January 26, 2023 German/Swedish favorites released their 5th full release, Lucifer V.
Press release bio:
“Lucifer was formed in 2014 by frontwoman Johanna Sadonis following the demise of her previous band The Oath. Drawing influence from acts like Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Deep Purple and Fleetwood Mac, Lucifer earned mass critical praise for their previous numerical releases and along the way performed at festivals like Psycho Las Vegas, Desertfest, Dominion Festival, Mystic Festival, Atlas Rock, Wacken and Sweden Rock among others and toured with bands such as The Hellacopters, Ghost, KISS, High On Fire and Paradise Lost to name a few.”
Not even a full 10 seconds into the first track, “Fallen Angel”, I found myself nodding in approval. I immediately detected inspiration from the 70’s metal that defined and solidified most heavy music as we know it today. Black Sabbath vibes all around! But with Johanna Sadonis’ softer vocals, almost giving me a Nightwish vibe. Seamlessly flowing into the second track, “At the Mortuary” keeping up with the doomy sounds, adding in the kind of solos that any guitarist can appreciate.
“Slow Dance in a Crypt” gives major goth girl vibes, and I just say that because as a primarily visual artist, listening to this with my eyes closed gave me visions of a spooky shoot or video concept. Once again the guitar solo here sends shivers, and in all the right ways. “A Coffin Has No Silver Lining” gives off some fantasy-like Dio vibes. “Maculate Heart” and “The Dead Don’t Speak” seemed to turn the tides a little bit for me, I heard much more Heart influence and maybe some of that Fleetwood Mac style. I’m not the biggest fan of those two mentioned bands, but can definitely appreciate this take on the style.
An appropriate ending to the record is heard with “Nothing to Lose but my Life” . Lucifer maintained great tones and those Sabbath vibes in this entire record, but it’s catchy enough that even the most casual rock listener can sit back and enjoy it. The band didn’t really reinvent anything super crazy with this release, but again, I found the guitar solos and vocals pretty mesmerizing, and I would suggest this album to anyone who is into that 70’s rock, or even lighter forms of power metal.
9/10
Listen/Buy the album HERE, or directly from Nuclear Blast Records.
For Lucifer’s direct links click HERE!