Lucifer’s Hammer - Be and Exist (2024)

4★

Once again – and I’ve said this countless times in the past – Chile delivers the goods. Whether it’s extreme metal, thrash, or trad like this, there’s something in the water over there because their output is truly something to marvel at. While perhaps the weakest of the current four LUCIFER’S HAMMER albums, Be and Exist is still very solid, featuring great amounts of fun riffs, catchy melodies, and some blistering lead guitar work from Sebastián Inzunza. The vocals are standard for this kind of modern trad, but there’s a great charm to them that keeps me coming back. They’re a little more laid back instead of being super in your face, similar to that of Brian Ross from Satan. If you’re looking for some lovely melodic traditional metal, I think you’d be safe taking a crack at Be and Exist – I certainly had fun listening to it!

FAVORITE TRACKS: “Real Nightmares, “The Fear of Anubis,” “Be and Exist”

FOR FANS OF: Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Tokyo Blade

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Originally published in Aug. '24 (Issue No. 4)