Lucky XIII — Fortune’s Curse Review
Lucky XIII is brought to life by Portuguese multi-instrumentalist and producer Melkor. On 1st December 2025, Lucky XIII released their debut full-length, Fortune’s Curse, through Studio 13. These hymns resurfaced only after one of the creators rediscovered long-lost files, allowing the material to be fully reconstructed and the band’s sound reborn.
Lucky XIII, Fortune’s Curse Review: This review will evaluate every aspect of the album, from its intricate musical composition to its production. Our analysis will provide valuable insights to help you determine if this album is worth adding to your collection.
The First Three Sins, The Summary
The Fourth Sin, Overall Discussion
The Thirteenth Shadow Falls
Lucky XIII kicks off with Thirteen Shadows. Fierce guitars drive the hymn hard. Aggressive vocals bite deep. This opener flows smoothly into the next eight hymns. Each one builds on the raw energy. Listeners feel the shift, like a storm rolling in.
Guitars fade and swell across the tracks. Vocals echo, pulling you deeper. The remaining eight hymns carry that momentum forward. They pulse with the same dark fire.
Fate, Fortune, and Defiance
Across nine hymns, the album explores the eternal struggle between destiny and defiance: shadows that cling to the soul, dice cast into the fire, wheels that grind bone, the cursed embrace of fortune herself.
Each hymn is a ritual of sound and word, where heavy riffs and haunting melodies collide with lyrics steeped in betrayal, misfortune, and the hunger to rise again. From the spectral march of Thirteen Shadows to the cruel laughter of Wheel of Misfortune, from the infernal pact of The Devil’s Number to the final wound of Fortune’s Betrayal, the album is both curse and catharsis.
Framework and Fire — Metalcore with Teeth
Fortune’s Curse runs for forty minutes. Guitars lead the charge. They pound out riffs that demand action. Aggressive vocals cut through sharply. Beyond those growls, pure guitar power rules. The hymns hook you fast, your head starts to nod, your feet stomp in time. Energy surges. You feel it deep in your bones.
That sound pulls from Motörhead’s raw grit and no mercy rock ‘n’ roll swagger, collides with AC/DC‘s early-seventies rhythmic fire, then locks into modern heaviness. Layer on heavy death grooves next. Machine Head brings chug that crushes. Acherontia Styx adds dark twists. Lamb of God slams with groove metal rage. Rhythms lock in. They drag you under. Death metal edge bites hard, but grooves keep it moving.
All this fuses old grit with fresh metal punch. Classic rawness meets modern weight. Heaviness slams home. Depth builds layers thick. The project wakes darker now. Reborn in shadow. It roars back, fierce.
Chains, Fire, and DIY Truth
Fortune’s Curse lives through its raw DIY recording. The sound hits hard—brutal, yet tightly controlled. Chains rattle through every hymn. Fire snaps and hisses. Broken mirrors crunch underfoot. Shattered emblems scatter sharp edges. Cursed luck hangs like bad omens. All this feeds a thick mix, packed with shadows that swallow light.
Layers of ambience stack up, slow and deep. They pull you in, layer by layer. Backing textures drown in reverb. Echoes stretch out, cold and endless. Vocals cut through sharply. They carry real menace—growls that bite. Their presence locks the vocals front and centre. The soundstage squeezes inward. It traps you. Pressure builds from all sides. No escape. This setup mirrors the curse itself.
DIY keeps it real—no studio polish. Just grit and truth. Chains bind the beat. Fire fuels the rage. Mirrors reflect the breaks. Emblems smash hope. Luck twists dark.
The shadows thicken the bass. Ambience hums low, hides secrets. Reverb coats guitars in fog. Vocals press close, whisper threats. Confinement grips the ears. Pressure mounts with each note. Brutal craft at its peak. Precision born from scraps. This album curses loud.
Riffs That Cut, Grooves That Hold
Every element finely honed. The composition and devilmanship grab you hard. Music and instruments balance just right. Melkor’s guitars rip through the hymns, using thick, down-tuned strings that add extra weight and growl. Haunting melodies weave in. Heavy distortion cranks up the fuzz and bite. It packs a modern metal punch. Raw aggression hits hard.
Yet, it stays catchy. You nod your head right along. Groove pulls you in deep. Bass riffs lock-step with the drums. No slack anywhere. They pound out the album’s heavy bass. That solid ground lets everything else soar. Feel the rumble in your chest. This setup drives the whole sound forward.
Thunder Beneath the Screams
Melkor’s drums pound the core of the music, slamming with crushing beats. Percussion adds raw force. The rhythm section roars like thunder. They build density that hits your chest. Every kick and snare demands attention. Melkor’s vocals charge in next. They shout with pure aggression. Dark tones weave through the screams. Themes run deep, full of shadow. These match the album’s heavy symbols. The entire tone stays grim and bold.
Listeners feel the weight in every track. Drums lead, vocals push the edge. Together, they grip you hard.
Forged in Shadow, Unleashed in Fire
Forged alone in quiet shadows, then honed sharp by fierce flames. Fortune’s Curse stands as far more than a simple set of hymns. These hymns pulse with raw truth. They bear witness to chance’s heavy load.
Fortune’s Curse blasts out as a raw, gritty fruit of art. It pulses with anthem hooks that demand you shout along. Dirty riffs grind like gravel under boots. Big choruses swell to fill rooms, arenas, even your skull. Every hymn holds that fire firm. No slow fades here. First song slams in hard. Next one ramps it higher. Energy never dips. It surges hymn after hymn, like a live show that won’t quit.
Then it sinks its claws in. Once those sounds latch on, they stick fast. No escape. You crank the knob to full blast. Head snaps back and forth in rhythm. Body dives into the pit, spine twisting wild until it aches.
This album takes hold — and refuses to let go. It turns quiet nights into full-throttle chaos — pure addiction in every note.
Closing: Fortune’s Final Betrayal
The album ends with Fortune’s Betrayal, an eight-minute descent where aggression remains, but the tempo drags itself down into something heavier and more malignant. It sounds like rusted chains scraping across scorched coal beds — slow, grinding, and suffocating.
The Fifth Sin, The Memorabilia
For me, Lucky XIII does not feel like stepping into unfamiliar territory. Having covered Melkor’s work across numerous projects and articles, there is a clear lineage here — and, as expected, it does not fail to deliver. What sets Lucky XIII apart, however, is its balance. Where Melkor’s music often traverses black, death, folk, doom, and thrash, Fortune’s Curse leans into a fusion of extreme metal, modern heaviness, and classic hard rock swagger. It works for one simple reason: Melkor knows exactly how to make it work.
The Sixth Sin, The Artwork
The artwork will undoubtedly draw criticism. It does carry the hallmarks of AI-assisted design — but when such tools are used to support the creative vision rather than replace it, the result can still serve the music. Here, the imagery complements the album’s occult-rock spirit and sense of rebirth, even if it challenges traditional expectations.
The Seventh Sin, Disrelish
There is nothing here to dislike within the musical offerings of Fortune’s Curse. Lucky XIII deliver a release forged in fire, fuel, and rock ’n’ roll conviction. This album does not ask for attention — it demands devotion, calling the listener to worship at the altar of distortion, riffs, and volume.
Promotional material provided by Studio 13 and Melkor.
The Hymns
01. Thirteen Shadows
02. Dice of Destiny
03. Broken luck
04. Wheel of Misfortune
05. The Devil’s Number
06. Twist of Fate
07. Chains of Chance
08. Edge of Fortune
09. Fortune’s Betrayal
Lucky XIII
Melkor — All music, lyrics, vocals, guitars, bass, and drum programmingD-Void — All Guitars Solo