Christian Mistress is an American heavy metal band, formed in

Olympia, Washington Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington. It had a population of 55,605 at the 2020 census, making it the state of Washington's 23rd-most populous city. Olympia is the county seat of Thurston County, and the central city ...

in 2008. The band is signed to

Relapse Records Relapse Records is an American independent record label based in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Matthew F. Jacobson in 1990. The label features many grindcore, death metal, metalcore and sludge metal artists. History The ...

History

Prior to the establishment of the band, the vocalist Christine Davis fronted the

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an Extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, ...

band Buried Blood. Ryan and Oscar played guitar in two of Olympia's premier metal bands. After Ryan and Oscar's bands both broke up they decided to start writing and playing music together. The band's 2009 ''Christian Mistress'' demo, which cost only $500 to make, and "Mother Of Mercy"/"The Hereafter" single gained attention from many notable heavy metal musicians, including

Darkthrone Darkthrone is a Norwegian black metal band hailing from Kolbotn, Akershus. Formed in 1986 as a death metal band named Black Death, in 1991, Darkthrone transitioned to a black metal style influenced by Bathory (band), Bathory and Celtic Frost and ...

member

Fenriz Gylve Fenris Nagell (born Leif Nagell; 28 November 1971), known professionally as Fenriz, is a Norwegian musician, part-time music journalist and online radio host (with the show "Radio Fenriz")

. As a result, the band signed to 20-Buck Spin Records and released their debut album, ''Agony & Opium'' in 2010. The band released their follow-up album, ''Possession'' in 2012 via Relapse Records. The band has toured with

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in 2010. On March 14, 2015, the band released a statement regarding American

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

artist

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

's album art cover for ''So Help Me God'' (2015) and how they claim he copied their album art for ''Agony & Opium'' (2010). On January 15, 2025, the band announced their fourth album, ''Children of the Earth'', would be released on March 7. They also released the first single and video from the album, "Mythmaker".

Musical style

The band's musical style has been associated with the

new wave of British heavy metal The new wave of British heavy metal (often abbreviated as NWOBHM) was a nationwide musical movement that began in England in the mid-1970s and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. Editor Alan Lewis (music journalist), Alan Lew ...

movement. According to ''

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music magazine founded in 1996 by Ryan Schreiber in Minneapolis. It originally covered Alternative rock, alternative and independent music, and expanded to cover genres includin ...

'' writer Grayson Currin, the band's second album, ''Possession'', combined influences from "proto-thrash, grandiose

classic rock Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...

, and smoky

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." The band was compared to British heavy metal acts Diamond Head and early

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...

. The vocals of Christine Davis were also described as a "combination of the incantatory power of

Patti Smith Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter, author, and photographer. Her 1975 debut album '' Horses'' made her an influential member of the New York City-based punk rock movement. Smith has fu ...

, the raw force of

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, and the howls of Nicole Lee of '80s Chicago thrashers

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." Her vocals in ''Possession'' were also compared to various singers which were also described to be her favourite, including

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, and

Roky Erickson Roger Kynard "Roky" Erickson (July 15, 1947 – May 31, 2019) was an American musician and singer-songwriter. Called an "outsider genius," he was a founding member and the leader of the 13th Floor Elevators and a pioneer of the psychedelic r ...

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Band members

;Current members *Oscar Sparbel – guitar (2008–present) *Reuben W. Storey – drums (2008–2013, 2014–present) *Christine Davis – vocals (2008–present) *Jonny Wulf – bass (2008–present) *Tim Diedrich – guitar (2014–present) ;Past members *Ryan McClain – guitar (2008–2013) *Eric Wallace – guitar (2013–2014) *Aaron O'Neil – drums (2013–2014)

Discography

;Studio albums * ''Agony & Opium'' (2010) * ''Possession'' (2012) * ''To Your Death'' (2015) * ''Children of the Earth'' (2025) ;Singles * "Mother of Mercy"/"The Hereafter" (2009) * "Demo 2009" (2011) ;Demos * ''Christian Mistress'' (2009)

References

External links

* * Musical groups established in 2008 Heavy metal musical groups from Washington (state) Musical groups from Olympia, Washington Relapse Records artists American musical quintets Occult rock musical groups {{US-metal-band-stub