AN NCS PREMIERE: LUCIFUGE — “PHYSIOGNOMY OF FAILURE”

We were a bit late in leaping aboard the Lucifuge hell-train, but quickly realized what a high-adrenaline rush that is. In 2021 we premiered their fourth full-length Infernal Power and spilled a lot of words on it, ending with these: “This really is a hell of a good album, with a lot more going on in the songs than discharges of blast-furnace heat and berserker mayhem. It definitely WILL get your motor running fast and hot, but the songs’ addictive appeal goes beyond that.”

The band followed up that album by releasing a split with Italy’s Bunker 666 last fall (Of Night and Lust), and we had the fiendish pleasure of premiering that one too, accompanied by another torrent of words, which included the erudite exclamation that the music of Lucifuge was “fucking glorious”.

And now we’re once again in the fortunate position of sharing new Lucifuge music with the world, this time through the premiere of a song off their forthcoming fifth album, Monoliths of Wrath. This one, like the two records identified above, will be discharged by Dying Victims Productions.

In hindsight, the new record proves that we picked a good time to get on board with this German band two years ago, because especially starting then and continuing through the new album, they’ve been increasingly spreading their creative wings (bat-shaped to be sure), resulting now in their most accomplished and varied work to date.

Having said that, we ought to quickly reassure Lucifuge fans that Monoliths of Wrath is still fast, heart-exploding, evil to the core, and undeniably addictive. But this time Lucifuge used a proper recording studio for the first time, which helps shine a light on the band’s impressive technical skills and the elaborate nature of their twisting and turning maneuvers, both of which reach new heights on Monoliths….

The songwriting has also become more complex, expanding even further beyond the “blackened speed metalpunk” style that has become their main hallmark. They give a more vital role to thrash in the vein of Sodom, Kreator, Exodus, and Slayer, but also interweave mood-changing black metal passages that it’s tempting to call “atmospheric”.

This time it appears that mainman Equinox did everything himself on the new album, which makes the results even more impressive.

So with that preview, let’s get to the song we’re premiering today — “Physiognomy of Failure“.

It’s solid evidence that Lucifuge hit a “sweet and sour” spot in their production, a nice balance between clarity and filthiness. It’s also proof that Lucifuge don’t have to strain to cook up infectious (and infernal) riffs and primal grooves. There’s a feeling of sinister menace and danger in the song’s mid-paced first foray, but after a bridge that’s both frenzied and bombastic they really cut loose — drums galloping, thrash-fueled chords turning up the blistering heat, and diabolical howls venting the words in a fury.

The sound is ferocious and brazen, but takes a twist in the path, with a breakdown powered by a devilishly darting and swirling arpeggio, followed by another blazing race that reaches new heights of devil-horned exultation through a freaked-out solo.

Dying Victims will release Monoliths of Wrath on April 28th, and a lavish release it will be: The album will be available in a regular gatefold LP edition on black vinyl as well as a special gatefold edition on gold-colored vinyl (both of them with inserts, posters, stickers, postcards, and download codes). You can also get it from Dying Victims on CD and digitally. See the links below to check out the pre-order options.

And last but not least, we’re sharing with you streams of two previously released tracks from the album — “Before The Altar Of Famine And Desire” and “From Cosmos to Chaos“.

The first of those is a vicious bone-smasher and a huge head-mover (one of the most highly infectious tracks on the record), but also feels like a carnal black magic ritual in progress. The second one, on the other hand, sounds like ecstatic, fire-fueled delirium, but also includes a dual-guitar harmony that creates an atmosphere of supernatural seduction, along with lots of spectacular fretwork. And of course, that one will get your head pumping too.

PRE-ORDER:
https://shop.dying-victims.de/en/search?controller=search&s=Lucifuge
https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/monoliths-of-wrath

LUCIFUGE:
https://www.facebook.com/lucifugeblackmetal
https://www.instagram.com/lucifugeofficial/