There she stands in the darkness, flecks of her golden hair illuminated by candle flicker and lightning flash. The silhouette of a white nightgown spills to her bare feet on the wooden floor. A gold crucifix spins lightly from the beaded chain around her neck, clinking softly. The knife she clutches glints maliciously. You see the same malice in her eyes. She is your Christian mistress, and she’s coming toward you.

Question: What do you get when you combine sinister Black Sabbath-style grooving with NWOBHM ‘tude and then top it with dusky, sultry female vocals? The answer: Christian Mistress’ Possession. This record (from Relapse) is pretty damn close to a time warp back to the budding metal era of the late ‘70s/early ‘80s, where mysticism frequently collided with sweaty energy to create colossal bursts of heavy sound. Such is the way of Possession.

The material contained within Possession, while decidedly unfiltered on its own, is gently nudged into classic territory with an earthy tone, and of course the smoky and seductive vocals of Christine Davis. Depending on the tune, her voice is either coy or commanding, evoking images of tortured, buxom heroines in dank dungeons or cruel warrior queens exacting revenge. The back and forth between Davis’ vocals and the heavy, high energy guitars of Oscar Sparbel and Ryan McClain — along with the aged feel of the record — makes for a raucous cult vibe.

Some of Possession’s tracks hit like sledgehammers, others slink in subtlety. Oftentimes both of these occur in the course of one track’s spin. “The Way Beyond” is a perfect example of that duality, creeping out of the gates with a somber, bluesy acoustic line that blossoms into an all-out rock eruption. Charged riffs come roaring out of the speakers, the bass gallops, the drums hold the groove together…and then Christian Mistress pulls back on the reins, with Davis’ hypnotic cry of ‘Are you alive?’ controlling the mass. Hard rock and heavy metal bliss!

Other noteworthy tracks are “Pentagram and Crucifix,” a hard-charging, chug-laden tune for which the band did a video; title track “Possession,” a haunting and ritualistic Faith cover; and of course the revved-up Di’Anno-era Maiden-esque “Black to Gold.” Each track from Possession has its own unique traits, but these really exemplify what makes Christian Mistress’ scheme work: warm, well-structured tunes that embrace the true grit of heavy metal.

 

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