Sometimes when I go to listen to my favorite music, I look for what is going to make me move, to make me jump up and down or to latch onto the aggression, the primal energy put forth by the raw power bursting forth from the speakers. Other times tho, it’s good to step back and absorb a different type of energy, like something of the more esoteric nature, darker, moodier but still draws you in but in a different way.

Take Lux Ferre from Portugal for example, they fill the void of the later category to a T. This being the first time I have heard of them, 2 items drew me to them. One being the intriguing and more eclectic artwork with its stark blacks,greys and red being the only color and no logo but you get an overall picture of the possibilities contained within. The second being upon reading the biography I see they are from Portugal and I, being of Spanish descent, just made me want to look/listen into what I had before me.

Upon first listen, I felt the dark energy, the esoteric nature in the sound and the riffing of the guitars. “A Luz Ofuscante da Verdade” sets the stage in what to expect of the music and at a little over 10min, this being the longest of the bunch. It begins creeping, haunting like and just builds from there to give a great introduction of the band. I know what you are thinking, “just what do these 5 dark overlords sound like”?  Immediately Secrets of the Moon comes to mind with touches of early Dark Funeral. Vocalist Devasth sounds similar to Themgoroth at times with milder more shouted moments and brief spoken word passages in his approach.

The music is generally mid paced orthodox black metal with those faster, harsher DF moments interspersed through the songs to give some variations of light and shade so as not to get too monotonous. I mention this because after the first 3 songs things tend to get a little samey sounding. “A Lenta Adaga da Morte” offers much of that sinister vibe and is the 3rd song of a really good trifecta. While the production is good, guitars have that eeriness to them to convey that atmosphere of the songs, the drums are audible and keep the pace and bass being almost non existent, it just brings the overall excitement down a tad because you may be expecting some harsh unrelenting song for the next track but it doesn’t come, just more of the same.

Not that this is at all a bad thing and this is an enjoyable listen, great for those moments when you need to concentrate on  that homework assignment but you don’t want to get too distracted. Being that I have only a digital copy, I am curious to know if the CD itself has lyrics and artwork to accompany the music to present a greater sensory experience, I may have to keep a look out for this for purchase later upon release.

So a good release overall with plenty of that epic darkness to fill that void should you require and for those that yearn for the days of early Secrets of the Moon.

[Visit the band's website]

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