After the Oath—an occult-themed doom/punk/hard rock project featuring Swedish guitarist Linnéa Olsson—disbanded, Berlin-based vocalist and songwriter Johanna Sadonis launched Lucifer in 2014. The new group continued her interest in shadowy themes yet shifted toward a proto-metal and blues-rock approach, drawing from classic rock acts such as Blue Öyster Cult, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and Led Zeppelin. Bass player Dino Gollnick, drummer Andrew Prestidge, and Cathedral guitarist Garry "Gaz" Jennings completed the initial lineup, and the band quickly signed with Rise Above Records. Their first album, the aptly named Lucifer I, surfaced in 2015.
Prestidge and Jennings left on good terms the next year, opening the door for Hellacopters guitarist/vocalist and Entombed drummer Nicke Andersson, Sadonis’ husband. The couple moved to Stockholm, Sweden, where the band recorded its second album, Lucifer II, released in July 2018 and appearing on charts in five countries. Two years afterward the group delivered Lucifer III, which received a nomination for Best Hard Rock/Metal at the 2021 Grammis awards in Sweden. Demonstrating continued momentum, the band issued the acclaimed Lucifer IV that October.
