I used to listen to bands like Shiny Mama, Sister Sin, and Vanity Ink when I hungered for estrogen-powered sleaze metal, but lately I’ve been turning to the ladies of the night fronting occult rockers The Devil’s Blood, Purson, and Blood Ceremony to satiate those desires. Christian Mistress, and its shadowy scream queen Christine Davis, just happen to cover all of my basest urges in one axe-ripping shot, and their third release, Possession, emerges from the dry ice head down and crotch out. The Olympia, Washington band are no doubt steeped heavily in the NWOBHM tradition, but Davis’ throaty presence will make you recall — with a lot of teenage boy fondness — those Lita Ford and Doro Pesch posters you used to hang on your bedroom wall, and Possession‘s raw, tricked-out energy is as much barroom bottle fight as it is parking lot party. No matter if it’s the twin shred of “Pentagram and Crucifix,” the moto-madness of “Conviction,” the witchy lead-in to “The Way Beyond,” or the ritualistic doom of the title track,” Possession is an authentically damnable affair, high flyin’ devil metal that’s all rock and no schlock. That doesn’t mean, however, that you won’t be completely tempted to paint a wizard on the side of a van or put on a steel cod piece and attack it with a chainsaw.
Spiders are a neat little rock n’ roll outfit hailing from Gothenburg, Sweden, featuring John Hoyles of Witchcraft and Axel Sjöberg of Graveyard (although at the time of this review he’s no longer in the band), but starring the foxy Ann-Sofie Hoyles as lead scream Queen, and I’ve waited on writing about them because it seems every time I sit down to do so they put out another single. Indeed, it all started back in January when Spiders released this here four-song EP on regular vinyl and picture disc, and given the aforementioned members penchant for the retro sound, this one definitely stinks of drugs and fuzz, but it also takes on much more of a sonic sexiness, no doubt due to Ann-Sofie’s tempting wiles. You might think a band like Spiders would come off sounding like Blood Ceremony or The Devil’s Blood given the dynamics, but they’re more dirty denim and sweaty leather than black robes and incense, and fall in line with the likes of the American electric dealers of the 60s and 70s, like Fred “Sonic” Smith jamming with Grace Slick. Spiders are a don’t-drink-what’s-in-the-red-cup kind of party, a backseat education for dark minds and idle hands. Anyway, Spiders then took this four-song EP and cut it in half, releasing two separate 7″ singles in the US in March, High Society b/w Gracious Man (Kemado Records) and Nothing Like You b/w Long Gone (Valley King Records). If that wasn’t enough, they then released another 7″ single in August on De:Nihil Records, featuring the brand new song “Fraction” and a cover of Alice Cooper’s “Under My Wheels.” We can now only hope a full-length is on its way. In the meantime, I’m gonna go drink what’s in the red cup and rock the fuck out.
I know this song isn’t on the self-titled EP, but videos are fun, so check out the video for “Fraction”!
Mark Ryan, singer/guitarist for Texas punk band The Marked Men, has given his lone star cronies another reason to celebrate and collaborate, courtesy of his new solo project, Mind Spiders. While the band’s live incarnation brings together friends from The Marked Men, High Tension Wires (made up of Marked Men, Reds, and Riverboat Gamblers), Bad Sports, and Uptown Bums, the recording is all Ryan, who four-tracks his way through twelve lo-fi pop creations that blink and scream like the main attraction at the carnival of fuzz. As a whole, Mind Spiders feels a hell of a lot like a 60s garage rock record, candy-coated in electric spazz and shake, but Ryan is able to riff on this blueprint on a song-by-song basis, coaxing a range of styles out of the inherent raw energy throughout; “Go!,” “Don’t Let Her Go,” and “No Romance” showcase his punk roots (“Go! was supposed to be on The Marked Men’s last LP but was left off), “Read Your Mind” and “Slippin’ and Slidin’” contain a country n’ soul vibe, while “Your Soul,” “Neurotic Gold,” and “Close the Door” end the album on an indie new wave note. Mind Spiders is eclectic, catchy, and earmarked for sound.
Christian Mistress
Spiders
Mind Spiders