CHRISTIAN MISTRESS

The time has arrived to introduce you to what will in fact end up as one of 2012's best traditional heavy metal albums, that being "Possession" by Olympia, Washington's CHRISTIAN MISTRESS. And yet as much as it will appeal to fans of classic heavy metal, including New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM),the waters of "Possession" run deep enough to keep it from being more than just a well-written tribute to the oldies. That is what made 2010's "Agony & Opium" such a musically exciting and promising debut. On "Possession" CHRISTIAN MISTRESS has fully realized the promise of that debut.

As is often the case with albums of lasting appeal the compositional dynamics of "Possession" become more and more apparent as more time is spent with it. On its face, there is a great deal of stone cold traditional heavy metal jams on this bad boy and it comes with hooks that get bigger by the spin. That's established right from the get-go on "Over & Over". But there is more to the story, thanks to the richness of the songwriting and the subtle power of Christine Davis' singing whose distinctive voice is at once dark, mysterious, and sultry. More than just the vocalist, she adds enormous value to the whole of the music, thanks to her intonation and patterning, as well as the more obvious facets of her approach, including the harmonizing on songs like "All Abandon" and a title track that happens to be a FAITH cover.

Perhaps it is the admitted — though not necessarily obvious — influence of classical musical that gives these compositions such depth, as found in the seamless tempo shifts and guitar work from Ryan McClain and Oscar Sparbel that is more intricately constructed than may first meet the ear. The soloing is passionate and fiery, yet contributory to the larger arrangement in varying degrees. The riffs are massive in a true heavy metal sense, yet also nuanced in a SLOUGH FEG sort of way. The twin leads that are strategically placed traverse IRON MAIDEN and THIN LIZZY territory (e.g. "The Way Beyond", "Conviction", and "There is Nowhere"). It's all wrapped up in a warm, organic sound that is of particular benefit to the powerful drumming of Reuben W. Story, a guy that understands the importance of accents and fills.

So as not to risk making it seem as though "Possession" is dense in a progressive or technical sense, it is important to reemphasize that these songs offer a lot in the way of pure heavy metal firepower. For starters, "Conviction" rocks hard and just plain swings! The burning groove into which the band launches after that doomy introduction on the above-mentioned title track is guaranteed to straighten the next hairs. Possibly the best song on the album, "Black to Gold" is the place at which NWOBHM and American hard-rockin' boogie meet, made complete with an addictive chorus. An acoustic intro that morphs into a rumbling fade-up that sounds like the beginning of MOLLY HATCHET's "Flirtin' with Disaster" (hey now, it really does) sets the stage for some righteous guitar playing on "The Way Beyond", which also happens to boast one of the album's sharpest arrangements.

More than just channeling any of the aforementioned acts, as well as ones like ANGEL WITCH and DIAMOND HEAD in one way or another, there is an obsidian aura inherent in the intelligently written music of "Possession" that stamps CHRISTIAN MISTRESS with a recognizable identity. When it comes right down to it, a little time invested in any of these tracks will have you nodding your head in approval at the compositional skill involved; that is, when you aren't banging it with a vengeance. Believe the hype. "Possession" rules!