Metal has expanded in quite a few different directions since the seventies', but bands like Christian Mistress keep the original spirit of the genre alive over a decade into the new millennium. This five-piece act from Washington takes plenty of hints from NWoBHM, stoner rock, doom metal, and classic hard rock into a sound that could've easily passed as something nearly forty years old. Possession is their second full-length album, and it is bound to satisfy most folks' itch for doomy classic metal. Although the musical approach that Christian Mistress takes is decidedly regressive, this is not a bad purchase for traditional heavy metal and hard rock fans.
Christian Mistress has received quite a bit of praise for their frontwoman's vocals, but for some reason Christine Davis' raspy singing style just comes across as flat and powerless to these ears - I'm just not feeling the aggressive and powerful vocals that I crave in a traditional metal album. Luckily, the guitar department more than compensates for the vocal shortcomings, and both axemen dish out plenty of rockin' riffs and killer lead solos. I wouldn't say that any of the songs here are particularly excellent, but Possession is still a fun listen when all is said and done.
Although most of this album is pedal-to-the-medal heavy rock, Christian Mistress also shows their ability to write more diverse pieces of music with the acoustic-influenced "There Is Nowhere", which also sports a killer Iron Maiden-like section towards the middle. All in all, this is a very respectable effort, even if I'm not won over by every aspect of the release. Fans of retro heavy rock are bound to enjoy Possession quite a bit, so I'd say 3 stars is a pretty fair score. Christian Mistress may not be the most inventive metal act out there, but they do what they do pretty well.
Track Listing:
1. Over & Over
2. Pentagram and Crucifix
3. Conviction
4. The Way Beyond
5. Possession
6. Black to Gold
7. There is Nowhere
8. Haunted Hunted
9. All Abandon
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
