Lucifer Star Machine
Devil’s Breath
Sign Records
Ah, more hard rock aus Deutschland! These five guys hail from Hamburg and there’s not a square inch of their hides that isn’t covered in tats. You know they have cred even before you start spinning this MP3 on your personal listening devices. And whatever you listen on, it doesn’t have enough low-end sub-woofer-bending power to bring this band sonic justice.
These guy rock in that accent-free neutral American all Euro rockers adopt, and everything about this group drips metal: band members even sport names like Tor Abyss (vocals), Mickey Necro (guitar), Marshal Speed (Bass), and Jay Impact (Drums.)
They blow out the windows on opening track “The Void.” The lyrics are all about “a stake thought the heart,” and the double speed drumming and lighting fast guitar chords set the pace. This is no disc to play when stuck in traffic. Then it’s off to the surprisingly upbeat “Dwell in Misery.” Not quite a ballad, it slows the drummer down a bit as the lead belts “misery is your only friend.”
Indeed, these guys aren’t likely to launch into a 1970s influenced love song; they take their cues from the early Orange County punk sound and stereotypical Euro rockers like Hellacopters and Glucifer. By the time you get to “A Touch of Death” the sonic assault has eroded your defenses, and much as you’d like a nice easy power ballad, no luck for you. The lyrics sing “Please kill me now.” You consider it, but if you’re with me so far, you’re made of sterner stuff.
More death and destruction lies ahead: “Evil Blood” and “Midnight Crawler” still need your attention, and finally you reach sweet release with “Devil’s Breath.” It’s an actual acoustic tune, designed to lower your blood pressure and give you time to apply bandages to the head-banging dents in your brain.
At least these guys give you a cool-down cut. You’ll need it.
Lucifer Star Machine: http://luciferstarmachine.com
