Review: LUCIFERA – La cacería de brujas

Year of release: 2019
Label: Dunkelheit Produktionen
Rating: 7,6 / 10

Colombian metal is usually almost as good as Chilean. Judging by the extensive biography presented in the press release, LUCIFERA is a big fish on the local scene, and following the results of listening to the album, I can easily believe that. The album, recorded by duo, sounds like the work of a full band, where all the participants contribute the writing of the material. Songs retain a common style, but everything is so different from each other in much the same way as BATHORY, for example, differs from NIFELHEIM or VENOM. It is remarkable - and already typical for South America - a convincing female presence on the album. The position of vocalist / bassist is taken by A. Blasfemia, the founder of the group, but that's not all. The lyrics for all the songs were also written by women, one text for each, a total of seven (plus instrumental track with no lyrics).

The style of the album can be described simply - the old metal. Fans of jerking on the tags would have been bloody diarrhea, trying to identify it, preparing the album to be added to Last.FM or some fucking Dark-World (Rest in Piss). Heavy Metal, Speed ​​Metal, black thrash, a little bit of rock and roll ... “La cacería de brujas” balances interestingly between genres, never staying too long within the framework of any one. Melodic Maiden solo can end abruptly with devilish tremolo, and the merry speed-thrash can turn into something similar to the work of Swedish Black Metal orthodoxes. In general, the album aura is rather unkind. Partly thanks to the great (!) screaming vocals, partly thanks to all these evil guitar parts. However, anger is often balanced by the old school melody, where warm bass plays the leading role. Probably, this is the first album in my memory, where almost opposite elements are so coolly combined. As a rule, in such cases, people get something like MIDNIGHT, where 2 songs per album are excellent, and everything else is shit.

The last thing I would like to say about “La cacería de brujas” will sound like a youthful banality, but it’s really an album from metal warriors who have this music in their blood. Everything that you hear here is absolutely sincere, emotional and authentic (including analog sound). Not all the material on the album is equally useful, but almost all of its flaws are filled with the feeling that permeates every note. Wear your leather jackets during listening!