LUCIFERIAN LIGHT ORCHESTRA
Luciferian Light Orchestra are another musical outlet of Therion mainman, Christofer Johnsson. Following their eponymously titled debut album last year, here we have an EP with four new songs. While it's not exactly clear who's in the band's lineup, it is known that it features two drummers; a bassist; five guitarists; two keyboard players; three Hammond organists; four lead vocalists (both female and male); and five backing singers. Apparently, it's never been "official who contributed on the album and who the members are" but the lineup does feature some current Therion members and one ex-Therion musician, together with musicians from other bands. I kind of admire the mystical esotericism surrounding the ambiguity of personnel, which could be read as a kick in the teeth to a lazy internet generation of the Information Age, and harks back to an era when people had to actively seek out knowledge with a greater degree of effort, significance and integrity, rather than relying on a quick fix of one-click Wikipedia (mis)information.
Press blurb states that the band perform "songs that Johnsson has written over the years but he thought they were too retro sounding for Therion." And that's partly what's delivered here, as the four songs are 70s retro through and through, albeit with a distinct Therion twang in places (particularly the rhythmic drive of opener, 'Evil Masquerade', and the chorus of 'Where the Lilies Grow'). However, I think it would be too much of a trivial judgement to regard Luciferian Light Orchestra as simply Therion-lite. That said, strip away some of the layers of symphonic grandeur in Therion and the music is often underpinned by retro rock foundations. So, yes, in this sense, Luciferian Light Orchestra could be construed as Therion-lite, but that'd still be unfairly dismissive, as the compositions of 'Black' embrace their 70s occult rock stylings with wide open arms and full artistic integrity. Flavours of Black Widow, Black Sabbath and Uriah Heep are immediately discernible in the music and, as the four tracks progress, the music somehow seems to regress further into its own retro space. This culminates with the near-seven minute duration of the EP's epic closer and, for me, highlight of this release, 'Thunder Perfect Mind', which strays significantly away from Therion familiarity, and firmly demonstrates that Luciferian Light Orchestra are a potent entity in their own right.
Press blurb states that the band perform "songs that Johnsson has written over the years but he thought they were too retro sounding for Therion." And that's partly what's delivered here, as the four songs are 70s retro through and through, albeit with a distinct Therion twang in places (particularly the rhythmic drive of opener, 'Evil Masquerade', and the chorus of 'Where the Lilies Grow'). However, I think it would be too much of a trivial judgement to regard Luciferian Light Orchestra as simply Therion-lite. That said, strip away some of the layers of symphonic grandeur in Therion and the music is often underpinned by retro rock foundations. So, yes, in this sense, Luciferian Light Orchestra could be construed as Therion-lite, but that'd still be unfairly dismissive, as the compositions of 'Black' embrace their 70s occult rock stylings with wide open arms and full artistic integrity. Flavours of Black Widow, Black Sabbath and Uriah Heep are immediately discernible in the music and, as the four tracks progress, the music somehow seems to regress further into its own retro space. This culminates with the near-seven minute duration of the EP's epic closer and, for me, highlight of this release, 'Thunder Perfect Mind', which strays significantly away from Therion familiarity, and firmly demonstrates that Luciferian Light Orchestra are a potent entity in their own right.
LABEL:
FORMAT:
Svart Records
EP
BLACK
Review by Mark Holmes
RUNNING TIME:
20:38
RELEASE DATE:
9th December 2016
TRACK LISTING
1) Evil Masquerade
2) Where the Lilies Grow
3) Serpent Messiah
4) Thunder Perfect Mind
2) Where the Lilies Grow
3) Serpent Messiah
4) Thunder Perfect Mind
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
Sweden
"...it would be too much of a trivial judgement to regard Luciferian Light Orchestra as simply Therion-lite... as the compositions of 'Black' embrace their 70s occult rock stylings with wide open arms and full artistic integrity."
