[schema type=”review” name=”Lucifer – Lucifer II” description=”Label: Century Media” author=”Basak Günel” pubdate=”2018-07-06″ ]
You may have heard of Lucifer if you are familiar with the occult / psych rock scene. Formed in Berlin in 2014 by the ashes of front-woman Johanna Sadonis’ former band The Oath, Lucifer is all about Johanna’s love for dark and bewitching heavy rock of the late ’60s and ’70s. They have released the first self-titled full-length 3 years ago. After some line-up changes and with Nicke Andersson (ENTOMBED, THE HELLACOPTERS) joining the band, they are back with Lucifer II!
First thing’s first, the album delivers a great mix of occult & psych rock with a bit of stoner, taking us back to the ’60s and ’70s. It is also a great tribute to the old legendary masters of psych & occult that we know… This isn’t a bad thing as bands like Lucifer definitely keep this spirit alive by introducing new beauties to the scene. One highlight is definitely the riffs accompanied by Johanna’s versatile, talented and colorful vocals, always keeping the seductive and the feminine atmosphere alive. These two elements form a nice contrast and, in my opinion, form the essence of “Lucifer II”. Nicke Andersson’s drumming also adds another flavor; let’s not forget that he also contributed to the songwriting.
There is one thing that keeps the album far from being perfect though and it is the overall composition as well as the innovation. The elements one by one – vocals, guitar, drumming- are definitely promising, showing us the talent of each musician but they do not form an organic sound when blended together. Instead, the songs as a whole are sadly dull, with no twists or peaks that might have otherwise caught the listeners’ attention. Because of this, the album also doesn’t flow so easily and it feels like the songs take too long; in this sense, I think that the album lacks originality and innovation. I can definitely hear and feel that the band had great ideas but maybe needed another perspective or form of inspiration to shape the overall sound. Surely no one expects Lucifer to put out something entirely different and I am definitely all for this great occult / psych rock sound that they have. We are also not speaking of an amateur band but a bunch of talented musicians (especially Johanna and Nicke in this case) so sadly, despite a few good highlights, the album didn’t meet my expectations and all I thought was “They could have put out something so much better and stronger”… Nevertheless, regardless of “Lucifer II” and especially if you are new to the scene, keep Lucifer in your minds. Maybe the next record will be surprising!
Line-up:
Johanna Sadonis – vocals
Nicke Andersson – drums
Alexander Mayr – bass
Martin Nordin – guitar
Linus Björklund – guitar
Robin Tidebrink – guitar
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Tracklist
1. California Son |
Links:
LUCIFER Facebook
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