Church for Sinners – Of Prayers And Pestilence

When first introduced to horror punks Church For Sinners through their debut EP, Making Monsters, I felt as though the band was simply dipping their toes in the pond of their potential.  While the EP was solid, it was also rather safe, and as a whole, somewhat middling.  I can’t say it lasted the test of time, although the seven tracks served their purpose, placing Church For Sinners in my camp of budding promise worth checking up on.

Now, I wasn’t sure what to expect from an eventual follow up, but it sure wasn’t what I found in their recent full length, Of Prayers And Pestilence – and I say that with the utmost flattery.  Now far from mediocre, Church For Sinners has completely submerged in the spirit of ambition, and in the process, branched out for one of the truest – and most widely appealing – horror releases of the year.

For their newfound secret, look no further than at Of Prayers And Pestilence’s run time and overarching breadth of sound.  With sixteen tracks pushing an hour, the band finds plenty of time for solidifying their core and exploring and developing numerous tantalizing tangents without ever sacrificing their essence.

The first four tracks revisit their already established brand of poppy punk rock but infuse a new, crisp layer of polished hooks.  Vocalist Andy sounds like 90’s era AFI if Davey Havok had he enjoyed a happier upbringing.  Combined with a chorus of band-wide backing harmonies – each with their own slightly altered pitch (as found on tracks like “City Of The Dead”) – an underlying air of carefully controlled chaos prevents such meticulous planning from dampening the band’s wildest moments.

After reminding listeners what Church For Sinners is all about, the band throws in their first big twist.  “Black Hearts Rejoice” might include familiar riffs, but here Andy takes on a new guise, lowering his tone and taking a note from Alkaline Trio’s Dan Adriano and his hyper-accurate enunciation.  His dictionary informed, image-rich descriptors juxtapose dark and light concepts (ie. “Bloodstains” with “Love”), achieving a captivating sense of morbid playfulness.  As soon becomes apparent, Andy is like a doppelganger with chameleon-like qualities.  Other directions take the form of a 50’s informed crooner piece with Beach Boys-like “oooooos” (“In The Graveyard”), the frantic spasticity of Black Parade era My Chemical Romance (“Headless”), a southern rock piece (“Southern Belle”), and a blisteringly intense shout-a-thon bringing to mind Vonnegut and Leftover Crack (“Seaside Suicide”).  Prolific guest member Brent Wilkinson (of Gruesome Boys) offers contributions on many of these tracks (including his signature accordion), helping the band further stray from the norm

But the most radical tangents branch out even further, treading close to post-punk territory.  “When Tomorrow Ends” actually takes a nod from some sort of folky, acoustic combination of Lemuria meets Michelle Derosa era Straylight Run, bouncing back and forth between a laid back Andy and female guest vocalist Annie.  But the biggest surprise rests in the bonus track, “Desperation Proof.”  Plop this puppy down on a Brand New or Manchester Orchestra record and you’d nary tell the difference.  It crawls along with the best of them; building up a hopeless imagery, right from their pill popping, pain numbing first line, to their agonizingly vacant lead out.

Combined, all this difference makes Church For Sinners’ dark messages of worldly vice feel fresh and new.  Some may question how such variety can breed coherence, but skeptics need remember that these tangents are merely sprinkled across the album’s rich foundations.  What’s “ordinary” may become less apparent as Of Prayers And Pestilence progresses, but when bare bones punk rock gems like “Paris After Dark” pop up nine tracks in, there’s little room to yell afoul.

When all is said and done, Church For Sinners exists free from the traditional confines of horror and successfully integrate a slew of other exciting inspirations.  I would use some sort of Frankenstein monster metaphor, but Prayers Of Pestilence just fits together too well to compare to a sloppily sutured beast.  Many people speak of horror as having a restricted vision, to them I say give Of Prayers And Pestilence a spin and try repeating that same sentiment.