Lucertola

 While Lucertola are a relatively new band, it's members are far from newbies to the scene. Frontman Josh Christian and guitarist Tad Leger have logged endless stage and studio hours together in the seminal and highly influential Westchester,NY thrash band Toxik. Tad has also been lending his drum prowess to the classic doom outfit Blood Farmers as of late. Lucertola skinsman Ben Policello is also my metal brother and fellow bandmate in Left In Ruins. The 3 song promo disk currently available from Lucertola, is chock full of slow, heavy horror driven doom metal with a true and pure old school vibe. "Burning Breathing" immediately calls to mind classic St. Vitus with it's epic intro and punchy verse and chorus riffs. The crawling bridge in this tune, reminds this reviewer of "Draconian Times"-era Paradise Lost. Part of what makes Lucertola stand out from the doom metal pack, is the vocal stylings of Josh Christian. His phrasing has an undertone that calls to mind vintage Mike Muir of Suicidal Tendencies, mixed with a soulful, power metal influence reminiscent of Evergrey's Tom Englund. "God's Bloody Acre" unleashes more sludgy riffs, with a very brooding, almost unsettling vibe. The changes push and pull the mood of the song back and forth like you wont find in many doom metal bands songs. Flavors of early Tool shine through as well as classic Black Sabbath, and the bridge with it's southern flavored slide guitar solo get the Down fan in me pumped! "Sentient" is Lucertola's "Mellow song". Not quite what you'd consider a ballad, more like this bands version of the Sabbath classic "Planet Caravan" or Down's "Jail". The gentle guitar lines and silky vocal harmonies make you want to put your feet up and float away, just escape into the music. I think I can speak for most of us reading this when I say I've felt like "I want to feel the sun, no longer over me" as the lyrics strike a deep nerve in the outro to this melancholy opus. If this is what Lucertola are serving up in their 3 song promo, then I'm salivating in wait to hear what they are going to turn out in their full length offering. More recording and hopefully more shows are what this band have in store for us, so go find Lucertola on Facebook, click that "Like" button and inquire on how to get a copy of this awesome disk. Keep your ears open, I have a feeling Lucertola are going to shake the foundation of the doom underground sooner than later! You can hear Lucertola on The Shroud, every Monday night from 9pm to 12am EST at www.brutalexistenceradio.com.