Album Review: Lucifer - V

Does anyone remember those old 'Magic Eye' things? They were interesting in the way they were able to turn nothing into something, or perhaps something into nothing. Depending on how hard you looked at them, they were either a nifty bit of art, or a wash of colorful noise you couldn't make out. Music can be like this too, where a band writes album after album that sort of blend together into a mass of sound you can't pick out and differentiate. It's all one giant entity, and even when you like it, there's a nagging feeling you're missing the point.

Lucifer is one of those bands for me. I've listened to all four of their previous albums, and I enjoyed most of them a fair amount. I would say I like Lucifer... except that I can't tell you what makes one album different than the next, nor do I ever feel compelled to listen to them between album cycles. They are like that piece of art that hangs on the wall, a background image you don't pay any attention to until the frame is crooked and catches your eye.

That sounds mean, doesn't it? As I tried to say already, I do like Lucifer. I'm always hopeful they're going to finally break out and make that one record I can't forget. Fifth time's the charm?

The band's trademark sound hasn't changed, although it does sound a bit cleaner this time around. The funereal haze persists, but this is more of an Irish wake than a funeral train, if that makes sense to anyone other than me. Even when the band dips into their doom roots, as on "At The Mortuary", there's enough toe-tapping rhythm to give Johanna a melody to hit us with.

Perhaps this new chapter comes with a new confidence, as the band is more adventurous when it comes to their melodic songwriting. Johanna takes more of the lead on this record, letting the riffs serve as her base, rather than have everything working together as they often did before. Some of their fans on the metal end of the spectrum will probably hate me for saying that, but this does feel like a slightly more 'song oriented' record.

Don't mistake that for saying Lucifer has gone soft, or gone 'pop'. What they've achieved is the ability to blend their sound with a melodic sense that could grow their audience beyond the hardcore fans who even know what occult rock is. There's actually a fair comparison to draw between this record and the first Ghost record. They have similar sounds and approaches, but if anything, Lucifer has Ghost beat in the consistency department. In a tight thirty-nine minutes, Lucifer doesn't waver from delivering winner after winner.

I'm not sure I would have thought 2024 would start off with an upbeat Lucifer record, but here we are. Much like how last year brought us the most energetic Katatonia record, and it redefined how I hear that band, Lucifer might be doing the same thing. "V" is their most rock and roll record yet, and it finally sounds like they've realized the need for the soundtrack to dancing on someone's grave. That's what this album is.