The increasingly populated Retro 70’s Occult Rock scene welcomes a new player.
Retro Occult Rock has been all the rage of late. So much so that a slew of occult-inspired bands have appeared on the music scene over the past couple of years. Some may put that down to the impact of Ghost and others may not. Perhaps it’s time has come again. If there is a second coming then Luciferian Light Orchestra should be the leading the way.
The mixed by Lennart Östlund of Led Zeppelin fame the album has an authentic 1970’s feel to it which seems to be in vogue at present.
Over 20 musicians were involved in the making of this album, not that you would know it from the tight identity that the album holds. As with the previously mentioned Ghost there is an air of mystery as to who has actually contributed to the album.
The key players are Christofer Johnsson, who provides the majority of instruments, and Mina Karadzic. Johnssson, mainman for Sweden’s Symphonic heroes Therion, is the man responsible for LLO in the first place. It’s his vision, a vision that is too retro for Therion according to the man himself. His vocal counterpart is Montenegran singer Karadzic who provides the alluring and enchanting female temptress-style that is just as hard to resist on the ears as it would be on the eyes.
The opener “Dr. Faust on Capri” is an up-tempo riff-friendly number, certainly in comparison to the slower and more languid tracks like the psychedelic “Moloch”. Most of the album settles around the mid-tempo rhythm and it’s a choice that works well for the large part as the connections between “A Black Mass In Paris”, “Eater Of Souls” and the sinister delight of “Venus In Flames”.
The influences are pretty self-evident once you hear the album. Bands such as Blood Ceremony, Jex Thoth as well as the established order of doom/occult music such as Black Sabbath and King Crimson can be clearly heard.
If there is a downside then perhaps there is a touch of repetivity once you get a few tracks in, it’s not a major problem across the album’s nine tracks but perhaps the ideas or variations are slightly running on empty as we near the end.
Whether this is just a one-off project for Johnsson remains to be seen but if it is then it’s a pretty fine indication of what Therion may have become if the occultist urges had taken a larger hold of Johnsson sooner.
Donnie’s Rating: 8/10
Tracklist
- “Dr. Faust on Capri”
- “Church of Carmel”
- “Taste the Blood of the Altar Wine”
- “A Black Mass in Paris”
- “Eater of Souls”
- “Sex With Demons”
- “Venus in Flames”
- “Moloch”
- “Dante and Diabaulus”
