ALBUM REVIEW: Lucifer III – Lucifer

LUCIFER is a band that has undergone some pretty major changes in a short space of time. Since their inception in 2014 from the ruins of THE OATH vocalist Johanna Sadonis has surrounded herself with a number of talented musicians to create two critically acclaimed albums. The band’s first eponymous release was largely penned by vocalist Sadonis and CATHEDRAL’s own Garry Jennings and was a brooding, dark album that stood firmly in the realms of doom and although it was a decent outing, only showed a glimpse of what the outfit was capable of.

This incarnation of the band would quickly dissolve and Sadonis would relocate to Stockholm, Sweden to write and record Lucifer II with her new writing partner Nicke Andersson. Together the band would move away from the more doom aspects of the band’s earlier work and create the far more suiting 70s influenced heavy rock sound that the band is known for to this day. Since then the band have enjoyed a huge level of success and have toured extensively, having settled on a full line up as of 2019 the band returned to Stockholm to record the third chapter of the LUCIFER tale.

The album opens with the track Ghosts which fans will be pretty familiar with as it has been in the band’s setlist for roughly a year at this point. Everything that the die hard fans have come to expect from LUCIFER and be found here; the nostalgic approach to songwriting with the wandering bass line, punchy drum sound, distorted guitar and subtle use of keys all create the perfect foundation for Sadonis to lay her powerful vocals over. The guitar riffs themselves are relatively simple throughout except for the inclusion of a few little lead runs that tie the sections together and a well written solo, but this is an effective way of not throwing out the flow of the track.

The following track Midnight Phantom contains some of LUCIFER’s trademark haunting vocal melodies with the instrumental in the background is far more reserved and harks back to the earlier BLACK SABBATH recordings with the dense, muted guitar. However, this is completely contradicted by the larger than life chorus that could easily be mistaken for FLEETWOOD MAC with its use of male and female harmonised singing and upbeat nature, creating one of the band’s biggest hooks and certain earworms to date.

Leather Demon is one of the tunes that was used to spearhead the promotion of the release and it is clear to see why with the obvious nod to the hard rock acts of the late seventies to early eighties. Melding the bluesy guitar work with a rock and roll swagger and even more catchy vocal melodies, proving that the band have found their lane creatively and are cruising down it at full speed to give their fans exactly what they want.

The guitar work in saving grace on the track Pacific Blues with the harmonised guitars in the introduction and the trading of solos in the final third of the song counteract the more formulaic and by the numbers vocal melody. However, any feelings that the band are dropping the ball in the second half off the album are quickly quelled with the inclusion of the track Coffin Fever which kicks in with an evil sounding riff and Sadonis delivering a more hushed tone to her singing in the verse to add to the brooding atmosphere being created. The production of the vocals on this album is something to be marvelled at with the subtle use of reverb effects to the singing adding that little extra something without making things sound too digitally altered. Plenty of bands circulating nowadays could learn a lot from this approach.

The album closer Cemetery Eyes shows the band slowing the price right down and brings a mellow feel to the back end of the album. This song feels far grander than anything the band has done before with the way that it ebbs and flows and the way that the chorus soars, making this song a sure fire hit when it gets thrown in to the bands set list. The solo towards the song is superb, giving the same sort of feel that you get when you listen to the final minute or so of LYNYRD SKYNYRD’s classic Freebird.

In keeping with the titles of their albums, the story of LUCIFER has truly been one of three parts. The debut saw the band starting out with their original doom orientated sound, the second was them moving away from that into more of a heavy rock sound and finding their creative feet and this current stage which sees them sounding more confident and complete than they have previously and flourishing as artists. Lucifer III is a superb effort for a band that are enjoying the form of their career.

Rating: 8/10

Lucifer III is out now via Century Media Records. 

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