Everyone nowadays is rushing to give credit to bands like Greta Van Fleet for the “old school” sound that’s returned to the world of heavy metal and rock. But what many seem to forget is that sound has been happening but falling under radars because they weren’t going mainstream. One such band is Lucifer. A band I’ve been playing since their debut album in 2015 because they have nailed that old school sound that I was brought up on. Their latest effort Lucifer III continues right along that sound.
The two opening songs “Ghosts” and “Midnight Phantom” feel like they came right out of someone’s old vinyl collection circa 1976. That heavy, bluesy vibe that started it all only with the technology of today helping each note of each riff from guitarists Martin Nordin and Linus Björklund to be heard clearly. These riffs instantly make me see the living room of my childhood with the furry couch we had as MamaTurbo would play Led Zeppelin while cleaning the house in the spring.
The musical trance continues thanks to the graceful yet haunting vocals of Johanna Sadonis. “Leather Demon” feeling like she’s singing to you directly like the sirens that sailors talk about. Much like her predecessors she’s storytelling throughout the song letting her tones lull you right into the music and forgetting whatever might be troubling you at the time.
Once her voice has you the rest of the band just circles your mind and before you know it your tapping along with Nicke Andersson as your “Flanked By Snakes”. This song could almost be a definition of heavy blues between the rhythms and riffs. If you’re not tapping your foot or find yourself swaying in some way at this point then you might want to check your pulse because you might be dead.
There’s no doubt that the old school sound isn’t dead and is actually being perfected by bands with their own identities like Lucifer. You want Led Zeppelin version two then sure Greta Van Fleet is for you. But if you want that old school vibe, where you can feel the music and have it move you, then Lucifer and their latest effort Lucifer III is for you.
