“(insert band name) is the best band you’ve never heard of!”
It’s one of the oldest clichés in music journalism. In the case of Washington-based quintet Christian Mistress, that shit is true. After the relatively quiet release of a demo and a 7″ last year, the metal world at large first started hearing about the band thanks to Darkthrone drummer/walking metal encyclopedia Fenriz, who espoused their virtues in various interviews. But whether or not you subscribe to the ’80s-obsessed norseman’s cult of personality, Christian Mistress is a band not to be missed. Their debut album Agony & Opium is a true barnburner; one of the most righteously rocking slabs of traditional metal to be released in the past few years.
There are tons of retro-wannabes trying to ape this style. Forget about them. Christian Mistress are the real deal, possessing all the rough ‘n’ ready qualities that made an album like Diamond Head’s Lighting to the Nations so completely unfuckwithable. This is goddamn electric twin-guitar sorcery of the highest order, conjuring the ghosts of the NWOBHM.
As great as those guitars are though, Christian Mistress’ not-so-secret weapon is vocalist Christine Davis. She sounds like a denim ‘n’ leather clad version of Bjork, and it’s fucking awesome. On tracks like “Omega Stone” and “Home in the Sun”, she’s a metal goddess in the making, her voice meshing perfectly with dueling six-strings. Her vox lead the band’s hard-charging attack like a valkyrie riding into battle.
At only 27 minutes and change, the album runs painfully short. Albums don’t need be an hour long, but when the music is this good, you can’t help but want to hear what else the band can do. Like an all-too-brief set from a stellar opening band, Agony & Opium leaves you thirsting for more.
http://www.funerot.net/cm/home.html
