It wouldn’t be a stretch to consider COVEN to be the progenitor of what we now know as occult rock; years before every other heavy band proclaimed to be performing rituals on stage and draped themselves in powerful symbolism – Jinx and co were living it. The furore that surrounded the 1969 release of Witchcraft Destroys Minds & Reaps Souls persisted for many years afterwards, the band dogged by controversy everywhere they went. The forward-thinking themes and powerful imagery explored by COVEN paved a pathway for those open-minded enough to follow. Their influence has been far reaching – from those who shy away from acknowledging this right through to those who worship unreservedly at the altar of COVEN. Jinx Dawson is also recognised as being the instigator of using the “sign the horns” with her hands – a call to arms and a symbol that is used frequently in heavy music across the globe.

Since its inception in 2014 In Berlin, the highly prolific band led by charismatic singer Johanna Platow Andersson has released four electrifying albums on Rise Above (LUCIFER I) and Century Media Records (LUCIFER II-IV), as well as and numerous stand-alone singles infused with 1970s hard rock, proto heavy metal, doom and occult rock, with a nod to their main influences such as Black Sabbath, Pentagram & Blue Öyster Cult.

They have played over 200 shows in the Europe, Japan, North & South America, including festivals such as KISS Kruise, Psycho Las Vegas, Hellfest, Wacken and many more, most recently supporting the band Ghost on their European tour in spring 2023. Two of their shows have been recorded and broadcasted by prestigious German national TV program Rockpalast.

Lucifer, now located in Stockholm, have been nominated twice for a Swedish Grammy in the category ‘Best Hardrock/Metal Album’ as well as the Swedish Radio Award P3 and several GAFFA nominations. Amongst others, they have graced the cover of the leading US metal magazine, Decibel, before their first album was released.

The group is currently recording their fifth studio album, LUCIFER V, the first one to be released by their new label, Nuclear Blast Records in the winter of 23/24.

Catch Lucifer live this November in North America on their co-headline tour with Coven!

Lucifer is:

Johanna Platow Andersson (vocals)
Nicke Andersson Platow (drums)
Linus Björklund (guitar)
Martin Nordin (guitar)
Harald Göthblad (bass)

The self-titled full length debut of Los Angeles quintet Early Moods is a marriage of classic underground doom like Candlemass, Witchfinder General, Pentagram, Trouble and Saint Vitus, paired with traditional “big box” Heavy Metal melodies and song structure. These two contrasting aesthetics may seem incongruous, but the skilled musicianship of Early Moods — some of whom have played music together since their early teens — manages to find the perfect balance between grit and gloss.

“From the beginning, the purpose for this band was to incorporate our love of traditional doom metal with a heavy metal approach,” guitarist Eddie Andrade says. “We wanted to show that heavy doom can be complemented with melodies and harmonies. Black Sabbath meets NWOBHM is what we aim for, really.”

The band was founded in 2015 by Andrade and vocalist/keyboardist Alberto Alcaraz after a few years of playing in thrash and death metal projects before the two realized that the classic doom that they’d grown up with was what they really wanted to explore. Going through a few lineup changes while delving deeper into the diverging influences that were calling, Early Moods arrived at the sound and lineup that grew their fanbase locally. The band soon captured the attention of German label Dying Victim Productions, who released their debut EP, Spellbound in 2020. Early Moods is Oscar Hernandez on lead guitar, Chris Flores on drums, Elix Felciano on bass, Alcaraz on vocals/synth and Andrade on guitar.

Early Moods was recorded at ‪7th Street‬ Studios in downtown L.A. by Carlos Cruz (Warbringer, Chris Poland, Power Trip) from October to December of 2021. It was mixed by Allen Falcon of Birdcage Studios and mastered by Brad Boatright of Audio Siege who has worked with bands like Sleep, Obituary, and High On Fire.

The album opens with a slow fade of ringing feedback that builds into the main motif, an infectious trilling Iommi-esque guitar line of “Return To Salem’s Gate” that turns on a dime into a double time gallop and just as quickly back again, all the while building subtle harmonies of vocals and guitars. “Live To Suffer” nods to the swinging denim doom of Trouble while “Funeral Rites” takes a more grunge leaning tack with syrupy guitars and Pentagram style narrative structure. The band’s namesake song “Early Moods” begins as an eerie ballad with chorus-soaked guitars playing a sinister riff that slowly grows as Alcaraz sings of tortured souls. Then suddenly it all breaks into a chugging charge with a gloriously simple but effective hammer-on melodic guitar line that soon transforms into a scorching lead. Throughout, the band deftly shows its skill with refined prowess.

Early Moods came out on LP, CD and download ‪on August 5th, 2022‬ via RidingEasy Records. A few weeks later they performed two (literally) scorching sets at Psycho Las Vegas, after which they teamed up with Nanotear Booking. In December of 2022, Early Moods were hand-selected to support the High on Fire/Municipal Waste tour of the eastern US. In February/March 2023, Early Moods successfully completed their first headlining US tour, followed by a two-night stint supporting legendary Swedish doom masters Candlemass. The sky is the limit from here.