Introducing Lucifer Star Machine

Lucifer Star Machine joined us on issue 094‘s covermount CD, so we thought we’d find out what makes them rock ‘n’ roll…

The album is very melodic and well thought out…and it‘s got massive balls!”

Who are you?
We’re Lucifer Star Machine, originally formed in London, UK but are now based in Hamburg, Germany. The current lineup is Tor Abyss (vocals), Mickey Necro (Guitars), Marshall Speed (Guitars), Benny Zin (Bass), Jay Impact (Drums).

Main influences?
I‘d say our main influences are Motörhead, Ramones, Misfits and Turbonegro. However, I’d like to think that with this new album we accomplished something like a signature sound. Even though these bands have influenced us, we don’t sound like any of them. When you talk about our contemporaries I‘d drop the three big names in the Scandinavian Rock scene: Gluecifer, Hellacopters, Turbonegro. Again, our sound is not the same and we don’t try to sound like them. I’d rather like to see us as the missing link.

Why did you select the track included on the ZT covermount to represent you?
Well, the label selected it but they made a good choice. It‘s the opening track of the album and it’s very straight-forward and right in your face. It grabs your attention right from the start. I sing about the decay of mankind and people being brainwashed by religion. The album is very diversified and that’s something I‘m proud of. We didn’t wanna do a record where every song sounds the same or has the same mood; not everything has to be fast and angry. That gets boring after a while. The album is very melodic and well thought out…and it‘s got massive balls!

Describe your musical output.
We play heavy rock ’n’ roll. We draw influences mainly from classic rock and punk but there might also be some metal or ’50s rock ’n’ roll in our sound. We just wanna write good fucking tunes! As a musician it’s always good to be open-minded when it comes to music. That way you can draw ideas from any musical style. Lyrically we write about life, you know, the good and the bad times, love and hate… and the stupidity of Religion.

DIY or ‘pro’ recording?
In this time and age with ProTools & co. you don‘t need a big expensive studio any more. You need someone with the right skills, the right set of mind, who is in it for the love of music. We are very fortunate that we have found exactly this person in Roman Riemann. He did a tremendous job. We wanted a transparent and powerful sound and he gave us exactly that and even more. He‘s very easy to work with and is only happy when you are. I‘d recommend him to anyone. So back to your question, we did have a producer but it wasn’t recorded in a recording studio but in our rehearsal room with professional equipment.

Do you play live and if so, have you any dates coming up?
Yes, we do play live. The dates booked so far are:

Fri 13.3.20 – Tiki Beat (D-Regensburg)
Sat 14.3.20 – Silo1 (D-Töging)
Sat 21.3.20 – Kustom Market (D-Heeslingen)
Fri 10.4.20 – Monkeys Music Club (D-Hamburg)
Sat 11.4.20 – Kufa (D-Brunswick)
Fri 17.4.20 – Vielfalt (D-Gütersloh-Harsewinkel)
Sat 18.4.20 – Freakshow (D-Essen)
Fri 15.5.20 – Lola (NL-Groningen)
Sat 16.5.20 – Cafe The Jack (NL-Eindhoven)
Thurs 21.5.20 – Cassiopeia (D-Berlin)
Fri 22.5.20 – Das Bett (D-Frankfurt)
Sat 23.5.20 – Junkyard (D-Dortmund)
Fri 10.7.20 – Blizzarrrd Rock Festival (D-Bornhöved)
Sat 11.7.20 – Whiskey‘s (D-Osnabrück)
Thurs 1.10.20 – Meisenfrei (D-Bremen)
Fri 2.10.20 – Heavy Duty (D-Dresden)
Sat 3.10.20 – Rock Caf’é (CZ-Prague)
Sat 14.11.20 – AJZ Bahndamm (D-Wermelskirchen)
Wed 30.12.20 – Lido (D-Berlin)

We are also planning a Spanish tour at the end of September and Gigs in England and Scandinavia.

Future plans?
The goal would be to lucify the world. We want as many people as possible to hear the album so we can ultimately play to bigger crowds. We signed a deal over two albums with Swedish label The Sign Records. Right now, playing live is on our agenda. We won’t start writing the next album before 2021. However, we‘re in talks with the label about releasing our last album Rock ’n’ Roll Martyrs[$italics] for the first time on vinyl.

How can ZT readers hear more?
Follow us on Spotify to keep up with our releases. You’ll find all YouTube links to our videos on our website www.luciferstarmachine.com. Be clever and pre-order our album. It will be released on vinyl, Ltd. deluxe vinyl with gatefold sleeve and Digipak CD. Get lucified!