There are three certainties in life – death, taxes, and LUCIFER naming their albums after themselves, merely increasing the Roman numeral at the end by one. Hailing from Germany, based in Stockholm and led by the perennially charismatic Johanna Sadonis, the occult rockers have flown quite a bit under the radar in the decade they’ve been around, but they’ve built a strong following in that time regardless and this new, fifth record – out on Friday January 26th and, as alluded to earlier, titled Lucifer V – is their first on Nuclear Blast, having amicably left Century Media not long before.
For all that LUCIFER have continued to stay relatively underground despite their outputs and fanbase, it’s becoming harder and harder to stay there because they’ve improved with every studio album that has passed. Lucifer V is no exception – without doubt their best album to date, it’s a wonderful blend of throwback guitars, melancholic overtones and fresh delivery. Although not a full concept release, the theme of death is one that prevails a lot throughout the nine songs on show, but before the first of those comes into play Fallen Angel opens with a dirty blues guitar triplet that helps drive the opening track forward, Sadonis‘ enticing yet foreboding vocals shimmering over the top. At The Mortuary is a SABBATH-inspired, classic hard rock track with an ominous church bell at the beginning and a middle-eight that sees the tempo drop but the tone remain constant, and Riding Reaper is a doff of the hat to BLUE ÖYSTER CULT, another gorgeous twin lead with a hint of organ behind it to add an extra level to the song and a truly excellent solo to boot.
What follows is, arguably, the best song LUCIFER have ever penned; Slow Dance In A Crypt is a beautiful ode to the morbid, laced with romance and wonderfully paced, conjuring images of a danse macabre overflowing with genuine love. Don’t think for one moment that the rest of the album takes a nosedive, however; the likes of Maculate Heart (fully penned by the band’s multi-instrumentalist and live drummer Nicke Andersson) continue the trajectory with its acoustic, EAGLES-esque opening evolving into a groove-laden foot stomper and Strange Sister commencing with the unmistakable rattle of a vibraslap before it morphs into an arena-ready rock anthem, just begging to get bodies moving.
If there’s even a morsel of justice left in this world, LUCIFER will be a breakout band in 2024 – their sound and imagery will excite fans of GHOST just as much as the classic acts mentioned, a truly excellent showcase of making the old sound fresh and dynamic. All of their albums have been strong bodies of work, but Lucifer V has nailed it better than the rest.
Rating: 8/10
Lucifer V is set for release on January 26th via Nuclear Blast Records.
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