DANI DROSS | Go Venue Magazine
Covid-19 is changing our world in more ways than one, including live music- but Johanna Sadonis and Nicke Andersson don’t seem to be letting it get them down.
Lucifer, fronted by Sadonis with her husband Andersson on drums, released their third studio album, Lucifer III, on March 20th. Having an album release in the middle of a pandemic isn’t ideal, but it’s worked for Lucifer. Everything in the world seems paused right now except for the love and pursuit of music.
“Of course, we were worried, because the album was released in the eye of the storm… we were worried that the album would be drowned out, but it was actually kind of the opposite,” Sadonis said over Skype. “Maybe because everybody’s at home right now and actually has time to listen to music- I don’t know. So far, so good.”
Lucifer’s third album has been successful enough to enter charts in Sweden, Germany, and the U.S. The music video release on March 13th for the song “Leather Demon” has aided in propelling the album forward. “Lucifer has never been a hype thing. It’s been a steadily growing fanbase,” Sadonis said. “Between the first and the second album there was a complete lineup change- and stylistically, of course, it changed as well- but I felt that most fans stayed with us. We just kind of do what we feel is good music for us and we can only hope that, in the end, somebody likes it.”
Lucifer’s somewhat unique sound in a new world full of polished recording helps to keep people listening. With influences such as Black Sabbath, Fleetwood Mac and Steppenwolf, Lucifer pushes out a distinctly “vintage” style.
“I make the kind of stuff that I would like to listen to,” Sadonis stated. “We don’t make albums to please anybody. So in a way, I guess it’s kind of lucky that people want to listen to us.”
Some Lucifer listeners will have to wait to see a tour off of Lucifer III. Due to Covid-19’s emergence, and like many other bands and artists, Lucifer has had to postpone their European tour (set to begin in May).
“That’s quite scary- I don’t have a regular job,” Sadonis said, mentioning festivals set for July or August that are somewhat up in the air. “We are just trying to be productive and positive.”
Luckily, the virus hasn’t stopped communication and connection with fans.
“I run the social media for Lucifer, and I don’t know if I’m fooling myself, but it feels like there’s more of a community. People are being positive and posting silly videos of what they are doing at home and posting a lot more about their record collections… Nicke and I just posted a video yesterday about the year ’75 and our records, and there were so many people engaging! People have more time to sit down and be friendlier to each other.”
That is, certainly, the hope.
