While 2016 is being marked as the year of her outstanding comeback because of her collaborative album with Cult Of Luna, born on a Christmas day Julie Christmas has been a major factor in the rise of the post metal scene during the last ten years. Excessively active with the bands she led and as a solo act, she has been a significant presence in the underground rock scene and all this time, everything that has carried her signature was guaranteed to deliver in quality and virtue.
We compiled a list of essential releases that she’s been a part of…
13. Pigs: Wronger (2015)
If you're wondering how you've missed this recent project by Dave Curran of Unsane, don't worry, many people did. Wronger is Pigs' second album which features vocals by Julie Christmas on one of its most memorable tracks, Bug Boy.
12. Julie Christmas: Coextinction Release 5 (2011)
The follow up to Julie's acclaimed debut, The Bad Wife, was only a 2-song single release and did not receive the same amount of appreciation her debut did by critics. Part of the series of releases by online label Coextinction Recordings, this was nothing but a solid one for JC.
11. Mouth Of The Architect: Quietly (2008)
The third album bu Ohio's sludge/post-metal greats, Mouth Of The Architect, one of the prides of Translation Loss, featured a prominent track, Generation Of Ghosts with vocals by JC who haunts with her voice the song's dark mood and heavy atmospherics.
10. Strings Of Consciousness: From Beyond Love (2012)
The enigmatic collective that goes by the name Strings Of Consciousness, comprised mostly of European experimental musicians, have released a handful of albums, the last of which opens with an 8-minute song led by Julie's powerful voice. The album also features a great deal of collaborations with artists such as Throbbing Gristle's Cosey Fanni Tutti, Oxbow's Eugene Robertson, Pere Ubu's Andy Diagram, Lydia Lunch and more.
9. Spylacopa: Spylacopa (2008)
More like a collective than a metal band, Spylacopa led by Candiria guitarist John Lamacchia and featuring JC alongside other great musicians like Jeff Caxide of Isis and Greg Pucatio of The Dillinger Escape Plan, was introduced to the world with an intriguing 5-track EP, which some of us still consider as their best work to date.
8. Julie Christmas: The Bad Wife (2010)
On her debut solo album Christmas took aside some of the heaviness of her previous releases with her bands and replaced it with sadness and desperation, which are the main themes of the record. She even dares a couple of unconventional covers; Jacques Brel's If You Go Away and Willie Nelson's I Just Destroyed The World, both of which blend perfectly with the rest of the LP's bleakness. The Bad Wife is an amazing and much promising debut and it's of that kind we hope to see more from JC in the future.
7. Jesu / Battle Of Mice: Jesu / Battle Of Mice Split (2008)
In 2008 Battle Of Mice had made it far enough in the modern metal music business to catch Justin Broadrick's attention, who was mostly active as Jesu at the time. The two acts released together a 4-track, quite diverse EP on Robotic Empire, which unfortunately became the last thing BoM ever got to release.
6. Made Out Of Babies: Coward (2006)
On their solid second album Made Out Of Babies stepped a bit further from the metal sound of their debut and attempted to explore their nineties noise rock side. Given that the album was produced by the mighty Steve Albini, that's probably what anyone would have expected at the time. Julie's performance on the album is relentless and possibly as closest to Black Flag-ish punk as it gets.
5. Made Out Of Babies: Trophy (2005)
The album that introduces JC to the world, MOoB's debut had the proper production, the right compositions and displayed the band's skills and attitude needed to push heavy music's boundaries and create something unique at the time. More than a decade later, Trophy still stands as one of the finest in contemporary metal.
4. Battle Of Mice: A Day Of Nights (2006)
The first BoM album, released on the prestigious Neurot Recordings, was according to JC themed around her relationship with the band's guitarist, Josh Graham, while growing up. Sadly A Day Of Nights is the only full length album the band ever put together. It's one of the highlights in JC's discography and one of those genre defining post-metal records that deserves all the appreciation it can get.
3. Red Sparowes / Made Out Of Babies / Battle Of Mice: Triad (2006)
The moment they all got together for one triumphant three-way split, Triad was right off the bad a recipe you can't go wrong with. Featuring both Julie's bands at the time, as well as two live tracks from Red Sparowes, led by Neurosis' and BoM's Josh Graham, Triad is nothing but a masterpiece from start to finish.
2. Cult Of Luna & Julie Christmas: Mariner (2016)
The merging between JC's dominant singing and Swedish post-metal veterans', Cult Of Luna's atmospheric heaviness came out natural, with the two sides sounding as they've been doing this together for years. Based on the concept of space exploration, Mariner is described by CoL's Johannes Persson as "a journey into the unknown". and cites among the album's influences Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. Mariner is one of the gems that shine the brightest among both 2016's best albums and JC's entire body of work.
1. Made Out Of Babies: The Ruiner (2008)
They moved from Neurot to The End, released The Ruiner, took some time off and decided to call it quits, meaning MOoB went out on a high, as their last record was arguably their finest one, featuring possibly the most prominent vocal work we've ever heard from JC so far.
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ZR