LUCIFIRE is a hard rock/alternative/post-grunge project out of the northern shore of Montreal (in the outskirts of St-Lin, in the Laurentians), Quebec, Canada. The project has existed for over a year when most of the songs were written by Ben Hard and essentially played and perfected on acoustic guitars. He then met Jeffrey Roots and Alex Gauthier and proposed to pursue the project as an actual band, and the rest is history. This is their first self-produced album, which was released in 2019. They have a new record on the way that is currently being written.

The opener "Hey Me" is an interesting number with its punchy bass lines. The overall guitar sound has a bit of that 80's sound to it (especially in the new wave era) when it is mainly a clear sound. When the distortion hits, the influence here is as much NIRVANA as it is SONIC YOUTH, and what would a song like this be without a bit of natural feedback. The vocals themselves have an echo effect, and even if the range is different, the overall feel is very 1990's (think ALICE IN CHAINS. The solos are also not over-the-top, they fit the song well and add substance and feeling to it. Another influence I hear in this type of composition is THE CULT with what many consider a hard rock/gothic vibe.

"Opposite Truth" has a grittier and heavier approach than the previous song. Even the vocals go a bit lower in range to match the crunchier side of the guitars. Having been a huge fan of the grunge era and the heavier side it used to bring (that would sometimes be very close to heavy metal), this is one track that appealed to me. I could see a song like this in a video game (especially the open-world type).

For of those of you who remember the softer side of bands like STAIND and SILVERCHAIR, you should definitely appreciate a song like "When You Never Feel Like Home", a song that starts off with a more gentle side, with some slightly heavier passages. One could also definitely feel a RADIOHEAD influence in here as well, especially in their early days, where their most appreciated singles were ballads or mid-tempo compositions.

The darker, more abyss-style song "Preciously Hidden" really has that 1990's apocalyptic groove to it. This what the aspect of the grunge era I always appreciated the most. Having that power to make a song sinister, without necessarily using the more traditional metal elements. The song also uses more screams than any of the songs so far, adding that feeling of despair and anger to it. "Rain of Stars" uses a more positive take on things and without sounding repetitive. It definitely does sound more like the British style of alternative rock, like BLUR and OASIS, but the vocals are not in the pop-side realm like these bands, because they rely more on pure emotion, than harmonies (something that was the backbone of punk even in the late 70's).

"Liquid Crystal" has some of the catchier parts with a THE CURE overall feeling to the song, maybe not so much in the vocals, but in the atmosphere conveyed through the guitar effects, combined with the delivery. Honestly, I would say if the band were to release a 1^st single, this would a good representation of their style. Finally, we have the song "Distress" that closes out the album, with some well-executed acoustic guitar parts. Even though the vocals are very different, this song reminded me a lot of "Patience" recorded way back in the 1980's by GUNS N ROSES. It conveys a lot of those heartfelt sentiments that those songs used to have, almost four decades ago.

Overall, for an initial release and self-produced material, the overall sound is vintage and still modern at the same time. It has that flavor from the 1990's that many alternative rock bands fans loved and adored. In these modern times, the alternative sound has merged into other genres, yet this project keeps that sound very much alive and brings back a lot of memories of bands I listened to endlessly as a teenager. The only downside in the production I would say are the drums that sound a little too synthetic, whereas all the other instruments sound very crisp and fresh, especially for a "demo" release.