Title - Iron Shackles
Artist - Luzifer
Metal music may be one of the most divisive genres of music amongst listeners.
Since it is so stylistically diverse, you can never be quite certain what it is you might be getting when first you push play. So it was with Luzifer and their debut album, Iron Shackles.
Formed in Hamm, Germany in 2009 by L. Steeler and S. Castevet, two members of another band, Vulture, Luzifer has previously released Rise, a well-received EP in 2015, and Black Knight, a single in 2018.
And here they are, at last, with a full-length album. Here they are, at last, to make converts of unbelievers like me.
1. Iron Shackles
2. Barrow Downs
3. Faltige Schwingen über Loudun
4. Hexer (In Dreiteufelsnamen)
5. Wrath Of The Sorcerers
6. Der Goldene Reiter
7. Attila (Blazing Hooves)
What I thought would be a stereotypical metal album leaned more toward hard rock in the title track, with a killer guitar solo and lyrics that seem to be a personal liberation. “Barrow Downs” was a drummer’s showcase, with Gereon Deceiver driving home the lesson that you should never book by its cover, be it the name of the band or the style of music.
“Faltige Schwingen über Loudun,” the first of three songs on the record sung in German, had a feeling almost like an opening track to an album. “Hexer (In Dreiteufelsnamen)” begins with guitar only, which is a really nice contrast to the electric-right-out-the-gate style that the other songs had, but the drums end up making it most like the metal style I had thought the whole record would be.
“Der Goldene Reiter” chugs along with Castevet’s guitars front and center. It is a contender for favorite track, with a blistering lead riff that feels reminiscent of a piece of classical music I know I’ve heard, but can’t quite place. “Attila (Blazing Hooves)” makes cool use of a horse whinny, and shows that Steeler has the basslines that it takes to dominate the genre.
“Wrath of the Sorcerers” is the “stereotypical” metal song that I’d been looking for, falling deep into the fantasy trope with lyrics like, “if you disrupt their spells, and don’t flee their curse, you’ll feel the wrath of the sorcerers.” It’s cheesy, but it’s good — very good indeed.
Luzifer puts a lot of effort into making the “metal” genre accessible to people who are searching for something different in that label by being that something different. I can’t until their next release.
Review by: Ashley J. Cicotte
Luzifer’s ‘Iron Shackles’ album is available on all major music streaming platforms.
Official Luzifer Source
Luzifer @ Facebook