Lucifer 2024

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…

“This early 70's Norwegian band played together for years without ever releasing an album; that is, until label Record Heaven heard about them in the late 90's and convinced them to re-record songs they had played live at the time. We can now enjoy a collection of highly energetic, raw and aggressive 70's power rock recorded with pristine modern technology. The band's material is reminiscent of BLACK SABBATH, URIAH HEEP, early SCORPIONS and JETHRO TULL, albeit a very manic TULL as the flutes battle it out savagely with pounding guitars. “En Fix Ferdig Mann”, their 8th album, and the very first sung in their native Norwegian language. And just as their fellow rockers from Norway, Arabs In Aspic, did with their 2017 album “Syndenes Magi” (also on Apollon) they pull out a very impressive and unique album whilst singing in Norwegian, arguable their masterpiece.

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.

Two years after Mort Garson composed and arranged an entire series of albums based on the 12 zodiac signs, the pioneering electronic musician delved into the occult with the 1971 LP Black Mass, simply credited to the artist name Lucifer. Originally issued by UNI Records, the release has often confused record store patrons who have stumbled upon it - it isn't a recording of an actual Satanic mass (Anton LaVey released the first one in 1968) nor is it a doom metal album. Instead, it's a soundtrack-like set of haunting Moog-based pieces which interpret various supernatural and demonic themes. While it's hard to tell exactly what Garson's perspective on the album's subject matter was, it's easy to assume that he was merely fascinated by the occult rather than someone who actively held Satanic beliefs or practiced such rituals…

Two years after Mort Garson composed and arranged an entire series of albums based on the 12 zodiac signs, the pioneering electronic musician delved into the occult with the 1971 LP Black Mass, simply credited to the artist name Lucifer. Originally issued by UNI Records, the release has often confused record store patrons who have stumbled upon it - it isn't a recording of an actual Satanic mass (Anton LaVey released the first one in 1968) nor is it a doom metal album. Instead, it's a soundtrack-like set of haunting Moog-based pieces which interpret various supernatural and demonic themes. While it's hard to tell exactly what Garson's perspective on the album's subject matter was, it's easy to assume that he was merely fascinated by the occult rather than someone who actively held Satanic beliefs or practiced such rituals…

Two years after Mort Garson composed and arranged an entire series of albums based on the 12 zodiac signs, the pioneering electronic musician delved into the occult with the 1971 LP Black Mass, simply credited to the artist name Lucifer. Originally issued by UNI Records, the release has often confused record store patrons who have stumbled upon it - it isn't a recording of an actual Satanic mass (Anton LaVey released the first one in 1968) nor is it a doom metal album. Instead, it's a soundtrack-like set of haunting Moog-based pieces which interpret various supernatural and demonic themes. While it's hard to tell exactly what Garson's perspective on the album's subject matter was, it's easy to assume that he was merely fascinated by the occult rather than someone who actively held Satanic beliefs or practiced such rituals…