Olympia, WA metal throwbacks Christian Mistress are getting a lot of buzz over their new album Agony & Opium, but before they delivered their LP on 20 Buck Spin, the band debuted with this two song 7" on Nasjonal last year that introduced the metal underground to their triumphant dual-guitar metal attack.

The first song "Mother Of Mercy" is an awesome old school ripper that channels the spirit of classic New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, totally in the vein of Diamond Head, Saxon, Tygers Of Pan Tang, and Angel Witch, but this doesn't sound self-consciously retro; it's got that same raw spirit, driven by a

killer chugging riff, twin axe harmonies and powerful propulsive drumming, and singer Christine Davis's lead vocals fall somewhere between Doro and Ann Wilson and fit this perfectly. Seriously fucking catchy! Flip over to the b-side and you get "The Hereafter", another driving rocker that opens with some sweet Maiden-esque guitar harmonies before the band lurches into a halting groove and chugging ironclad riff, switching into some pounding speed at the end of the tune. It's a little more on the Deep Purple/Rainbow end of things, but still hard as hell. There's nothing kitschy about this - this is true blue heavy metal atavism, and an excellent companion to their new album.

Limited to five hundred copies.