Christian Mistress - Possession (2012)

First things first: listen to Possession on Bandcamp.

Among the various sub-genres of metal, the traditional and power varieties are two that I listen to rather infrequently.  I usually find the emphasis on vocals annoying.  And there seems to be a disturbing lack of low end that I usually associate with metal as a whole.  In addition, I was not especially impressed with Agony & Opium, Christian Mistress' previous release.

Obviously, Possession blew my doors off.

In hindsight, of course, it's not that much of a surprise.  The rhythm section lays down the foundation, the guitarists explore genuinely intriguing interplay through the riffs and numerous leads, and vocalist Christine Davis sits above it all with her husky voice and understated singing style.  She's not using vibrato on every note she sings, nor does she sound like she's trying to out-do every other metal singer.  In short, she keeps the vocals listenable, and the album benefits greatly as a result.

The album's structure in interesting.  The best tracks are closer to the end of the album rather than at the beginning.  The first four tracks are generally shorter and to-the-point.  The title track separates these from the back four, which are generally more epic and more contemplative.

Speaking of the title track, I was surprised to find that it is a cover.  After hearing Christian Mistress' version...I really can't imagine what the original sounds like.

"Haunted Hunted" remains my favorite track.  It has the best riffs.  Not only that, but it's genuinely fun to listen to.  Not everything I listen to has that sense of fun.  Normally, it'd be a lot heavier, too.

I tabbed Possession as the best metal album of 2012.  Why the best?  For one, there isn't a weak track on it.  A number of albums that I heard throughout 2011 and 2012 had at least one weak track on it.  This one doesn't.  Not only that, but they pull off the neat trick of making a comparatively old style sound new and refreshing.  It's not an easy thing to do, as evidenced by all the thrash, death, and black metal bands who are so intent on rehashing the past while adding nothing new to it.