Year : 2021
Style : Stoner Hard Rock , Doom Metal , Female vocals
Country : Germany , United Kingdom
Audio : 320 kbps + front
Size : 157 mb
Bio:
Berlin/London based heavy doom rock band, LUCIFER, have this week unleashed their highly anticipated debut album, Lucifer I, and confirmed their first ever London show.Front woman, Johanna Sadonis - formerly of The Oath - commented on the release:"It is with great pride that we present Lucifer I, our first album. Crafted between London and Berlin, we've given it our all. We are tremendously excited for Lucifer I to descend into the light of day now and have been overwhelmed by the fantastic response so far!"The band recently released their first single, Izrael. The track was written by Sadonis and ex-Cathedral guitarist, Gaz Jennings. The video for the track - directed by Sadonis and Chris Koll - was shot partly at LUCIFER's first Berlin show in April, and has notched up thousands of plays in its first few days online.Whilst The Oath was a much-celebrated band, following their premature demise, Sadonis wasted no time in creating a new beast to go beyond previous limitations. Having released their debut single, Anubis earlier this year, there has been a significant buzz generating around LUCIFER.Eschewing the now well-worn clichés of the ‘occult-rock explosion’ in favour of a truthful and tempestuous re-imagining of classic 70s proto-metal and heavy doom, the eight songs on this band’s debut album crackle and fizz with burgeoning energy and the compelling conviction of music made for all the right reasons.Although still firmly rooted in the fertile soil first cultivated by Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Blue Oyster Cult, LUCIFER exist in a proudly liberated and limitless sonic realm, where the heaviest doom rock is a mere starting point for the band’s skyward creative trajectory.LUCIFER have recently been announced to tour with High on Fire and Pallbearer in the United States, with more European shows planned for later in the year. The band have also landed the coveted cover of the current issue of American heavy metal bible, Decibel.
Album:
The album opens on a really dank note, “Archangel of Death,” with drums and bass punching all around before the clever guitars come in to engage the listener until Johanna Sadonis‘ vocals arrive. The guitars make sure that the song never gets boring and the use of bass is absolutely fabulous – it’s deep, dark, dirty, and driving… many of the best D-words to describe this particular style of grungy music. They go right into the BLACK SABBATH sound with the wonderfully-named “Wild Hearses.” Sadonis impresses listeners immediately with her low tone, sucking us into the depths of that dirty bass and drumming. Sadonis is nigh seductive with her mysterious, deep sound. Also, props to these guys for always having some clever wordplay in their lyrics and song titles! “Crucifix (I Burn for You)” starts darkly before pepping up a little, though Sadonis is ever-present in her depth. This one has a truly catchy chorus, worthy of a single, so it came as no surprise that I found this track YouTube as well. Props to the fun solo as well.If you want to be swept away with a catchy rhythm in the first few seconds of a song, you’ll surely be drawn to “Bring Me His Head,” which has both a danceable and singalong-able chorus that smoothly transitions to and from rockin’ verses. “Mausoleum” is a high-mid-tempo groover, with gentle but prominent vocals. Some subtle organs in the back add texture, while the slick soloing on top of the strong rhythm is a definite highlight in this one, as well as the unexpected change to a lighter sound towards the end. “The Funeral Pyre,” on the other hand, is a very autumnal instrumental piece, which explains its short 1:44 playtime. The funky bass drives “Cold as a Tombstone” forward, as Sadonis makes sure that she keeps her hold on us from start to finish. Of note, when I spoke of the lack of interesting vocal melodies in Anette Olzon‘s new release, “Strong,” it was this sort of thing I’d love to see her try – Sadonis takes her voice all over the lyrics, from high to low, from vibrato to wavy, to smooth to gritty and back several times within a song. It’s never boring (and I bet Olzon has the skill to do it).“Louise” takes us in a cheekier direction, as Sadonis teases us and the bass moves around. While I love the way she sings the chorus, admittedly, I thought she was saying “new weed” and not “Louise,” which in a way felt more appropriate to this stoner-licious music. “Nightmare” starts on a frightfully ominous note, which well-suits its name. Was this album intentionally scheduled for release right before Halloween, because if so, they nailed the time-of-year for this release dead-on. It’s just so doomy and mysterious and will be perfect to put on during those chilly autumn afternoons.If ever a band makes sure the drummer and bassist aren’t forgotten, it’s LUCIFER. Case-in-point: “Orion.” The beginning of the penultimate song is punched forward by really fun musicianship from the rhythm section. Simple key notes haunt the entire song, giving a little eeriness to the background, while Sadonis soars around, riding the waves of the guitars. The feel is both rocking and easy to dance around to in a sludgy, stonery sort of way. The transition between “Orion” and “Phobos” is as smooth as can be. The latter works as a very strong closer to the album, with wailing guitar, driving bass, and such creative drumming. The faster tempo works to its advantage as the album’s finale, as Sadonis sings about “the heart of the mountain” and that dirty low end is sweetly mixed in with the soloing and vocals. The instrumentalists take their time to jam their way out, creating a truly strong end to a great sonic journey that will likely leave listeners wanting more.LUCIFER seem to be pure gold when it comes to laid-back stoner grooves. The intricacy of their playing overtop of the ever-changing rhythms keeps each song interesting, while the ever-exploratory musicians never give you a moment’s chance to get bored. If THE DOOBIE BROTHERS aren’t quite groovy enough these days to be the soundtrack to your zen trance, LUCIFER might be just what the sound doctor ordered. Surely, their BLACK SABBATH forefathers must be impressed.
Line Up:
Johanna Sadonis - vocals (2014-present) - See also: ex-The Oath, ex-Cryogenic, ex-Dies Ater, ex-Ferox, ex-Informer, ex-Vinterkrig (Swe)
Nicke Andersson - drums
Harald Gothblad - bass guitar
Martin Nordin - guitar
Linus Bjorklund - guitar
Tracklist:
01. Archangel of Death (03:35)
02. Wild Hearses (04:56)
03. Crucifix (I Burn for You) (03:51)
04. Bring Me His Head (04:25)
05. Mausoleum (04:51)
06. The Funeral Pyre (01:44)
07. Cold As a Tombstone (04:16)
08. Louise (03:56)
09. Nightmare (05:07)
10. Orion (04:47)
11. Phobos (04:20)
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