Stormrider was founded in 1999 and after some label-problems, we are now presented with their second full-length album Lucifer Rising. No, we�re not talking about the German or Dutch heavy metal bands, but about the Swedish death metal one. Confused? Read on, then.

Whomever was smirking after seeing the artwork and hearing the band�s name will immediately be smacked in the face with �Jesus Christ Dismembered�, which thoroughly defines what these Swedes stand for; brutal, in-your-face death metal with black metal influences. Although brutal, there are some clear comparisons with Cradle of Filth in riffing sometimes, of which I wasn�t too fond. A feeling that was even encouraged after listening to the record multiple times.

Luckily, the tight death metal parts make up for a lot (like in �Psychic Vampire�). It�s all the more a pity that there�s not much variation in those. It could have made the album a lot more appealing to metalheads looking for something new and fresh, but that�s something that Stormrider is not. Big deal? No, not really. But I can honestly say that it�s not what I could listen to all day long. On the other hand, �Return of the Beast� (a little thrash, yeah!) and �Jesus Christ Dismembered� are songs that I immediately liked, whereas I had a lot more trouble getting that feeling with the songs containing earlier mentioned Cradle-like riffs (think of the Midian record).

Then there�s �Dead Love of Mine, pt. 3�. Great, the only thing that gives significant variation to the album is an instrumental song that contains little more than a creepy, clean guitar riff. Tracks like this one don�t mean anything to me and I therefore experience them like empty album-space. A waste.

Like I said, the death metal parts make up for a lot. Although there are a lot of things I would have liked to see being done in a different way, Lucifer Rising is a decent album with a solid production. If you like death metal mixed with black metal parts, be sure to give Stormrider a try. If not, there�s always the other two bands.