Churchburn – None Shall Live… The Hymns of Misery (Armageddon Shop)
Tuesday, 4th September 2018
Having lived in Rhode Island for a year, I can tell you that despite how attractive of a place it is for the fleeting months of semi-warmth it receives during summer, it makes up for it by crushing all hopes of joy you may have during the non-warm months. And Providence, for all of its significance and history, is about as unattractive a city as I’ve ever visited. So it is no surprise that Dave Suzuki (of Vital Remains fame) and his merry band of joy-seekers in Churchburn have birthed to us None Shall Live… The Hymns of Misery. It encapsulates the Rhode Island experience quite well.
Sonically akin to the Chicago scene that was extremely vibrant a few years ago (Lord Mantis, Indian, Wolvhammer, etc) the songs here are thick, they’re often slow, and they’re bursting with vitriol. The blastbeats are fewer in number and, in truth, only appear a handful of times. Instead the focus is on dark melodies and in conjuring an ongoing and pernicious spirit of wrath. I’m not going to highlight individual songs because in large part there wouldn’t be a point, there are seven and they all stick to a similar thematic mold.
Experiencing None Shall Live… has reminded me of how awesome the Chicago scene was a few years ago and brings me pause to lament what has largely been its passing since 2014. Providence and Chicago share a lot of environmental factors in common though, so maybe with any luck Churchburn is carrying a torch here and a new wave of blackened filth lords will rise. We can only hope.
For now I’ll continue lamenting that I cannot visit Armageddon’s physical store in Providence today.
