Mistress – Demo
February 22nd, 2024
Doom Metal
Independently Released
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Mistress is a brand new doom metal project featuring members of the hardcore-infused death metal outfit Fuming Mouth and High Command. I was intrigued to check this out since elements of doom metal are already incorporated into Fuming Mouth’s music, so I was curious to hear their members’ attempt at creating something a bit more “pure” within the framework of this genre. This demo is their first outing and upon stepping into it I wasn’t quite sure what to expect at first.
The vocals were a bit surprising at first as they’re clean but have this kind of saccharine quality to them that I hadn’t anticipated. They’re filtered and have a generous amount of reverb placed upon them. While it caught me off guard since I was expecting something more powerful and overzealous that would be comparable to vocals in a band like Dio or perhaps Cirith Ungol, this approach works well and actually plays to the benefit of the band, giving them a bit more of a gothic edge.
The instrumentals here are a bit bare bones but otherwise solid. This is doom metal in its rawest form, drawing upon influence from classic bands like Black Sabbath, Pentagram, and Trouble, while incorporating a bit of Ghost-adjacent melody construction into the mix. There’s a serious occult edge to all of the songs here that certain helps play up the overall aesthetic of the genre that Mistress have found themselves in, and I for one am here for it.
Since this is a demo I’m fully anticipating that whatever Mistress does in the future will have a bit more bite to it as well as better production. For what it is though I think this new group is onto something and I’m curious where they’re going to take this sound next. It’s a solid first effort that while perhaps doesn’t quite scratch the itch I want it to, is still proof of concept of something that may be more to my tastes in the future. I’ll be eagerly anticipating whatever Mistress brings to us next.
Final Verdict: 3/5
Great
Favourite Tracks:
“Floating”
“Sacred Hearts”
~ Akhenaten
Where Strides The Behemoth? 