Battle Of Mice
A Day Of Nights
On paper alone, Battle Of Mice are a formidable proposition: vocalist Julie Christmas is perhaps best known for her savagely powerful performances as frontwoman in the fearsome Made Out Of Babies, a band renowned for their relentlessly brutal brand of noise rock; while guitarist/keyboardist Josh Graham plays in Red Sparowes, a band taking the sort of epic rock pioneered by Isis or Godspeed You Black Emperor! to yet further heights. Add to this the fact that these two kingpins of the outfit entered into a bruisingly tempestuous relationship around the time Battle Of Mice were formed, and the potential for grippingly intense music to ensue was obvious.
The band haven’t disappointed: following a promising contribution to the Triad EP (which also featured tracks from Red Sparowes and Made Out Of Babies), Battle Of Mice have emerged as a genuinely unique force, marrying the grinding intensity of Christmas’ other work with the apocalyptic character of Red Sparowes. Their debut album, A Day Of Nights, will be released on Neurot in October; the record documents with almost painful accuracy the savagely downward trajectory of Christmas and Graham’s relationship, creating a voyeuristic but horribly compelling listening experience. Yet despite their problems, Battle Of Mice expect to continue recording in the future - to the benefit of their fans, if perhaps not the band themselves.
