Jucifer

If Thine Enemy Hunger (Relapse)

By Angie Vo
Published: October 16th, 2006 | 11:40am

Jucifer emerges from its four-year recording hiatus with If Thine Enemy Hunger, the Athens, Ga. rock duo's third album. Vocalist Amber Valentine goes from pleading to seething with backing percussion and guitar from Edgar Livengood. The two have showcased their metal-tinged musicianship for the masses since 1995, and Hunger is a natural continuation of the their previous albums I Name You Destroyer (2002) and Calling All Cars on the Vegas Strip (1999).

Jucifer specializes in being seductively sinister — the third track contains the lyrics "Some of us just rest / But the lucky ones burn" — and witness Valentine's tethered freakout in "Antietam." The only real drawback is how the guitar becomes too monotonous after a while, but standouts like “Pontius of Palia” display Jucifer at its sinfully sexy best. If you hunger for a bit of hard rock, this may be your fix.