Prepare yourselves, Lucifer’s second coming is on its way and it’s darker and heavier than ever.

Stockholm based band Lucifer’s much anticipated second album is here following their first album Lucifer and it’s everything fans were hoping for. They are throwing it right back to the 70’s with new and doomy Lucifer II, which was exactly vocalist Johanna Sadonis (ex-The Oath)’s aim. She previously stated that she wanted to channel her love of the dark and heavy rock of the late 60’s and 70’s, inspired by bands like Deep Purple, Blue Oyster Cult and Fleetwood Mac.

The first track ‘California Son’ starts the album off with a heavy, sludgy riff, paired perfectly with some strong, female Stevie Nicks-like vocals. Although notable throughout the album, this song, in particular, is reminiscent of Wolfmother’s 2009 release Cosmic Egg, especially the use of the similar sounding keyboard. You can tell that both bands are aiming to put their modern stance on a classic 70’s genre. The album then moves on to ‘Dreamer’, a very retro sounding track, where Sadonis’s vocals are shown off at their best; powerful, but effortless. Although attempting it in later track ‘Before The Sun’, this is the closest the album gets to a power ballad without the band ditching their heavy rock roots.

‘Phoenix’ is up next, a catchy tune similar to something off of Metallica’s Ride The Lightning, in that it’s good, classic head-banging material combined with a clever riff. ‘Dancing With Mr. D’ has a slightly cheesy presumption and almost sounds like a parody of many songs of the 70’s, but the captivating riff keeps the listener’s attention throughout. The album moves on to ‘Reaper On Your Heels’, a classic rock song, with an evident Pentagram influence. Although the riffs in tracks like this are pretty predictable, the band are excused as the vocals make them more unique; not many other people are pulling off such strong female vocals with heavy Iommi-like riffs at the moment.

Talking of Iommi, their influence from Sabbath comes through the most in ‘Eyes In The Sky’, particularly because of their tempo changes and Ozzy-style vocal effects halfway through. Aton experiments with quirky melodies, but the track still remains true to their aim, sticking to the simple structure of songs of the late 60’s and 70’s.

The album is brought to a strong close with ‘Faux Pharaoh’, a track drenched in doom and down tunings. Although it is the closest the album gets to a stoner rock track, the solos bring it back to their classic rock and roll aim.

Overall, Lucifer has managed to successfully bring back the 70’s with their captivating heavy riffs and classic head-banging material. It’ll be interesting to see what they have to bring next.