Churchburn

Churchburn is a fairly new doom band to the RI metal scene, and they are certainly a breath of fresh air! Rising from the (still smoldering) ashes of local doom giants, Sin of Angels, Churchburn mixes a healthy dose of sludgy, raw doom metal, with an evil, black metal vibe. Some of you may recognize a couple names from Churchburn. Dave Suzuki of Vital Remains? Check. Ray McCaffery of Sin of Angels? Check.

While I'm not into Dave’s guitar work on Vital Remains, his work with Churchburn proves to me that not only is he a talented guy, but he and the other members of the Churchburn crew can truly channel something EVIL sounding. And evil doesn’t always have to be fast and brutal!

The production of Churchburn’s EP is raw and sludgy. Think of that grimey Swedish melo-death sound that bands like Entombed / Dismember perfected. This raw sound really compliments the aura that Churchburn creates. Dark. Foreboding. Encompassing you in a black shroud, waiting to choke the life out of you. I really like the production of the vocals. Lots of very wet reverb in the middle-high end of the vocal spectrum. Incredibly demonic, flowing like a whispering ghost over the music. The drums are simple (it’s doom metal) but compliment the guitars extravagantly. Lots of tom hits matched with heavy palm mutes. It feels really gutsy with a lot of grit.

The guitar work isn’t overly technical, and while there are a few guitar solos here and there, it’s not the turkey gobble-gobble Look-What-I-Can-Do sweep arpeggios. They are tasteful and do what solos do; ADD TO THE ATMOSPHERE. I used to really love hearing guitar players do the sweep-for-two-minutes thing, but after a while it just got really sickening and has completely lost its luster for me. It doesn’t even mean you’re talented, it just means you can move your hands and fingers really fast and with a lot of dexterity. I’d rather hear something with some soul...or lack thereof.

Andddd I digress.

Churchburn isn’t the most original band (think of a raw, blackened Crowbar), but they are taking something that has been growing in popularity and putting their own spin on it, and I guess that has originality sprinkled all over it. I love their evil, foreboding vibe. It really works with their guitar tone. The variations in tempo and melodies will keep the listener hooked for the duration of the album.

I’m really excited to hear more stuff from these guys, and hope that they experiment with that down-tempo, evil ambiance, throwing in some interlude tracks to create atmosphere and tell a story. There’s a great deal of experience among these musicians, and I’m excited for their next release. If you’re in the local area, keep an eye out for some Churchburn shows! You’ll want to check them out. And if they’re anything like Sin of Angels... bring some ear plugs cause those guys are fucking LOUD.