Album review: Lucifer – Lucifer V

You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. A lesson to which Lucifer himself has apparently taken heed when inspiring his charges in the German/Swedish rock’n’roll diabolists who’ve taken his name. While all manner of ungodly, sinister noise has been made in his honour, the vibey retro metal and effortless cool at play on the band’s fifth album is just as good and seductive a vehicle for getting the listener to have a good sin.

The heaviness is of the ’70s school, built of flashes of Sabbathian dread (the doom at the heart of At The Mortuary), Judas Priest’s muscular strut (opener Fallen Angel’s revving main riff) and flights of mystical fancy from the book of Blue Öyster Cult (basically every chorus). Atop it all, Johanna Sadonis’ vocals add a witchy mystery to the slick, wicked riffs and greasy solos. Together, it’s a cauldron of oh-so wicked abandon and fun – the very essence of what rock music at its most (appropriately) Devil-may-care is meant to make you feel.

This is also Lucifer’s best work to date. Having blossomed into a very good band on their last couple of albums, here everything shines brilliantly with their very own, expertly applied sheen. Just as Lucifer himself was actually something of a handsome angel, rather than a snarling beast, this is music that attracts and tempts. On this occasion, the dark side sounds like a bright place, indeed.

Verdict: 4/5

For fans of: Ghost, Black Sabbath, Green Lung

Lucifer V is released on January 26 via Nuclear Blast