Lucifer

Although they would develop a more prog-influenced style, this debut album finds Lucifer's Friend living up to their sinister name by performing heavy, keyboard-textured rock in the vein of Deep Purple or Uriah Heep. It gets off to a thunderous start with "Ride the Sky," a punchy rocker built on a rumbling, guitar-fuelled melody reminiscent of "The Immigrant Song" by Led Zeppelin. From there, the band works its way through a series of songs that combine heavy guitar riffs with often-complex arrangements that border on prog rock: "Keep Goin'" builds from organ-led verses into a guitar-dense jam driven home by John Lawton's wailing vocals, and the title track effectively contrasts heavy guitar-laden verses with an eerie chorus full odd keyboard and vocal effects to create its spooky atmosphere…

Although they would develop a more prog-influenced style, this debut album finds Lucifer's Friend living up to their sinister name by performing heavy, keyboard-textured rock in the vein of Deep Purple or Uriah Heep. It gets off to a thunderous start with "Ride the Sky," a punchy rocker built on a rumbling, guitar-fuelled melody reminiscent of "The Immigrant Song" by Led Zeppelin. From there, the band works its way through a series of songs that combine heavy guitar riffs with often-complex arrangements that border on prog rock: "Keep Goin'" builds from organ-led verses into a guitar-dense jam driven home by John Lawton's wailing vocals, and the title track effectively contrasts heavy guitar-laden verses with an eerie chorus full odd keyboard and vocal effects to create its spooky atmosphere…

Leaving behind the overtly progressive approach of Banquet, Lucifer's Friend returned once more to a more straightforward Rock sound with Mind Exploding. The album most similar to this one is I'm Just A Rock 'N' Roll Singer from a couple of years earlier and, like that album, Mind Exploding features shorter and more Rock-based songs. The band still utilizes assorted keyboards, brass and female backing vocals, but all this is more discrete here than on Banquet. Mind Exploding is hardly Lucifer's Friend's best album, but neither is it their worst.

Lucifer's Friend is a German hard rock band, formed in Hamburg in 1970, fronted by British vocalist John Lawton (of Uriah Heep), guitarist Peter Hesslein, bassist Dieter Horns, keyboardist Peter Hecht, and drummer Joachim Reitenbach. The group was an early practitioner of heavy metal and progressive rock; they also incorporated elements of jazz and fusion into their music, especially in their fourth album Banquet of 1974. Evolved from Asterix and comprised of 3/4 of The German Bonds, the group officially disbanded in 1982. They briefly reunited (1993-1997) as Lucifer's Friend II, releasing one album before disbanding once again. Original members John Lawton (ex-Uriah Heep), Peter Hesslein and Dieter Horns thrilled fans when they put Lucifer's Friend back together in 2015.

Lucifer's Friend is a German hard rock band, formed in Hamburg in 1970, fronted by British vocalist John Lawton (of Uriah Heep), guitarist Peter Hesslein, bassist Dieter Horns, keyboardist Peter Hecht, and drummer Joachim Reitenbach. The group was an early practitioner of heavy metal and progressive rock; they also incorporated elements of jazz and fusion into their music, especially in their fourth album Banquet of 1974. Evolved from Asterix and comprised of 3/4 of The German Bonds, the group officially disbanded in 1982. They briefly reunited (1993-1997) as Lucifer's Friend II, releasing one album before disbanding once again. In 2015 they have reformed again. The band features core original members John Lawton, Peter Hesslein and Dieter Horns.