LUCIFER
“LUCIFER III”
Album Review by Chris Palmer

9/10

Lucifer is a Heavy Rock outfit that was formed in 2014 by front-woman Johanna Sadonis. The band has established itself comfortably in the scene with its healthy dosage of Heavy Rock/Metal and Doom Rock with a 70s Hard Rock feel. With influences including the likes of Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Blue Oyster Cult, the band has gained the international recognition it deserves.

Having released two albums since formation, “Lucifer I” (2015) and “Lucifer II” (2018), the band now consisting of Johanna Platow Andersson, formerly Sadonis (Vocals), Nicke Platow Andersson (Drums), Linus Björklund (Guitar), Martin Nordin (Guitar), and Harald Göthblad (Bass) released its third offering earlier this year.

Available via Century Media Records, the aptly titled “Lucifer III” contains nine tracks. The record offers a terrific blend of 70s-inspired Heavy Doom Rock while touching on subjects including magic and the occult.

Album opener “Ghosts” begins with an excellent guitar riff that leads you along in traditional Lucifer style. Johanna’s vocals are mesmerising, as she draws you in and gets your attention before dragging you into the superb and enticing “Midnight Phantom”. The guitar-led “Leather Demon” creeps up on you with its moving melody and beautiful vocals. The guitar-play is a joy to the ears, allowing you time to close your eyes and absorb the sounds coming from the headphones. Silence then greets you before the sound of a goat awakens you from your slumber and finds you face-to-face with “Lucifer”.

The outstanding “Pacific Blues” gets the foot tapping and head nodding with a wonderful bouncing rhythm, which thoroughly deserves a few repeated plays. This number is definitely one of my favourites on the album, and the short guitar solo during the second half adds a little extra to the music, before the slower, Doom-inspired “Coffin Fever” arrives.

“Flanked By Snakes” announces its arrival with terrific, bouncing guitar grooves which urge you to nod along to. The rhythm is more contagious than COVID-19 and, once inside your head, will prove impossible to remove. The song just begs to be repeated several times before allowing you to move on towards the penultimate number “Stay Astray”. The epic “Cemetery Eyes” sees the album to its conclusion.

It is written that Lucifer was one of the most beautiful fallen angels. How appropriate that Lucifer, the band, produce some of the most beautiful Heavy Doom Rock committed to disc. It’s fair to say that this trend continues with “Lucifer III” because, regardless of subject matter, this is another superb collection of songs from the band, and an album that thoroughly deserves your attention.

Lucifer, the band, gets better with each album, and is firmly established into Heavy Rock History. I can’t wait for the fourth chapter from Johanna and Co…

TRACKLIST

Ghosts
Midnight Phantom
Leather Demon
Lucifer
Pacific Blues
Coffin Fever
Flanked By Snakes
Stay Astray
Cemetery Eyes

http://www.lucifer.church

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