'Lucifer' is a German-Swedish band who have released 3 self-titled albums of the band numbered in release order with 'Lucifer I' in 2015, followed by 'Lucifer II' in 2018 and finally 'Lucifer III' in 2020. Musically, they gravitate towards a muscular rock that takes us back to the 70's with vintage guitar distortion sounds, the melodic lines being catchy and making the compositions accessible from the first listen. After the first 3 opuses, it is without surprise that their 4th studio recording is called... 'Lucifer IV' which contains 11 short and direct compositions between 3 and 5 minutes each with an acoustic instrumental interlude, 'The Funeral Pyre', in the middle of the album. If I were to draw a parallel with other bands based on the musical atmospheres released and without referring to the rather dark themes addressed, I would say that 'Lucifer' could be a cross between 'Pretenders' for the muscular rock side or the melodic mid-tempos ('Archangel of Death', 'Louise', 'Nightmare', 'Phobos'), 'Fleetwood Mac' for lighter compositions such as 'Bring Me His Head' (see the video here) or 'Orion' and for the darker side, 'Black Sabbath' to quote a more recent band, 'Avatarium' ('Wild Hearses', 'Crucifix' - see video above, 'Cold as a Tombstone'). And the track that could be that perfect mix would be 'Mausoleum' with an introduction in a gothic atmosphere with the sound of a church organ and which then turns into alternating light and darker parts. To sum up, with this fourth opus, 'Lucifer' releases an album with catchy compositions that, despite the dark side of the themes deployed, are pleasant to listen to and 'Lucifer IV' should please a large audience that likes rock inspired from the seventies... | |
