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Rating: Seminal band in the world of doom metal, founded by the living legend Scott "Wino" Weinrich in the early '80s, only to be set aside by the same leader due to his role as lead singer for Saint Vitus. In the early '90s, Wino picked up where he left off a decade earlier, releasing two great albums of pure doom'n roll followed by this "The Church Within", produced by none other than Sony (a rare occurrence in doom...). The switch to the major label is evident from the very polished and clean production compared to the first two much rawer and more genuine albums; this certainly takes away from the trio's rough and dark sound, but as a final result, we still have a good album.
For this third incarnation, Wino returns with a rhythm section different from the original: Guy Pinhas on bass and Greg Rogers on drums, both of whom we will later find in Goatsnake. Besides the production, the most noticeable change is the genre shift from the purely raw doom metal shores towards an all-around hard rock/metal; although the doom elements are clearly identifiable, they are placed in a more generic context in line with the album's trend. Despite the premises that seem to sink any possible success of the product (it’s always risky to distort one’s sound), the album is on decidedly good levels; the tracks are imbued with great energy and solemnity, along with a really massive sound; the rotten feeling that has characterized the trio from the start occasionally resurfaces with vigor. There are many well-crafted songs, from the initial "To Protect And To Serve", an anthem to the rawest hard rock that doesn't need many words, to "Blind Lighting" with strong metallic hues and a solemn, declamatory pace; in addition to the very intense "Streamlined", or echoes of early Trouble in "Decimation."
In conclusion, a fundamental group for anyone who appreciates doom in all its forms, perhaps best explored through the first two albums; but "The Church Within" remains a good work, despite some occasional lapses that do not jeopardize the overall positive judgment.
Rating: 3.5/5
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
08 Streetside (03:25)
From the corner is where it starts
Torn in half like a dollar bill
Happy mourners’ window heart is
Bitter still
Truth’s fictions stranger than any lie
Smooth convictions danger plan of
Twisted night
Does the pope shit in the wood?
He might be damned hoarding all his ill-got
Goods with Uncle Sam
Greener grass on the comfort side your
Easy choice
I’m leaning fast into the twisted night
One voice
At the bottom’s where it ends
No between, catch life’s riddles fates
Winds send
Depraviteam so low, it’s been real
A total fiend, by his hand a lonely man
Looking for a streetside queen
10 Mourning (04:05)
Not wear black
Be it not of the same faith
Living trials can’t be won
In the end the hands will be held back
In the eyes September sun
The magic’s gone
Tempting fate with the surest of hands
Come to be a profession, to walk with
You in a mind of many lands
Has been my sole obsession
The magic’s here
Always cherish and always hold
Not in health but in sickness
And in the realm when all is said and told
There is no equal likeness
The magic’s gone
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