Musings: Lüger - Revelations of the Sacred Skull

Lüger was born in 2013 from the ashes of local garage punk youngsters Jimmy Target & The Triggers. They return with their savage brand of rock ‘n’ roll, punk, and heavy metal for their upcoming LP, Revelations of the Sacred Skull, the follow-up to their 2018 debut Hellraisers of the Waste and their 2020 EP Cosmic Horrör. Along with Cauchemar and Metalian, Lüger is part of my favourite unholy trio of metal bands from my hometown of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. I was stoked when they got signed to Heavy Psych Sounds for this new album. They’ve really come into their own with this LP, a perfect blend of vicious metal, punk, and hard rock. Lüger features Jim Laflamme on vocals and guitar, Alex Bigras on lead guitar, Hugo Desmarais on drums and synths, and Frank Mackin on bass and backing vocals.

Revelations of the Sacred Skull is a concept album of sorts, an urban spaghetti western dipped in the occult and heavy metal with punk flourishes. “Black Acid”, the second single, gets the ball rolling—a high-octane track where frontman Laflamme channels Rob Zombie’s long-lost cousin on vocals. It’s an infectious tune with fiery guitars. “Motörcity Hellcats” was the first single and a great pick it was—a catchy song with punk roots loaded with cool riffs. “Night of the Serpent Woman” would be a great title for a Sword & Sorcery tale! It’s traditional metal at its best, at once both hypnotic and energetic. The titular “Sacred Skull” worships at the church of Sabbath, building up to a boiling point until it kicks your ass—a standout track. The next two tracks, “Filthy Streets” and “Toxic Sludge” work as a one-two punch combo—two solid bass-heavy, hard rock/metal cuts with blistering guitars reminiscent of Motörhead. “Vipère”, French for “viper”, follows; a percussion-driven instrumental interlude that would be right at home in a spaghetti western or a ‘70s exploitation flick. “Bloodmoon” is a good song but is my least favourite track of the record; it gets a little too noisy for my taste at times, but has great guitar parts throughout. The curtain falls with “The Rise of Witchcraft”; its foreboding organ-tinted opening gives it a grand sound. A track that would be a good fit as soundtrack to a Dario Argento movie. A terrific song and a highlight of the album.

With Revelations of the Sacred Skull, Lüger demonstrates that they are a force to be reckoned with, pillaging the heavy metal scene with crafty lyrics and killer music to forge memorable songs. This new release is their most polished album yet, showing that they’ve really found their voice. Come February 5^th, don’t hesitate to pick up this bad boy and spend the rest of the month headbanging to the sound of fast and sleazy, acid-fueled riffs and melodies. Fans of Motörhead, Venom, and The Stooges will especially enjoy this stellar album. Play it loud!

Heavy Psych Sounds’ Bandcamp Page for Lüger: https://heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/l-ger-revelations-of-the-sacred-skull

Lüger on Bandcamp: https://lugerband.bandcamp.com/music