Review by Felix on March 17, 2021.

Shit, this one is difficult to assess. Lucifuge's fourth full-length has some highs, but also some weak points. I'll just pick out 'Black Battalions' now. The opening is a 98% copy of Venom's masterpiece "At War with Satan", a plucked bass with a distinctive riff over it that hardly differs from that of the legendary classic. A tedious Maiden-esque passage follows, before the tradition-conscious protagonists decide to shift up a few gears after all and add a very fluid, amazingly homogeneous main part, which still seems to lift the piece into the 70+X % range. A rather mediocre, squeaky guitar solo, however, introduces a very weak ending. What should one think of this? Frankly, I have no idea. But what is certain is that the very old Venom are a considerable influence for Lucifuge. Already in the opening title track, the break after two minutes shows clear parallels to the famous "Lay Down Your Soul" sequence from "Black Metal". The somewhat very strong reference to the old gods unfortunately stands shoulder to shoulder with the unfortunately pretty cheap riffing in the track that gives the album its name. An impressively imaginative name, by the way.

Be that as it may, 'Black Battalions' might be a special case. Fortunately there are also easier to judge songs on Infernal Power. You could almost use the ingenious 'Leviathan Arise' as a lesson in black thrash for Norwegian youths, because every note sits here and there is no lack of a nasty aura either. 'Temples Of Madness' also leaves nothing to be desired in terms of high speed. The riff, however, is more of a bastard of thrash and speed metal and thus points in a slightly less ugly direction than the guitar work on 'Leviathan Arise'. Still, it's a song that makes you feel good.

Lucifuge stoically thrash their way through the very old school in the further course of the album. 'Black Light Of The Evening Star' basks in speed metal riffing that sounds one-to-one like the eruptions of the Italians from Baphomet's Blood. Other songs have a black thrash edge. Regardless of such small stylistic variations, the dust of the eighties is thick as a meter on all the tracks here. Anyone who let themselves be frozen in an ice chamber in 1983, and now gets out again in good condition to listen to Lucifuge, will be surprised that there was no further development in our music for 38 years. But well, stagnation can also be enjoyable and the suspenseful beginning of 'The Doors Of Hell May Shake' secures additional plus points.

After nearly 35 minutes, a record comes to an end that ultimately convinces not only thanks to an adequately dirty and powerful production. Lucifuge know how to present their rancid song formula relatively fresh and powerful. As mentioned at the beginning, not every idea leads to a good result by any means, but the positive sides outweigh - and despite the almost romantically titled finale called 'Midnight Sun', no one has to fear effeminate laxity here.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Review by Adam M on July 24, 2025.

This was an excellent album that made use of a concept style to deliver an exciting and immersive experience to the listener.  It is an album that is dark and very moody and shows an emotional side around every corner. It is a work that needs time to be appreciated, but once it is, everything comes falling into place.

The musicianship on the work is stellar with great guitar performances and a solid vocal display from Warrell Dane.  It is a nicely produced album that carries forth the concept nature of its intention quite well.  There is a great deal of emphasis on the scope of the musicianship and it makes this work compelling time and time again.

There are very few flaws to be found here as the album is the gem of the band’s discography.  It is perhaps too concept based at times and one would wish for a more memorable straightforward work at times.  This is alleviated by some tuneful songs that will still become ingrained in your head over time. 

Fans of bands like Witherfall will find a lot to like here with the dark concept aura of this work.  The very pessimistic vibe is really interesting and will catch a lot of people’s attention.  There is a lot of effort put into making this a flowing concept work and it shows in the band’s songwriting and vision.

Rating: 8.1/10

Review by Luka on May 20, 2001.

Mighty Nevermore outdo themselves again, this probably being their strongest album ever. Jeff Loomis’ eerie guitar notes hover over tight shredding and constant double-bass drumming while Warrel Dane wails about insanity, death, dreams and the like.

The songs start off very heavy and aggressive but the more of the album you listen, the more the songs start to turn slow, melodic, and emotional. At first I branded these lighter, more acoustic-based songs like "Deconstruction" or "The Lotus Eaters" pure filler material, and so about half of the album really annoyed me. Eventually I grew to like these songs and now sometimes look forward to them even more than the heavy ones, so the album takes time to get into. The light songs give the album so much character, had it been traditional heavy metal all the way through it wouldn’t have impressed me too much at all.

The musicianship is well... what can I say? Warrel Dane (ex-Sanctuary) has one of the most distinctive voices in metal while Jeff Loomis is a guitarist of great renown. Amazing solos, amazing lyrics, amazing vocals, drumming... Nevermore, along with Iced Earth, are the prime representatives of American metal to the world, and are distinctly more heavy and aggressive than European power metal bands, making up for cheesy melodies (that are becoming a power metal trademark) with rough, chord-based riffs. Yet the irony of them still being far more famous in Europe or Japan than in their own country is still there.

My favorites from the heavy cuts would be "The Death of Passion" and "The Fault of the Flesh", while "The Lotus Eaters" and "All Play Dead" are the finest of the melodic, emotional tracks.

Bottom Line: This album epitomizes everything about 90’s American underground heavy metal, with enough fine musicianship and magnitude to become a classic.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Adam M on July 24, 2025.

This was an excellent album that made use of a concept style to deliver an exciting and immersive experience to the listener.  It is an album that is dark and very moody and shows an emotional side around every corner. It is a work that needs time to be appreciated, but once it is, everything comes falling into place.

The musicianship on the work is stellar with great guitar performances and a solid vocal display from Warrell Dane.  It is a nicely produced album that carries forth the concept nature of its intention quite well.  There is a great deal of emphasis on the scope of the musicianship and it makes this work compelling time and time again.

There are very few flaws to be found here as the album is the gem of the band’s discography.  It is perhaps too concept based at times and one would wish for a more memorable straightforward work at times.  This is alleviated by some tuneful songs that will still become ingrained in your head over time. 

Fans of bands like Witherfall will find a lot to like here with the dark concept aura of this work.  The very pessimistic vibe is really interesting and will catch a lot of people’s attention.  There is a lot of effort put into making this a flowing concept work and it shows in the band’s songwriting and vision.

Rating: 8.1/10

Review by Luka on May 20, 2001.

Mighty Nevermore outdo themselves again, this probably being their strongest album ever. Jeff Loomis’ eerie guitar notes hover over tight shredding and constant double-bass drumming while Warrel Dane wails about insanity, death, dreams and the like.

The songs start off very heavy and aggressive but the more of the album you listen, the more the songs start to turn slow, melodic, and emotional. At first I branded these lighter, more acoustic-based songs like "Deconstruction" or "The Lotus Eaters" pure filler material, and so about half of the album really annoyed me. Eventually I grew to like these songs and now sometimes look forward to them even more than the heavy ones, so the album takes time to get into. The light songs give the album so much character, had it been traditional heavy metal all the way through it wouldn’t have impressed me too much at all.

The musicianship is well... what can I say? Warrel Dane (ex-Sanctuary) has one of the most distinctive voices in metal while Jeff Loomis is a guitarist of great renown. Amazing solos, amazing lyrics, amazing vocals, drumming... Nevermore, along with Iced Earth, are the prime representatives of American metal to the world, and are distinctly more heavy and aggressive than European power metal bands, making up for cheesy melodies (that are becoming a power metal trademark) with rough, chord-based riffs. Yet the irony of them still being far more famous in Europe or Japan than in their own country is still there.

My favorites from the heavy cuts would be "The Death of Passion" and "The Fault of the Flesh", while "The Lotus Eaters" and "All Play Dead" are the finest of the melodic, emotional tracks.

Bottom Line: This album epitomizes everything about 90’s American underground heavy metal, with enough fine musicianship and magnitude to become a classic.

Rating: 9 out of 10