Relapse Records (2012)

The sophomore outing for Christian Mistress sees them travel further on the path of traditional metal with a retro vibe garnering respect and excellent reviews from most quarters. But not from this one I’m afraid! I am a fan of this type of music and on paper Christian Mistress look dynamite, but the reality is not so pleasing.

Firstly, the songs just aren’t strong enough for my liking. These guys need to listen to some Witchcraft to see how this type of thing should be done! Secondly, much has been made of vocalist Christine Davies, but I find her lacking in both power and emotional intensity. Then we have the triumph of style over substance. Ultimately, this album sounds like it came from the late 70’s/early 80’s without having any of the charm that the best metal releases from that era did. It puts up a good front of doing the same thing bands from then did, but when you look under the surface you find out it was mostly window dressing.

I’m going to listen to Royal Thunder instead...

www.christianmistress.com
www.relapserecords.com

Rating:  3 / 6

Composed by Peter Loftus