Description

Black vinyl edition with gatefold cover and the entire album on cd as bonus

Lucifer have never been shy about proudly wearing their influences on their sleeves. The European group’s latest record — simply titled Lucifer IV — sees vocalist Johanna Sadonis, drummer Nicke Andersson (The Hellacopters, Entombed), and returning guitarists Martin Nordland and Linus Björklund once again filtering those inspirations in a manner that capably overlays an aura of dark gloom while still managing to replicate the infectious warmth of the past. It is that mixing of atmospheres that keeps the group’s wicked brew from coming off as mere regurgitation. The band’s fourth record does have an extra layer of garage rock grime to its production, but their songwriting prowess combines with Sadonis’s ever-entrancing croons resulting in another enthralling slab of darkness-infused heavy rockers. The album contains multiple master classes that show off the group’s ability to twist the past’s songbooks just enough to pay homage while also weaving a fresh spin. Nods to early years Black Sabbath riffs are initially Wild Hearses main driver, but the band layers in additional touches of swaggering guitars and super-smooth bass lines as the track transitions into a hypnotic coda of melodic blues-rock and Sadonis’s layered vocal harmonies. The way that Lucifers line-up has evolved from their 2015 debut has assisted in fulfilling their first record’s promised potential. The thrilling rock put forward on Lucifer IV, combined with what appears to be a more permanent stability in band personnel, is a reassuring document of what will hopefully continue to come from the group moving forward.

Track list:
1. Archangel Of Death
2. Wild Hearses
3. Crucifix (I Burn For You)
4. Bring Me His Head
5. Mausoleum
6. The Funeral Pyre
7. Cold As A Tombstone
8. Louise
9. Nightmare
10. Orion
11. Phobos