Luciferian Light Orchestra is a new band (side project?) of Christofer Johnsson – the Christofer Johnsson of Therion - that has 70s occultism as its main theme. Too retro and not enough metal for Therion, but still with a clear touch of Therion/Johnsson.
The entire band is shrouded in mystery. Christofer Johnsson is involved, of course, but the identity of the other band members is not yet released. The album is released on Adulruna records, Johnsson's own label, and getting the album is not an easy task. All these elements for part of the mystique of the band.
While advertised as 70s and retro and occult, the Luciferian Light Orchestra is also very much 2015 and Therion. The female vocals are soft, not as bluesy as I would expect for being 70s retro, and lean closer to what we are used to from Therion (except that there are no classic vocals here). The male vocals also sound more actual at times, when they are distorted (not grunting, but distorted in a different way) or when they are thickened up a in bit of an operatic way.
If any band comes to mind that does something similar, it is Sabbath Assembly (and Hexvessel a bit too) – and that certainly is a compliment for the Luciferian Light Orchestra. Every now and then, the guitars sound a tad bit of metal-ish, with a bit of distortion and deep, dark chords.
Some of the highlights of the album are the sing-along song “Church of Carmel” (see video) which oddly reminds me of “Lemuria” by Therion, “Eater of Souls”, which sounds like a hymn of Sabbath Assembly, “Venus in Flames”, which sounds like a bridge between Therion and the Luciferian Light Orchestra, and the folksy bonus track “Three Demons”.
It might be pure chance, a stroke of luck or a gift from the flying spaghetti monster that we got two promos this week of bands whose name end with “Orchestra”. And both these Orchestras are splendid. If you don't necessarily need double bass drums and distorted guitars to be happy, you need these two bands in your life. Go listen now, thank me later.
Tracklist
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“Dr. Faust on Capri”
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“Church of Carmel”
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“Taste the Blood of the Altar Wine”
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“A Black Mass in Paris”
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“Eater of Souls”
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“Sex With Demons”
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“Venus in Flames”
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“Moloch”
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“Dante and Diabaulus”
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(untitled bonus track - "Three Demons")
Label: Adulruna Records
Website: https://www.facebook.com/luciferianlightorchestra
Score: 9/10
