Ever since the groundbreaking success of the legendary Rock in Rio Festival, it is a known fact that South America sports some of the most dedicated music enthusiasts on the planet, many of whom having become noteworthy players within the scene on their own right. And while Chile is not Brazil, Lucifer's Hammer are set to put the country onto the metal map once and for all.
"The Trip" turns out to be a classical third for the group, ultimately defining its traditional style with a more considered sense for compositions that are immediately catchy but still intriguing, thanks to the fresh approach front man Hades and his cohorts took when it came to writing the new material.
"The songs are more complex, and we were looking for a sound that fit their magnitude," the guitarist and singer acknowledges. "Actually, everything comes across as more professional now, so the money invested in a good recording studio paid off as well."
Tellingly, it's hard to guess the geographic origin of songs like the soaring 'Forest for Tar Tac' with its numerous tempo changes and lush guitar harmonies from the early Iron Maiden rulebook or the highly melodic'Land of Fire', where several key changes insinuate a musicianly deftness many more popular bands are lacking, relieving Lucifer's Hammer from any "fanboy" allegations.
Then consider the whipping drive of 'Illusion', another highlight not least thanks to its woeful undertones, or the almost AOR-ish 'I Believe in You' with its calm middle section in contrast to the biting uptempo of'The Winds of Destiny', which quite fittingly comes with some falsetto outbursts in the vein of King Diamond, and it's clear that this four-piece has loads of hefty steel to offer for years to come.
Although obviously meant to stay here for good, Hades still insists there is no secret behind the sonic magic his act concocts. "We just like to make music, nothing more,", he shrugs. "Everybody hearing it will react differently, but for sure, things here in Chile are much more difficult in relation to what bands from Europe or North America know, so maybe that reflects in part on what we do."
Be it as it may: Now at the latest, there is no way around being hit by Lucifer's Hammer … as if their name - derived from the title of an epic metal standard by Warlord, of course - didn't already suggest as much.
Andreas Schiffmann
