Have you ever heard of “Lucifer”? No folks, I don’t mean the medieval Judaeo-Christian bogey man of old worshipped by Ghost, I mean the Scandewegian occult tinged hard rock band! “No”? Well, let me just say, you are wrong on a whole bunch of levels, and need to subject your ears and consciousness to one of the most perfectly crafted purveyors of music you could hope to be slapped around the face with for many a year!

Are you a simple soul who needs to be guided by the hand to a realm of rifftastic rock goodness? In that case, prepare to be directed through the landscape of rock, and indeed, roll, by the unrelenting quality of album opener ‘Ghosts’, a superlative foot stomper of a number that demands attention laden with fist pumping riffs aplenty; as an album opener, it’s hard to argue with the sheer quality of the track. ‘Midnight Phantom’ follows hard and fast with riffs aplenty, emphasising the feminine swagger of vocalist Johanna Adonis, her siren tones daring you to dive in, but don’t you dare venture too close as her charisma will burn the unwary to a crisp; I know every good band is a sum of its parts, or even more, but the sultry vocals of this particular lady do dominate this track.

As an example of the allure of the band ‘Leather Demon’, which is incidentally the wrestling name of Ave Noctum’s editor, slithers out of the speakers with a shiny shimmering riff that practically emulates the lyrics, an unrelenting combination of swagger and hip- swaying bluster. Were that not enough to draw in the unsuspecting listener, eponymous track ‘Lucifer’ combines occult rock with a volley of hooks to ensnare all before it, played throughout with an unassuming and deceitful innocence. If all the above were not sufficient to entrap the listener, the laconic rock of ‘Pacific Blue’ is a timeless number that with its deceptively simple, almost stripped back structure could have slipped through a wormhole in time from the Seventies, escaping from some massive Californian enormodome inhabited by the Blue Oyster Cult to reappear in the 2020s.

The sheer quality does not let up for a second, the presciently entitled ‘Coffin Fever’ being followed by ‘Flanked By Snakes’, a number that is laced through with riffs and hooks that frankly had this shambling wreck of a reviewer stomping around in a horrible parody of a dance, something that is both rare and horrific to see, but a testimony to just how good the track is. Frankly it has an almost “Pop” sensibility, but from the sort of pop chart from back in the day that the likes of Slade, and Suzi Quatro dominated rather than the modern-day mess of autotuned YouTubers and reality show karaoke puppets.

‘Lucifer III’ is nothing but a near perfectly delivered slice of hard rock, filled with the sort of quality that in an ideal world would have an appeal that would encompass fans from far beyond the underground scene, whilst at the same time having a niche appeal thanks to the presence of Nicke Andersson on drums, as well as the writing and producing skills he brings to the mix. The band is due to be on the road through Europe this year, viruses and restrictions permitting, but even if that is delayed the album is a perfect way to lift your spirits in the meantime.

(9/10 Spenny)

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