Photo: Johnny Delacy
Ten years ago, this scribe witnessed a killer tour at Ralph’s Diner in Worcester, MA that included this Pacific Northwest band Christian Mistress. Mesmerized by the performance, it was mandatory to seek out all the back catalog for this heavy metal outfit. Children of the Earth is the latest, fourth studio album and first in ten years – not losing one ounce of strength pouring through the speakers. A twin guitar assault still ever-present, along with a solid rhythm section backbone as well as powerhouse vocal melodies that keep your attention from first to last note. We reached out to vocalist Christine Davis who discussed her interesting musical background, why there was a long break between records, the analog recording process they’ve enjoyed throughout their discography, the live performance versus studio thoughts, band chemistry, thoughts on the versatile heavy metal scene, and much more.
Dead Rhetoric: What can you tell us about some of your earliest memories surrounding music growing up during childhood? At what point did you start gravitating towards heavier styles of music – and eventually the desire to want to perform in your own bands?
Christine Davis: I like that question. I was raised in a really strict, religious household. But good, I had a good family. I wasn’t allowed to listen to anything really on the radio, or listen to music that maybe I would have liked. I just liked whatever was in front of me musically. I learned how to sing and hear music as a ten-year-old, I was in a choir that was not a Christian or church choir, but a community choir for kids. We learned how to sing in the solfege method, which is sight reading notes on paper. We learned how to sing Eastern European folk songs; this is really obscure, so I hope you don’t mind if I share this. We learned how to sing in Romanian, Russian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, and we travelled all over the Ukraine and Russia, which was in 1989, so it was still the USSR at the time. Our choir was called the World Harmony Peace Choir, which sounds really hippy. It was voice training and music training, so that’s how I learned how to hear not necessarily songs on the radio or rock music, but I learned how to hear other people and hear harmonies that way. I had a very non-traditional exposure to music. I try to bring a lot of that into this latest (Christian Mistress) record Children of the Earth. No one ever asked me about that, so I’ve never shared this before.
And then in high school, I realized by exposure to my friends that there is other music out there. I would sneak and listen to the radio. I was obsessed with pop music – I would write down the lyrics from songs, record them on tape, replay it and see if could memorize them. Thinking about lyrics, it didn’t matter what it was, as long as it was good. I was in Portland, Oregon at the time, and the grunge scene in the late 90s was a really big deal. I wasn’t really into those bands, but I liked the passion and the heaviness of it. That led me to bands like Bad Religion, I loved them. In my older high school years, I learned about punk and the punk scene, and that led me to digging around in record stores to seek out albums. I came across a cassette tape called Rocka Rolla from Judas Priest – this sounds cool. I remember putting it in my car when I was 16, it was my first heavy metal record. Driving around listening to that, I loved it – it was the gateway for me to find other 70s heavy metal. I was into Hawkwind, Iron Maiden – Killers, and I went down that whole NWOBHM road. It was really exciting for me, and that all happened in my early 20s, actually. I wasn’t a young kid learning about this, I was learning about this as an adult.
Dead Rhetoric: Children of the Earth is the fourth studio album for Christian Mistress – and first in a decade for the group. What took place behind the scenes that caused this long gap between records – and how does it feel to be finally putting this out after all the time away?
Davis: Behind the scenes, we finished our last tour in Europe in 2016. Our lead guitar player Oscar at the time, had a newborn baby. While we were on tour, his baby was back home so he said he needed a break to focus on how to raise a kid and tour, and see if that was even possible. We said, great – no problem, we had just done a ton of stuff, put out records, gone on tours, take a break. It wasn’t like he was taking a break from the band; he just needed some time to regroup. That moment extended until 2020, and we are like wow – four years, maybe we should think about writing a record again and see if we can do this with someone else if he’s not ready. COVID happened, and that just stopped everything for a couple of years. By 2023, the effects from that were mellowing out and we got invited to play Hell’s Heroes. We thought well, let’s get another guitar player that we’ve played with before that knows our songs, and let’s just have fun. We played that fest, it was incredible, and we then thought we could do this band without Oscar. We love Oscar, and love being in a band with him, but we can do this without him. So that’s what we are doing.
That’s the back story. There’s no reason why it took ten years other than giving people space and respecting their boundaries. I don’t know, time flies. It feels incredible, although we never officially broke up, we were always thinking about doing this realistically. In this moment, it feels incredible, as we all just decided to break down those barriers that were keeping us from being a band. We are focusing on what we can do. You may have noticed we are not touring at the moment. We can’t tour yet, but what we could do was put out a record. And do all the background work and book tours for later this year and early next year. We stopped worrying about what we can’t do and focusing on what is actually possible.
Dead Rhetoric: Can you discuss the old school recording / production philosophy behind this record – do you believe it’s important to capture Christian Mistress in as authentic and pure a state as possible?
Davis: Yeah, we do believe that. The way we recorded our first records, I guess starting from the beginning, why did we start recording analog and why do we continue to do that is I think of it as we first recorded analog on a four track, reel to reel at our friend’s studio in Olympia, Washington because we were just writing songs and having fun. We wanted to make a demo to practice. We weren’t expecting anyone to ever care about our band. We had recorded digitally with my previous bands in the past Buried Blood and Blood Red Sky, and I just didn’t enjoy the way they turned out. We started recording analog because we had a good option locally and a good studio to do this at. If that had not happened, we probably wouldn’t have done it. It’s the right place, right time. One of our best friends happens to have a great studio in Olympia. That’s not accessible for everybody, and I wouldn’t recommend that people travel all across the world to record with analog. We just happened to be lucky to have that resource and friendship. And we loved it, and we’ve continued to do things that way.
I still have these nightmares of recording digitally in the past with previous bands where the whole process was really overcooked. And we like that raw, real feeling. We are a live band, to be honest. People will say, and I agree, that the recordings might be good, but the live experience is great. So, we try to bring that to our recordings when we can.
Dead Rhetoric: The background information regarding the lyrical content to the record relates to ancient writings found on a gold tablet, speaking up for those who have no voice, and addressing humans lack of connectivity to the universe. Can you expand on how you decided to explore these topics and how humans can figure out ways of getting back on track to make society stronger or better as a whole?
Davis: Yeah. This concept came from my own personal world view, which is to think of the bigger picture. That has always helped me shovel myself out of any kind of depression or unnecessary stress. I just stop and think, wow – I am a part of this huge, beautiful thing. I was looking for ways to address that bigger life philosophy. Not necessarily for a concept album, but let these songs for this album cohesively work together. I’m rejecting that it’s a concept album, I really wanted there to be a theme that reflected back to this universal truth. When I found the ancient people had written this on golden tablets, this declaration of who we are in the universe, I thought it was very powerful. Definitely not something I learned in school, or sought out.
It’s incredible to think about the trajectory of humans and how we fit into that. The tools or ways other people can do this is remembering that we have the power to really explore our own creativity. Nobody can take that away from us. We have the power to not necessarily do anything we want, because not everyone has the same privileges in the world, but the things inside of ourselves transcend our situations, or where we live. For example, if I lived in a country where I didn’t have an international passport and couldn’t travel, or see the world, or do anything, I’m still a human and still a part of the universal experience. It’s meant to be encouraging – it’s not necessarily a super positive record, as I think it’s actually a really dark record lyrically if you really listen to it. It’s rejecting that powerlessness.
Dead Rhetoric: This deep into the band’s career, do you believe there are specific key elements that make up the Christian Mistress sound?
Davis: Yes. The key elements are the twin guitars, the guitar harmonies. And those guitar harmonies working with counter vocal melodies. That’s one part. The other crucial part is that drum/bass combination of Jonny and Reuben. Jonny is actually the second guitar player also on this record, and we have tried to just shifting him to that position and just getting another bass player. We realized that after examining that arrangement, that wasn’t what we wanted. Even though Jonny is an incredible guitar player, and we are so lucky to have him on the record as a guitar player, his bass playing is also incredible. And it’s not just him alone, with him and Reuben as the rhythm section, they really ground all the different melodies that the guitars and vocals bring. Those are the elements that need to be there. I can’t imagine having a different drummer or a bass player. I could see having different guitarists again, but I couldn’t imagine a different bottom end.
Dead Rhetoric: Would you say your vocals and approach have changed from the early days of the band to where you are now?
Davis: Part of my confidence comes from my bandmates giving me full reign and trust. If I have a question about a lyric or a vocal part, I can ask them and they will give me really honest feedback. And they will say absolutely no, do things in a different way. They give me full creative control, and that makes me feel confident. For this record, I feel the vocals have more space, just with the different guitar players, and the style of songwriting. It was different enough to lend itself to more vocals, so I took advantage of that. I took what was given and made things into a more well-developed vocal record. If the guitar parts had been written differently, I might not have done that. I wait and see what the guitars want to do, then work with it.
Dead Rhetoric: How would you assess Christian Mistress as a live act compared to what people experience on the records? What do you want the audience to feel from a performance – and what have been some of the more memorable shows/tours you’ve done to date?
Davis: For a live performance, in a perfect world it would be just like back at the Roadburn festival. We played there in 2015 or 2016. I thought Christian Mistress was still a pretty unknown band, but the crowd was singing along to the lyrics I had written. I was in shock. I would love every live experience for me to be like that. I was blown away by the connection that can be made across the world without ever being there before. To me connecting in the heavy rock/metal scene across the world, having more connective experiences, meeting new fans that can have similar experiences to that would be my goal.
As far as the record goes and that experience. I hope that people can get a good understanding of the lyrical concepts and the music before they go to a show, because we come across a little differently live. We are a pretty rough and rowdy band live. There’s a good amount of that recorded element that we won’t be able to do live, so I hope people get the chance to experience both (aspects).
Dead Rhetoric: You are now a part of Cruz del Sur Music after being on 20 Buck Spin and Relapse Records. Where do you see the major differences in terms of support – and how has the band handled the changing music industry / promotion model from the start of the band to where things are currently?
Davis: Cruz del Sur were friends of ours before, and that’s why we went with them. We felt like we could trust them to put out a record that we would be happy with. And that’s been true. Promotion-wise, it’s really different. I think it’s better in ways to have a European label, and we have the opportunity to switch it up. That will help reach people that our past US releases didn’t reach. Having those different levels of support over time can be good. Back when we recorded Possession for Relapse, I was doing so many interviews I couldn’t also write music, I was too busy. And I resented that at the time. A part of that was just not being used to the industry, not being used to social media. Social media was pretty new to us in 2012, we didn’t have a Facebook page back then, or Instagram. It was a shock to the system to me, we were a small band at the time – and maybe we still are. My ability to be exposed to people asking me questions about the process, I wasn’t mature enough to be able to really appreciate that. It felt like an infringement on my creative capacity, honestly. But I did it.
Now I enjoy interviews and the attention, because I understand that there’s a bigger heavy metal community out there that’s supportive and not extractive. I didn’t really understand that at the time. I have been growing and accepting, learning how to communicate with the changing world of heavy metal. It wasn’t as popular as it is now, it’s just incredible. I think we are still learning how to interact, it’s just an ongoing, changing process.
Dead Rhetoric: Do you also believe it’s a growth process to see how a song is accepted when you put it out there in the world, compared to the insight you may have as musicians who worked through the process?
Davis: I think so. I try to write songs that are personal, so they sound real and not fake. But also, it is not too personal that they can’t be relatable to other people’s experiences. It’s been interesting to watch what songs people grab onto more. I’ve had people come to our shows last year and say, ‘play this song, it saved me from this horrible thing in my life’. And I am like, wow – I could never have imagined that those songs would have such an impact on other people, it’s such an honor to share music that is healing and meaningful in some way.
Dead Rhetoric: What’s the band chemistry like these days? Do you consider the friendships and relationships you’ve forged as important as the music that you’ve developed over the years?
Davis: Oh yeah, those guys are my best friends. I never thought back in 2008 when we started that we would be together this long or get to do so much together. Honestly, we always get along. Sometimes we disagree, but we listen to each other and talk about why. It’s not personal disagreements; it’s more like maybe we could do this a different way. We definitely listen to each other. Our relationships are so important that if there is anything that we disagree on, we call the other person and talk about it. Our band chemistry, we picked up right where we left off. I remember the first time we had band practice after the long break, I missed this, and I missed these guys. It’s been important to keep this going. Even if we didn’t get the recognition, it would be important to get together, practice the songs, and write together creatively.
Dead Rhetoric: Where do you see the state of the music industry today – especially in the heavier genres? What do you enjoy most these days – and what changes (if any) would you like to see develop for the greater good of all parties involved?
Davis: I appreciate all the small, heavy music festivals in Europe – and there are a few in the USA as well. I think they are doing a good job of bringing together bands and people. Erasing that line that has separated fans and bands a little bit, I really like that. I’ve always felt a real connection to our fans, especially playing live. That live experience is mutual. You couldn’t just play alone. Those festivals are promoting that live, heavy music community.
It’s cool to see my friends succeed and put out good music over the years. It’s very rewarding as a musician that’s been in metal bands for over 20 years to keep and maintain those friendships. The people we work with, the artists, it’s great to continue those relationships and meet new people. Every time I turn around there’s this new zone or group of people doing similar stuff that I never knew about. A lot to discover, and a lot of ways to discover it – especially with all the online platforms. I think that’s great – the more accessible, the better. It’s different now, there are a lot of opportunities out there too.
Dead Rhetoric: Do you still work as a biology technician for your day job, and what is that like for you? Are there aspects of your work that you are able to channel into your musical realm – or do you keep things separate as different parts of your life?
Davis: Yes, I definitely keep things separate. I am still a biologist, but in the break between records I went to graduate school. I work for a private restoration company, and we do river restoration. I do similar kind of work, but it’s a regular nine to five job. That keeps me really busy, usually Christian Mistress will practice on Sunday nights. The other guys, two of them, have their own kids now, so they are busy too. I keep my band separate from my work. I do that because not everyone understands heavy metal. And I have had a lot of experiences where I’ve tried to share this with people, and they think heavy metal is just bikers and drugs, which is just so embarrassing. Embarrassing for them. I prefer to keep any of that out of my professional life. I usually wait until I know someone really well at work before I tell them I’m in a band.
Dead Rhetoric: What’s on the agenda for Christian Mistress over the next twelve months?
Davis: We are going to play some shows on the West Coast of the US in September and October. But we haven’t announced where or when yet. And then we are going to play Hell over Hammaburg in March of next year, in Germany. I am assuming we will book a tour around that, but I haven’t heard any of the details yet. That’s the plan right now.