All Photos by Andrew Epstein

In recent years the heavy music scene has experienced a new wave of traditional metal and gothic hard rock bands. The true standout of the bunch for me has been Olympia, Washington’s Christian Mistress. Their sound is a sonic throwback processed through a modern musical sensibility. It’s seventies-style metal with tunes that are too heavy for that decade, but still sound pure enough to stand apart in a scene dominated with extreme metal and hardcore. The lyrics weave tales of personal exploration coupled with a strangely positive sense of morbidity. There are layers there if you want to go deeper, but the songs are easy enough to rock out to if that’s all you need.

Now relocated to Portland, Oregon the band has just released their third full-length album To Your Death. The record has all of the qualities of its predecessors, but with a more confrontational vibe. It delves further into both heavy metal and hard rock, embracing the listener sonically and cerebrally. It’s the sound of a band who seems to be aware of the effect that their music has had on people.

Before their set at Toronto’s Coalition I sat down for a chat with vocalist Christine Davis, who confessed that analyzing her own art is something she’s had to get used to. Nevertheless that’s exactly what she ended up doing, and we managed to get deeper into the sounds and subjects that make Christian Mistress what they are.

Christian Mistress are currently taking their Tour Your Death across Europe along with Magister Templi. Their new album To Your Death is available now on Relapse Records and you can watch the video for “Open Road” below.

Christian Mistress Live in Toronto - Coalition - September 13, 2015