Leave it to the brilliant minds working at Apollon Records Prog to uncover and sign some of the most rewarding and captivating bands the underground has to offer and release a superbly crafted record that will make your head spin. Ein Fix Ferdig Mann by the relatively obscure Lucifer Was is a perfect example of exactly that, and I am absolutely loving every damn second of this psychedelic hard rock jewel with all its prog-esque flourishes and warm, organic atmosphere.
It turns out that the group hearken back to that glorious year of 1970 but then folded roughly five years later. They popped up again in the murky nineties, and the fact that this latest LP of theirs is the eighth full-length entry in their discography just goes to show that I am an ignorant idiot who knows very little. I must have been living under a rock. How else could I miss out on its seven predecessors? Anyway, let us focus on the music.
Sitting somewhere between Uriah Heep, Camel, Jethro Tull, and the debut offering by Black Sabbath is where you will find Lucifer Was. You could probably throw Deep Purple’s Shades of Deep Purple in there too somewhere. Driven by spiralling organ and vigorous riffs and then topped off with vocals that range from dramatic to humorous and further on to melancholic and bewitching, the band flexes their melodic muscles throughout and delivers one dynamic tune after another.
The disc crackles with passion and Lucifer Was are on blistering form from beginning to end. The shared chemistry between its members as well as the inventive nature of the song material make Ein Fix Ferdig Mann hard to beat, and opting to sing in their native language only adds to its charm and wonderful eccentricity.
Deeply rooted in the late sixties and early seventies without sounding even remotely old hat, Lucifer Was have delivered one of the most remarkable and unique-sounding outputs so far this year. Stunning and absolutely essential.
Ein Fix Ferdig Mann is available now via Apollon Records Prog
