I got into metal in the late 2000s, but it wasn’t until the early 2010s that I became aware of the scenes and sounds around me. There was the thrash revival, deathcore, progressive metal/djent, and occult rock. Lucifer fell into the occult rock category. They’re one of the few bands of the movement I enjoyed. Ideally, I should’ve loved the entire style. Evil lyrics, Hammond organs, psychedelic guitars…what was there not to like? Nine times out of ten, these bands sounded less like Coven and more like circus music. What set Lucifer apart from the pack was meaty Sabbathian riffs contrasted with the dream inducing vocals of Johanna Sadonis. Their debut album was one of my favorites of 2015 and I even saw them on their first American tour.
Fast forward to 2018. Occult rock was all but dead. Most of the bands had broken up. The ones who stuck around were nearly forgotten. The genre’s biggest act, Ghost, transcended the scene to become the premiere pop metal darlings you least expected. And Lucifer soldiered on with a new lineup and sound on Lucifer II. Gone were the devilish ways of old. Lucifer were now leather clad hedonists with a penchant for darkness. I welcomed this transition with open arms. The first album was great, but this was close to perfection. How could they follow it up? With Lucifer III of course!
The latest installment in Lucifer’s musical voyage opens with “Ghosts”. Somebody cue the caged go-go dancers! This dark, groovy track sounds straight out of the party (or “happening”) scene from Midnight Cowboy (1969). It does a great job setting the mood for the rest of the album. The next song, “Midnight Phantom”, is a throwback to Lucifer’s early days. It boasts a big doom metal riff similar to Sabbath and Pentagram. The only other pure doom song on the album is the equally memorable “Coffin Fever”. Aside from these tracks, Lucifer III carries on the early 70s heavy metal/hard rock sound embraced on Lucifer II.
“Leather Demon” is a gorgeously gloomy ballad. Distant guitars, piano, and backing vocals compliment the soothing voice of Sadonis. This builds up to a blistering guitar solo of Buck Dharma proportions, before tenderly returning to the chorus. The mellow songs on here and Lucifer II evoke the same feelings of haunted beauty as the first three Blue Öyster Cult albums. They’re the perfect soundtrack to walking through a graveyard or forest on a cold, misty morning. Other bands try to capture this spirit, but fail miserably. Lucifer writes them with ease.
If, “Midnight Phantom” and “Coffin Fever” are throwbacks to the first Lucifer album musically, then “Lucifer” is a throwback lyrically. Sadonis laments the fallen angel’s plight to a Uriah Heep inspired soundtrack of eerie organs, bone crunching riffs, and a drum beat that I can only describe as the “Heep beat”. I’m not a drummer. If this beat or pattern has a proper name, pardon my ignorance. However, I have a good enough ear to recognize this drum pattern from “Look at Yourself”, “Easy Livin'”, “Free ‘N’ Easy”, and countless other ‘eavy ‘Eep classics. It also sounds like a sister song to Lucifer II‘s opening track, “California Son”. That was my favorite song off that album. By default, “Lucifer” is my favorite song off Lucifer III.
Most bands close albums with a heavy track, leaving the listener with one last punch in the gut. Lucifer does the opposite and closes with the delicate “Cemetery Eyes”. Sadonis urges us to “Come on now!”. Where? That’s for her to know and us to find out. The listener takes her hand and slowly disappears into the fog with each fleeting minute.
Lucifer III is a marvelous musical potpourri of the best sounds of yesteryear. I must admit I don’t feel the same sense of connection I immediately felt upon first hearing Lucifer II. However, this isn’t to dismiss the album. I’m sure this’ll change as the year slowly trudges along.
“On each and all those holy nights. When duster’s dust becomes the sale. And Lucifer the light.” – Blue Öyster Cult, “7 Screaming Diz-Busters”
8 out of 10
Label: Century Media Records
Genre: Heavy Metal/Hard Rock
For fans of: Black Sabbath, Blue Öyster Cult, Uriah Heep