Jucifer: If Thine Enemy Hungers

Over the past eleven years, Jucifer’s eccentricities have made them stand out from the crowd. For one thing, the husband and wife duo literally live out of their van with their dogs. For another, their unforgettable live show with an entire wall of speaker cabinets (some of which were once owned by The Spice Girls) could easily win them the heavyweight championship for the loudest two-piece band in the world.

But perhaps the most unique quality that Jucifer possesses is the power to unite fans of metal, pop, goth, and noise seamlessly through their songs. Picture the sludgiest band you can think of creating the most infectious pop songs imaginable.

“Lucky Ones Burn” sounds like both members of Roxette singing for Black Sabbath, an effect that was surprisingly captivating. On the other end of the spectrum, the deliciously slow, metallic “Centralia” wouldn’t be out of place at an occult ceremony to raise the dead, especially with Edgar Livengood’s primal drums leading the way.

Unfortunately, all tracks are not equally as memorable. On “Led” and “My Benefactor,” Amber Valentine’s layered, melodic vocals and simplistic yet fuzzy power chords makes the band sound like they are stuck in a early-’90s time warp with some old Babes in Toyland albums.

Still, thanks to the variety throughout the album, this could be a great disc to bring along for a long car trip with passengers with otherwise conflicting tastes (something Amber and Edgar might be familiar with in all their cross-country travels).

– Jamie Ludwig
Jucifer (Relapse)