Lucifer has taken very seriously being one of the leaders of the occult rock/heavy metal scene. This is not a band who just release an album and that’s it. ‘V’ is their latest standpoint on that perspective, which solidifies them more and could also attract more ‘new blood’. Holy or ‘unholy’, you name it, but for sure convincingly good by all aspects. ‘V’ is doomy, gloomy, dark, catchy and incorporates a lot different inspirations and blends different music paths, but on a cohesive and seductive way. Johanna is doing a fantastic job on vocals, where she absolutely shines and matches the dark character throughout the record, a perfect example is ‘Slow Dance in a Crypt’, where the speed and rhythm drops but she sounds fabulously convincing on this gruesome tune. For fans of Fleetwood Mac, Black Sabbath, this is a known territory where classic rock meets the occult in a Blue Öyster Cult background (‘A Coffin Has No Silver Lining’). Actually, the latter one will definitely be a big hit and be more enjoyed in bigger arenas in the near future. Dual guitars along the way bring the essence and travels us back to the NWOBHM era or remind us of Thin Lizzy and that feeling of late ‘70s-early ‘80s. Nicke is such an integral part of this band. His drumming, his unique way of playing but also his songwriting is such a huge trademark of what Lucifer really is. Of course this is Johanna’s band but his contribution to the core elements of their music is just so defining and of major importance overall. ‘The Dead Don’t Speak’ is groovy and capitalizes Johanna’s performance. ‘Strange Sister’ is a KISS-like tune, another song to be epitomizing their gigs, with a mid-tempo section in the middle of it, to emphasize the charismatic genes of the band in creating great songs and great albums of course on their own unique way. The final dark lament of ‘Nothing Left to Lose but My Life’ close the album with glory, grace but no regrets. Lucifer’s ‘V’ reminds us how good this band is and of what brilliant music genious DNA they are made of. Great riffs from fantastic guitars. Convincing and seductive vocals. Solid and massive rhythm section, having one of the best drummers out there. What else could be needed? Is it still too long till we see them playing live?
♦ 8/10
Antonis Mantzavinos
