Christian Mistress – Possession
Christian Mistress’s debut “Agony & Opium” was one of my favorite releases from 2010 and that album was played a lot throughout the last year or so. It was an excellent piece of retro fueled metal and it’s follow up has been highly anticipated. The promo recently came across my desk and after listening to it several times, I have to admit it’s probably better than their debut. It has a similar sound to its predecessor, but there are a few things I noticed that set it apart.
The first thing I noticed was that while that classic sound with a rough edge is still there, the album has a crisper, louder overall sound. The next thing I noticed was that the bands musical chops have improved. Their musicianship was obvious on “Agony & Opium” but here, they sound tighter, more developed and the songwriting is more dynamic. As with their debut, it’s the voice of singer Christine Davis that really brings the album to another level but even that has improved. She seems much more comfortable here and her vocals blend with the music, almost as if it were another instrument.
This is by far, one of the better releases I’ve heard in a while. My taste in metal tends to lean towards Black Metal these days, but an album like this reminds just what traditional metal has to offer.
