The dark arts speak with Lucifer’s Child.
It took a few years for George Emmanuel (guitar, ex-Necromantia, ex-Chaostar, ex-Rotting Christ live), Marios Dupont (vocals, ex-Karma Violens), Nick Vell (drums, Chaostar) and Kostas Gerochristos (bass, Decipher, ex-Warhammer) to create their third album, The Illuminant, released by Agonia Records.
Antichrist immediately attacks with a visceral howl and a ferocious, full-speed rhythm, adopting Old School touches as well as ominous harmonics and furious vociferations. The atmosphere grows heavier as the riffs slow down, just as it does on the opening moments of As Bestas, where the airy melodies guide us towards this quasi-military march, becoming more dissonant and encountering clouds of rage. The track remains fairly heady, but eventually gives way to The Serpent and the Rod and its Punk roots, which are sure to ignite and provoke massive passages where the vocalist goes wild before returning to a fairly majestic instrumental part. Ichor quickly takes over with a dissonant, almost solemn slowness, but once again the track ignites and reveals more violent hues before welcoming backing vocals and becoming much more intense, before the final offers us a moment of soothing respite before letting Righteous Flama return to much more aggressive patterns. The track is perfect for energizing the band’s sets with its wild drums, but the musicians return to a more atmospheric approach with Curse, eventually letting the riffs become heady but also quite lively. The Heavens Die immediately follows with fast devastating riffs, leaving us only a short break to catch our breath before releasing the reins again for more rage or, on the contrary, a slow, heavy passage before already joining And All Is Prelude, the last track, where the mystical introduction leads into a haunting sound where even the vocal parts follow this oppressive pattern until the final moments.
Lucifer’s Child has rewarded our expectations with an excellent third album. While some tracks remain rooted in a very Old School approach, The Illuminant‘s Greek melodies are full of surprises, and they’re just waiting to reveal them.
90/100