Lucien
- S/T - Deadlamb Records
John Martin
Dirty garage rock with enough flair to
make any stadium cock-rockers cower in
embarrassment. That's the only way I can
describe Sweden's Lucien. Following in
the footsteps of The Hellacopters and
Zeke, Lucien crank out some really
classic rock tunes. In the 1970's it
seemed many rock bands were just trying
to live the rock & roll dream. Taking
the soul of blues musicians like Muddy
Waters and BB King and injecting it with
some hard rock energy from bands that
would eventually spawn the first metal
wave of the early 80's.
Bands such as Aerosmith, Thin Lizzy and
AC/DC began their careers performing
'balls-to-the-wall' rock & roll that
sounded as if they had spent all day
practicing in a sweaty garage to be
ready for their first gig in some dive,
biker bar. All of these bands would of
course evolve their sound to adapt to
the stadium-size audiences their fame
would eventually garner them, but this
is where my initial impression of Lucien
lies rooted.
Steel balls, garage rock with flair. Not
the cheesy glitz that made bands like
Poison or Warrant so laughable to watch,
however, the sort of flair that comes
with unbridled confidence. Lucien has
that soulful blues lingering through
their songs that made those 70's rock
bands so interesting. With a competent
and driving rhythm section and a
twin-guitar attack that makes KISS look
like the clowns they truly were. This CD
often makes me wonder how big Lucien
would've been, had they been born 25-30
years earlier.
I don't find myself listening to
straight-up rock bands everyday, but
this band is certainly worth any music
fans time. If you're into garage rock
like The Hellacopters, Zeke, The Hookers
or Motorhead...you should track this CD
down. If you don't listen to any of
those bands, but dig classic rock bands
like those aforementioned in this
review, then you should likewise check
these guys out.
Rating: 4/5
Songs Worthy of Replay: Shelley &
Pollidori (a cold chill in the air),
Unholy Lord Of Rock, The Plowman Vs The
Wind.
Synopsis: Classic rock is where
everything good in music started.
Hardcore, punk, metal and grind all came
from the hard rock bands of the 70's. So
don't shun good rock bands because
they're not on the 'cool' hardcore
label. And don't be so closed-minded to
not give international bands a chance.
There are many great bands outside the
trendy US music scene.
http://www.siczine.com/reviews/lucien.htm
LUCIEN
- We Thought These Flames Might Set The World On Fire (Deadlamb
Records)
Lucien punk metal out fit from Sweden, I say punk metal band as
its hard to put a name to this . Fast punchy guitars speeding
out of control at times giving more a metal feel, but at times
don’t give that impression more a punk feel so who knows. This
10 track offering is excellent so who cares punk metal be the
same for now. I really have nothing bad to say about Lucien just
there very talented with some very special guitar work on offer.
The twin vocals had just another dimension expressing the band
even more. Led zeppelin type vocals for sure but a more modern
sound and some classic guitar riffs just in case you get bored.
Sweden be proud, from the ashes are born a top band of pure
energy rock n roll, and even speed metal, or may be just punk,
none the less a belter of a cd.
5 out of 5
Review by Alex A
http://www.punkoiuk.co.uk/reviews/
LUCIEN
Usually you can judge a book by its cover, but I was thrown off a bit when I first popped this on. With black and white cover photo of some hairy gutter punk types embracing each other with a bottle and cigarette in hand, I figured I was in for some anarcho metal or something. And there is some of that, but also a huge pop punk and Swedish rock influence as well! Well, shit, this band is from Sweden, so heavy rawk and metal worship comes with the territory, but pop punk? Imagine NO USE FOR A NAME mixed with ZEKE. An odd mix, with lots of hair, lyrics mostly on the personal side, skulls, and black t-shirts, this CD collects two EPs originally self-released by the band. Not really my cup of tea, but some of my long-haired punk friends would probably dig this.
BOB GOLDIE – August 2007 #291 – 25th Anniversary Issue
REVIEW BY::
LUCIEN
Dass
einige dieser rockenden Schweden mit mehr als einem Bein im
Black/Death-Bereich gestanden haben, das sieht man zumindest
noch dem Artwork des vorliegenden Debütalbums von LUCIEN an
(Schwarz/weiß-Optik, Totenschädel, Posieren neben einem Engel
etc.), musikalisch steht man aber ganz klar in der Turborock-Tradition.
Und das macht man ganz ordentlich: schnell und rotzig und voll
Energie. Man hört, dass hier nicht Notenzupfer am Werk sind,
sondern Rock'n'Roller, die Freude am Spielen haben und zu allem
Überfluss ihre Instrumente auch beherrschen (auch das ein
Hinweis auf ihre Metal-Vergangenheit?). Sollte man im Auge
behalten und sich live geben, so es sie mal in unsere Regionen
verschlägt. (30:29) (8) (Simon Loidl)
© by OX-FANZINE / Ausgabe 72
(Roughly Translated to English)
That some these skirt-end Sweden with more than one leg within the Black/Death range confessed, one sees at least still to the Artwork of the available debut album from LUCIEN (black/white optics, dead head, Posieren beside an angel etc.), in music stands one however completely clearly in the turbo-skirt tradition. And one makes completely tidy: fast and rotzig and fully energy. One hears that Notenzupfer at the work are not here, but Rock'n'Roller, the joy in playing to have and to all abundance their instruments also control (also a reference to their Metal past?). If one should keep in the eye and give oneself live, thus it her times into our regions strikes. (30: 29) (8) (Simon Loidl) © by OX-FANZINE/expenditure 72
LUCIEN REVIEW BY::
(Translated from Swedish)
Full
on melodic dirty rock 'n' roll and punk
fight side by side against the
establishment. Charming - like mooning
your neighbour at the dinner table and
stealing his wife.
Think the earlier HELLACOPTERS with
influences from IRON MAIDEN, MOTORHEAD,
ZEKE and something brings to mind the
long forgotten MARY BEATS JANE.
Something about this also brings to mind
THE SONICS.
LUCIEN includes members that have played
in SOMBER, ANGELFUCK and SORG and a band
that releases an EP called "DIY ELLER DÖ"
(DIY or Die) deserves respect.
The song "Destroy The Ark" is great, Ola
Salo can always do with a good kick on
the way down.
LUCIEN REVIEW BY::
Another
release from Ireland based label Dead
Lamb. This time its by a rock n roll
band from Sweden called Lucien. Lucien
certainly does know how to rock. On this
cd you get 10 tracks of rock n roll
mayhem. Complete with all the things
that make a rock n roll band a rock n
roll band. Good vocals, guitar solos, a
good fast beat and lots of energy and
pasion. One thing though these guys
actually are on the verge of metal. You
can hear small signs of it in the music
and if you read the lyrics they are more
metal then anything. Perhaps on their
next album a more metal sound will come
out. After all isnt metal just rock n
roll turned up to the next level?
Regardless of how you clasifie these guys the album is solid and worth buying. Rating: 3.9/5
LUCIEN REVIEW BY::
This
starts out cool with a real high energy rock 'n' roll piece
entitled "Unholy lords of rock" and I really like what I hear.
The vocals are delivered in a rapid manner with a steady
drumbeat and a lead guitar that does what it's supposed to and
then some backing it up. They set the bar high with the first
tune and I think they have a somewhat hard time to follow this
opening. There are a few other tracks that I enjoy on here but
they don't reach the same level of quality as that first one,
yet still being quite listenable I must add.
I like it best when they go for the speed and let the energy do
the talking and would've liked to see a record that did that
from start to finish. It's rock all the time for sure, but
Lucien also mix in some boogie- as well as classic hardrock
riffs into their music and while this can get real crappy when
some bands attempt it Lucien manage to keep it at least
interesting all the way through.
This CD has two recordings, one from 2005 and one from 2006 that
both has been self released as EPs before but that I think are
sold out now and that's why they're put on this CD.
It can be a bit too much sleaze for my taste here and there, but
as a whole this is quite alright stuff even though I still crave
more speed. [Krogh - May 20, 2007]
www.attackfanzine.net
LUCIEN REVIEW BY::INTERNATIONAL PUNK
HARDCORE
Swedish
well-played and typical punk’n’roll that will appeal to fans of
TURBONEGRO, ZEKE, TV MEN, maybe even MOTORHEAD. Lyrics deal with
sweat, blood, fear and rock’n’roll. Weird band name, though.
http://www.deadlambrecords.com (Y.B.)
LUCIEN REVIEW BY::
From almost the opening riff this CD reeks of elaborate metal
and intricate rock that displays a band who can certainly play
some darn fine shit but stray too far away from what I
personally deem to be enjoyable. This is by no means my chosen
listening matter but will no doubt appeal to adorers of
technical metal and bands who reside in the almost obscure niche
between the unstable mountains of punk and rock.
I really struggled to find any high point during several
listenings to this effort but that should not be blamed on the
band who obviously are appealing to people interested in
different genres. For me punk should have no boundaries but that
doesn’t mean that any bands can parade under its banner. This
isn’t what I’d expect something branded as punk to sound like
and maybe the target area needs addressing so as to maximise the
potential of a band who would be wasted within the confines of a
circuit whose fans can be brutally critical.
From a neutral standpoint I would check Lucien out because it
seems a lot of work as gone into this CD and the band are
committed to the cause. The verdict is open and I leave you to
decide and expect you to agree and disagree in equal proportion.
