Opeth – Sorceress – Moderbolaget/Nuclear Blast
By Jeffrey Easton
Sorceress is the boldest statement for progressive music from Opeth and possibly their best album to date. With Sorceress their death metal mark is further in the rearview mirror and in its place lusher feels and heavier drives from guitar and organ interplays. Mikael Åkerfeldt has taken his Stockholm band in the direction that I always felt they were going and now their music can sit among prog giants like Camel, Captain Beyond, Flash, Renaissance ect and be revered as such. Their heaviness is still intact bit albeit a different feel, as in with freight train juggernaut title track, Sorceress, the Cream like The Wilde Flowers and the fleet riffing of A Fleeting Glance and the dominate fuzz of Era. The Seventh Sojourn has beautiful middle eastern vibe with dramatic melodies which contrasts with the ethereal feel of Strange Brew, another track that taps into your emotions. Sorceress 2 is even lighter with a stunning acoustic over a mellotron bed with Mikael’s emotional vocals providing a perfect layer. With this album, a set of headphones is needed to fully transport you to the place I feel Mikael was at when he conceived this album, in a total darkened aura. The subject of love and its darker aspect which runs the gamut of what can go wrong with it permeates this beautiful piece of art. You may feel that’s the wrong avenue for Opeth but presented from Mikael’s point of view it can be darker than you think. Since Watershed Opeth have continued to evolve past the death metal that influenced the direction of their records into a more progressive band and whereas some fans aren’t onboard with that I feel they should be. Opeth has never been about boundaries as elements of prog have been intertwined with their music and there should not be any limitations as to what one person/band can do. This will be one of music’s most ambitious albums of 2016 and one Opeth fans will be listening to for years to come.
Official Opeth Site
BUY Sorceress
BUY Sorceress on Vinyl
By Jeffrey Easton
Sorceress is the boldest statement for progressive music from Opeth and possibly their best album to date. With Sorceress their death metal mark is further in the rearview mirror and in its place lusher feels and heavier drives from guitar and organ interplays. Mikael Åkerfeldt has taken his Stockholm band in the direction that I always felt they were going and now their music can sit among prog giants like Camel, Captain Beyond, Flash, Renaissance ect and be revered as such. Their heaviness is still intact bit albeit a different feel, as in with freight train juggernaut title track, Sorceress, the Cream like The Wilde Flowers and the fleet riffing of A Fleeting Glance and the dominate fuzz of Era. The Seventh Sojourn has beautiful middle eastern vibe with dramatic melodies which contrasts with the ethereal feel of Strange Brew, another track that taps into your emotions. Sorceress 2 is even lighter with a stunning acoustic over a mellotron bed with Mikael’s emotional vocals providing a perfect layer. With this album, a set of headphones is needed to fully transport you to the place I feel Mikael was at when he conceived this album, in a total darkened aura. The subject of love and its darker aspect which runs the gamut of what can go wrong with it permeates this beautiful piece of art. You may feel that’s the wrong avenue for Opeth but presented from Mikael’s point of view it can be darker than you think. Since Watershed Opeth have continued to evolve past the death metal that influenced the direction of their records into a more progressive band and whereas some fans aren’t onboard with that I feel they should be. Opeth has never been about boundaries as elements of prog have been intertwined with their music and there should not be any limitations as to what one person/band can do. This will be one of music’s most ambitious albums of 2016 and one Opeth fans will be listening to for years to come.
Official Opeth Site
BUY Sorceress
BUY Sorceress on Vinyl