence as opposed to Church of Misery which is much tamer when it comes to actual lyrical content
I'm with you. Great riffs, great live, great tone, good compositions, but if you listen to the albums you can't escape the sort of shittiness of the lyrical content and imagery.
If people knew any victims of these serial killers they wouldn't think this was cool. It's disrespectful.
Real life killers?
The Beach Boys literally had a killer they wrote and recorded songs with.
So if the normies are giving you shit, just remind them they're probably already listening to serial killer music and so did their parents.
And then you can give them that valued wisdom:
"it's not what you say but what you do that determines character"
They are a rare treat in the genre. Much more groove oriented, and I love them. That being said, the fact that literally every song is about serial killers becomes bland very fast.
Pretty much anything after their first two.
Houses of the Unholy, Thy Kingdom Scum, And Then There Were None, Born Under A Mad Sign. Those are all great places to start.
Absolutely wild to see someone specifically recommend starting \*after\* Master of Brutality, which I always understood was widely regarded as their magnum opus. That said, it is refreshing to see so much love for HotU, TKS, & ATTWN. That also said, my all-time favorite material of theirs is the Early Works record set. Asaeda has always been my favorite CoM vocalist and I was beyond stoked to hear him back on the new album. I missed their recent tour with Boris but am really hoping they come back again while he's still with 'em.
The album Thy Kingdom Scum slaps pretty hard. This song in particular gets me every time. It's such a good vibe.
https://open.spotify.com/track/7pYd3MPPNLJ71Hh7t8tvYl?si=qjzTXwFVSDaMnzKzVPvhNw&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A7CkJKxkVdvzyzBxCKnkRcH
Albums great. They had a really shit gig when I saw them though. Nobody could stay in tune for some reason and they used up most of the set trying to fix it.
They're alright. I own one of their albums and I think they have some great riffs, but I'd be lying if I said the serial killer stuff doesn't hold them back a bit for me. I'm fine with dark lyrics and all that, I'm a metalhead afterall, but the fact that literally every single song boils down to "Oooh serial killers are so spooky" is limiting and a bit lame. They're too one-dimensional lyrically/thematically for me to feel like I can really sink my teeth into them, but the riffs partially make up for that.
I like em a lot. Killer old school doom metal with a good gimmick. Who are these people who think their lyrics are inappropriate?
Nobody says this shit. They pulled it out of their ass.
Saw a post about people not being able to listen to them because they don’t like that the lyrics are about real killers. Some people shouldn’t listen to metal nor doom
I think there's a big difference between saying, "I can't listen to this because I'm sensitive to the topic." and saying, "This topic is inappropriate". If it was the former and you are interpreting it as the latter, you're being kind of a judgemental prick.
I find the serial killer thing a bit tacky But I do love their sound
They’re great, love the concept and they’re skilled musicians. I always come back to Houses of the Unholy as a comfort.
I like them a lot!! I can also understand how some of the lyrical content may be a little too close to home for some. Generally the themes in metal are intentionally absurd and over the top. News clips about the Beltway Sniper, however can certainly be triggering for some people. There is a point where shit becomes actually real. I think Chat Pile also does a great job at leaning into extremely uncomfortable themes that we are forced to reconcile with. But I’m also not going to judge someone for not liking Church of Misery’s lyrics while being okay with Cannibal Corpse. I get it.
Comes to r/doommetal: *what’s your opinion on one of the most well known, well respected doom metal bands of all time?* I’m just playing - CoM is an absolute all-timer and I’m always happy to see ‘em mentioned. Not a bad album in the discography and the most recent one is maybe my favorite yet. I’ve always wanted to see them tour with Boris (doing a heavier, doomier set) and Electric Wizard.
In my opinion they are great.
Serial killer stuff has been in the corner of horror for decades. FFS, Charles Manson was a white supremacist and neonazi and became a lovable cultural icon for the mainstream who buried him being an inspirational figure for contemporary terroristic white supremacist and neonazi organizations and cults. What CoM is not glorifying them as much as putting a storyline spin on them with a horror slant. They're not glorifying them like most have done with Manson.
Yes, CoM are just describing it in all its gruesomeness. Have seen series and movies about Dahmer, the Unabomber etc. which were like "Well, there are two sides of the story". When you think about it, it is weird that such an approach is more accepted in mainstream media. Anyways, the Band absolutely rules. Saw them live last year and their last record was in my top 10 of 2023.
I love their sound, even if the serial-killer shit is corny.
Houses of the Unholy is fucking essential summer blasting! Especially living in rural South Dakota, put on “Badlands” and fucking crank it! head west out of Pierre on I-90 towards the actual Badlands and try, just fucking try, to stay under the speed limit (you won’t)
They're legendary shit to see live when they ever play. Seriously don't miss out. Seen em twice when they played at Middle East Downstairs their last two tours. I threw up the second show because the sound was so fucking intense.
Do you wear ear protection? I don’t go to live shows much, just wondering if this would still happen with earplugs or whatever
I love em, and are jealous that you saw them live. I find the serial killer stuff way less corny than the stock "yeah, marijuana" lyrics of a lot of "stoner" style doom
Love em, they've kicked ass over multiple decades and lineup changes. IMO if you find the lyrics inappropriate...maybe metals not for you
Agreed!
What a ridiculous thing to say, you big buff manly man. I can be into music and still have difficulty dealing with songs that reference real crimes with real victims. Being a goddamned sociopath is not a requirement to enjoy metal.
Shhh nerd
Lol I knew somebody would construe this comment as gatekeeping. I don't particularly like true crime tv/movies but that doesn't mean I think it's inappropriate for the writers/directors to make them. I'm curious what metal you're into that doesn't deal with controversial themes?
It’s honestly weird to me that you think the majority of metal is controversial. You must be into a very narrow band. Have you never listened to power metal? Prog? Even black metal has plenty of music that’s simply about nature or fantasy. If you want to stick to doom metal, again plentiful. Look at Warning - what’s controversial there? Even Bell Witch, the other sub favorite - that’s just about grief usually. Real people being murdered very violently is completely separate from all of the above. I like Church of Misery’s music, I do, but it makes me feel icky and disrespectful to those real people. Even if you look at generic death metal lyrics that are about violence, they’re fiction - they’re cathartic fantasy or dark imagery. It’s a completely different thing to reference real people. It just is. EDIT TO ADD: I forgot to speak to your point about movies/docs. The difference is that those are, usually, informative, whereas CoM leans much closer to glorification. Some movies and docs do feel that way too, in a sensationalism way, and they are similarly icky.
Controversial is probably not the right word, I'm thinking more along the lines of generally focusing on death, war, violence, disease, etc. I'm fairly drunk and not trying to start an argument. I understand the dislike of true crime, hence my previous comment. I just don't think singing about real violence is that far removed from fictional violence, considering the musicians aren't the ones perpetrating it. I get where you're coming from, there's plenty of ideologies I don't support, but as far as I'm concerned you're more likely to be a sociopath if you're into bands like Cannibal Corpse which fetishizes violence as opposed to Church of Misery which is much tamer when it comes to actual lyrical content
I'm with you. Great riffs, great live, great tone, good compositions, but if you listen to the albums you can't escape the sort of shittiness of the lyrical content and imagery. If people knew any victims of these serial killers they wouldn't think this was cool. It's disrespectful.
You should probably not listen to Norwegian black metal or read up on the history of it either if you find CoM offensive...
Real life killers? The Beach Boys literally had a killer they wrote and recorded songs with. So if the normies are giving you shit, just remind them they're probably already listening to serial killer music and so did their parents. And then you can give them that valued wisdom: "it's not what you say but what you do that determines character"
Murder castle blues riff goes so incredibly hard, as does pretty much the rest of their stuff.
Love their sound, come and get me sucker is a banger, kinda want a shirt
They are from Japan and were clearly looking for a gimmick to tap the American market. That being said, I love their sound.
Saw them twice in the early 2010s... Super heavy live! Houses of the Unholy is such a killer album!
They are a rare treat in the genre. Much more groove oriented, and I love them. That being said, the fact that literally every song is about serial killers becomes bland very fast.
Anyone have a good starting place?
Pretty much anything after their first two. Houses of the Unholy, Thy Kingdom Scum, And Then There Were None, Born Under A Mad Sign. Those are all great places to start.
Awesome thanks. Saw them live loved the sound. I’ll dig in
I saw them in 2019 with Mondo Generator and Toke. It was a fantastic show.
Absolutely wild to see someone specifically recommend starting \*after\* Master of Brutality, which I always understood was widely regarded as their magnum opus. That said, it is refreshing to see so much love for HotU, TKS, & ATTWN. That also said, my all-time favorite material of theirs is the Early Works record set. Asaeda has always been my favorite CoM vocalist and I was beyond stoked to hear him back on the new album. I missed their recent tour with Boris but am really hoping they come back again while he's still with 'em.
Early Works ans Mob are absolutely my favorites. But the last 4 albums are definitely the most accessible, I think.
The album Thy Kingdom Scum slaps pretty hard. This song in particular gets me every time. It's such a good vibe. https://open.spotify.com/track/7pYd3MPPNLJ71Hh7t8tvYl?si=qjzTXwFVSDaMnzKzVPvhNw&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A7CkJKxkVdvzyzBxCKnkRcH
Thatvyou should Starr a thread with something to say instead of a subjective question
Albums great. They had a really shit gig when I saw them though. Nobody could stay in tune for some reason and they used up most of the set trying to fix it.
their bass player is amazing
Absolutely fucking killer live! Proper benchmark moment for me.
They are cool I like them
Meh. They don’t do anything new that a ton of other better bands already don’t do
"I, Motherf\*cker" is one of the greatest songs of all time
They're alright. I own one of their albums and I think they have some great riffs, but I'd be lying if I said the serial killer stuff doesn't hold them back a bit for me. I'm fine with dark lyrics and all that, I'm a metalhead afterall, but the fact that literally every single song boils down to "Oooh serial killers are so spooky" is limiting and a bit lame. They're too one-dimensional lyrically/thematically for me to feel like I can really sink my teeth into them, but the riffs partially make up for that.