Nightfly I first came across Lucifer on the release of their debut album back in 2015. Although clearly vocalist Johanna Sadonis’s baby that album greatly benefited from the presence of former Cathedral guitarist Gaz Jennings. Lucifer I was largely a traditional doom metal album and a very good one it was too. Jennings only stuck around for the one album before moving onto the short lived Death Penalty and by II Lucifer had a completely new line up apart from Sadonis including Entombed drummer Nicke Andersson. The sound of the band had also changed with them now going for a retro occult rock/proto metal style.

Moving onto III the band seemed to have settled on the occult rock style with little trace of doom metal in their sound these days. Whilst that’s a shame there’s no denying that III is a good solid example of that retro sound that has been pretty prevalent over the last decade or so. The playing is tight but loose and Sadonis’s smooth and haunting vocal delivery is the perfect voice for this sort of stuff. Overall the songs are more or less what I was expecting with a sound very much rooted in the 70’s. Most are good with some catchy melodies on offer, if a bit on the play it safe side, but there’s nothing here that stands out from the pack to lift the album above the ordinary until final song Cemetery Eyes kicks in with really strong melodic riffing and a slightly longer running time allowing the band to stretch out a bit. A few more songs as good as this one would have raised the bar and earned it an extra star, but it’s too little too late.

Not bad by any means then but in a genre that seems to have been done to death it’s not essential listening and the weakest of their three albums so far I’d say. However if you were a fan of II then I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one too.

Nightfly It came as a shock to many when Johanna Sadonis whose previous band The Oath having just released their debut album with positive reviews promptly split. She wasted no time forming Lucifer bringing the bands drummer Andrew Prestidge with her. Bass player Dino Gollnick was about to join The Oath at the time of the split and was also recruited. At the suggestion of former Cathedral frontman and Rise Above Records boss Lee Dorrian she approached ex- Cathedral guitarist Gaz Jennings who was only too happy to jump on board.

Hot on the heels of a single “Anubis” their debut album titled simply 1 was quickly written. Not surprisingly parallels can be drawn between Lucifer and The Oath, most obviously Sadonis’s soaring and haunting vocals. The Oath were more of a hard rock band and Lucifer have that too but this has more of a retro metal edge, no doubt down to the inclusion of doom riff meister Jennings whose instantly recognisable playing is a highlight of this excellent album. 1 lives up to the hype it’s been receiving with eight well written songs of doom metal/heavy rock. “Total Eclipse” is a highlight starting with a typical crushing slow doom riff before picking up the tempo and lightening up somewhat in the process. In truth though like all great albums it’s the sheer consistency of material that makes 1 such a compelling listen. There’s plenty of light and shade to compliment the brutal riffing with Jennings slipping in some tasteful clean guitar parts too like on” Purple Pyramid” with chiming arpeggios contrasting well with the driving riffing.

Whether the partnership between Sadonis and Jennings lasts remains to be seen – Jennings also has his own project Death Penalty on the go. I hope it does because if they can put out albums of this quality in such a short space of time then it bodes well for Lucifer 2.