Photo courtesy of Rise AboveAccording to the Encyclopedia Metallum (if you're not familiar, it's basically the Rap Genius of heavy metal, except a billion times more thorough), there are seven bands with the name Lucifer, and now that, uh, that Lucifer is on the scene, we can bump that number up to a healthy eight. This isn't exactly a surprise, though, given how much heavy metal bands enjoy Mad Libs-ing names together; there are currently 977 band names featuring the word "black," 932 using "death," and a comparatively paltry 92 who went with "devil." Luckily, this particular Lucifer is poised to become the best-known of them all (sorry, Lithuanian Lucifer), thanks to a one-two punch of backing from venerated doom label Rise Above and powerhouse vocals from Johanna Sadonis, who's already known for the part she played in short-lived but well-loved doom rock phenoms The Oath (the German one, mind, because of course there are three).When the former imploded in 2014, Johanna and live drummer Andy Prestridge formed Lucifer; a few months later, joined by bassist Dino Gollnick and guitarist The Wizards (and with songwriting input from legendary Cathedral guitarist Gaz Jennings), they're preparing to release their debut 7" and already talking full length. Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, a little bit of Zep and a dash of Blue Oyster Cult—that's what this Lucifer is made of. Johanna's vocals remain a focal point, as well they should; her bluesy, full-throated wail soars high above the fuzzy proto-metal din, hinting at darker things to come. Stylistically, it's fairly close to what The Oath is doing, but is a little more staid; really, it falls squarely into that whole "occult doom rock" boom.In short, if you dig doom, 70s rock, denim, and the Devil, you're almost definitely going to dig Lucifer.Find out for yourself, though—listen to "Anubis" below:The "Anubis"/"Morning Star" 7" is out 4/7 via Rise Above.Kim Kelly is breaking everything but the oath on Twitter.
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