Label : Relapse Records
Review by Tony Cannella
When it comes to music, I am very much a child of the 80s. That is when I first discovered my love for all things metal and when I got my musical education, not that it matters much. I still love metal, but reserve a special place in my heart to any band whose style harkens back to that glorious time in metal. The second album from Washington’s Christian Mistress (titled “Possession”), definitely piqued my interest for this reason. Now, nostalgia can only take you so far, and realizing this is now 2012 you have to bring something current and relevant to the table and that is exactly what Christian Mistress does on “Possession”. Sure there is no lack of 80s-isms, but “Possession” also possesses (no pun intended, okay maybe a little bit) all the fire and energy of any band that has emerged in recent history. I don’t know why but I always associate the label Relapse with Death and Metal Core bands so that is half what I was expecting when played the “Possession” album. From the frenzied thrash-like opening of “Over & Over” I knew I was wrong and was instantly captivated by the sound emanating from my speakers. Christian Mistress mixes thrash, traditional heavy metal and NWOBHM influences throughout the course of “Possession”. Songs like “Cross and Crucifix”, “Conviction” and “The Way Beyond” are fine examples of this, whilst the song “Possession” has a definite early Black Sabbath vibe with the opening guitar riff and doomy feeling. The opening riff to “Black to Gold” had a definite Paul Di’Anno era Iron Maiden vibe to it, and it is also one of the main highlights for me. “There Is Nowhere” gives the listener a chance to catch their breath at the beginning and is the closest thing to a ballad on “Possession”. It does have its heavy parts and the song changes tempo several times before speeding up and bringing the song to a frantic conclusion. So, all I can say it that any preconceive notions I might have had were put aside after listening to this 41-minute slice of pure metal heaven. Sure it’s not perfect but Christian Mistress is a band that would sound good in any decade, and “Possession” sure isn’t lacking of vitality and power.
Rating – 90/100
Tracklist
- Over & Over
- Pentagram and Crucifixchrist
- Conviction
- The Way Beyond
- Possession
- Black to Gold
- There is Nowhere
- Haunted Hunted
- All Abandon
Line Up
- Christine Davis – Vocals
- Ryan McClain – Guitars
- Oscar Sparbel – Guitars
- Johnny Wulf – Bass
- Reuben W. Storey – Drums
Links