Label: Fallen Temple
Date: September 2nd, 2021
You know what made Black Sabbath so grand back in the early 1970’s? First of all, the trademarked riffing by Mr. Iommi. Then there was the unmistakable voice of Mr. Osbourne. The cryptic, eerie aura they managed to create. Plus, it wasn’t quite a regular thing to hear a band singing about the macabre side of the world in those years, which added mystique and controversy to the whole thing. And we all know how controversy has a nasty little habit of making everyone’s head turn.
But the most important aspect that made Sabbath such an epic engine of doom were the songs themselves. Those evergreen hits, such as “Black Sabbath”, “N.I.B.”, “The Wizard”, “Paranoid”, “War Pigs”… Fifty years have come and gone since then and all of you can easily hum them all, through and through. Absolutely unforgettable songs.
And here’s my point. This Paraguayan quartet completely nails all of the above, except for the last one. Well, okay, perhaps the themes covered are no longer a taboo, but you get what I’m saying.
The six songs present on Lucifer’s Children’s second full length record are all good, but far from being the future reference points of primeval doom metal.
The riffing is up to the standards, the voice (female) is unusual enough, the rhythm section does what is necessary; but Black Sabbath they are not, no matter how hard they try. And that’s just it. I do not know how long I can keep writing this review without repeating myself.
Perhaps if you put “Signs of Saturn” into perspective of the band’s origin, you might get intrigued to hear just how Black Sabbath would sound if they were born in Paraguay. But even then, the answer is obvious. Basically the same. With just the production work being somewhat modernized, but that’s only the sign of a new era in technology.
Otherwise, Lucifer’s Children are a derivate of the famed Brits, with nothing new to offer, or a personal touch to enrich that offering.
I’ve said it above and I’ll say it again. “Signs of Saturn” is a good album. Or rather, a correct one. The band checks out all the reference points of their heroes work. No more and no less. But there was only one Tony Iommi, only one Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward. The magic they invoked has yet to be repeated, duplicated with the same results in effect.
Meanwhile, Lucifer’s Children are for those who are uncritically seeking a quick fix of the old doom metal or are compelled by the “exotic” country of origin.
