Lucifer - Lucifer, I

Lucifer - Lucifer, I
Released by: Rise Above Records
Released on: June 16th, 2015.
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Johanna Sadonis, formerly of The Oath, fronts Lucifer, her new project with Dino Gollnick on bass and Andrew Prestidge (also from The Oath) on drums. Guitars? They're credited to 'The Wizard' but really, it's Garry Jennings, formerly of Cathedral and Death Penalty. If you've enjoyed Sadonis' work with The Oath, it's reasonable to assume you'll dig this stuff too as her voice is as beautiful and as strong as ever but this isn't simply a retread of what The Oath did so well. There are similarities to be sure but Sadonis takes her penchant for richly Satanic lyrics back to its roots, channeling early Sabbath and Blue Oyster Cult in interesting ways. There's a bit of King Crimson here in spots too, but this is at the same time consistently heavy from start to finish.

Abracadabra starts things off, it's heavy and mystical sounding and it has a serious groove behind it. At just short of six minutes it gives the band plenty of time to build mood and atmosphere and to jam a bit, while Sadonis proves from her opening salvo that her voice is still something to be admired. Her voice is never less than perfect.

Purple Pyramid is more of the same - slightly fuzzy, down tuned guitars playing riff centric classic metal sounds, thundering Bonham style drumming and gorgeous vocals laying down some evil sounds - and we all know that evil is sexy, so this has that going on too. This is doomy, sludgy, devil-infused stoner rock with elements of classical music tossed in with those vocals, damn… those vocals. Izrael is a bit more mellow than the first two tracks, some interesting studio tricks see Sadonis harmonizing with herself in some really fascinating ways. Then the quiet gives way to the heavy, Jennings' guitars come in, and you get buried… it's a good thing. Sabbath marks the half way point on the eight song release, and yeah, it definitely channels exactly the sort of sound you'd expect it to given the connection that the title makes to a certain legendary British band. It's good stuff. Heavy, thick, sludgy but easy to listen to. The production on this album is just killer.

White Mountain is slower, a bit more melodic than the first four tracks but it fits in nicely here. Great Bonham-esque drumming is again a high point, and as the song builds to a nice gallop crescendo it gets catchier. Morning Star, which opens with the sound of some ominous rain and then a bit of guitar noodling, is more subdued than the other songs, letting Sadonis croon a bit. She sounds a bit like she's channeling early Heart a little bit, but with more sinister intent than either Wilson sister could ever think to conjure. She's got a sultry, siren song thing going on here to be sure. Total Eclipse finds its super heavy stride after it spends a minute or so exploring some different sounds - but it reverts back to the tried and true doom you'd want it to. Not the fastest song on the record at all but definitely the heaviest, and possibly the darkest from a lyrical standpoint. A Grave For Each One Of Us sucks you in with some acoustic playing with some pretty singing over top - it's nice… serene even. Definitely calm. And then the drums pick up and at the forty second mark BOOM - SATAN! It's not calm and serene at all, it's heavy and it's evil and it's coming for you, whatever it is. This track ends a solid slice of seventies style occult infused metal on a high note, going back and forth between the mellow and the metal quite effectively to keep you listening and interested.

This is a very well produced recording. It'll be interesting to see how this band does live (they're opening for High On Fire this summer on a US tour) but there's no doubt that these guys can play and that this gal can sing. The skills are definitely there and this album announces the arrival of Lucifer in a big way. An impressive debut indeed.