Year : 2020
Style : Epic Heavy Metal
Country : Sweden
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 133 mb
Bio:
Sorcerer was formed in Stockholm, Sweden in 1988 by Johnny Hagel (Tiamat, Sundown, Lithium), Tommy Karlsson and Peter Furulid. The singer Anders Engberg (Lion’s Share, Therion, 220 Volt) joined them together with a second guitarist Mats Liedholm in 1989. That year they recorded their first demo “Anno 1503” which sold more than 1500 copies. The band played two shows in Stockholm in ’89; the first show was together with legendary Swedish doom band Count Raven and later in the year they also entered the stage at a festival with bands like Entombed (their first show ever as Entombed), Carnage, Therion and Mezzrow among others.In 1992 they recorded their second demo which showcased a more mature sound and a higher level of musicianship, this time joined by Richard Evensand on drums. Both demos were very well received by the metal press all over the world and the reviews were amazing. Johnny Hagel left the band later in ’92 to join Tiamat. Sorcerer disbanded shortly after this and the members went their separate ways. In 1995 John Perez of Solitude Aeternus decided to release both demo tapes on cd through his label Brainticket Records.Fast forward 15 years…In 2010 Johnny Hagel was contacted by Oliver Weinsheimer of the Hammer Of Doom festival in Germany and was offered a spot. Johnny and Anders decided to put a band together made up of friends for this one show more than 20 years later from the first demo release, so joining them onstage was Kristian Niemann on guitar (Therion, Demonoid), Ola Englund on guitar (Feared, The Haunted, Six Feet Under) and drummer Robert Iversen. The band played a set of classic tracks such as Born With Fear, Queen In Black, Northern Seas, and The Sorcerer among others. The show was a big success with the crowd singing along to every song! In 2011 John Perez re-released the demos again now re-mastered and featuring some songs that never had been released on cd before. The same year the band played another gig at the Up The Hammers festival in Athens, Greece. Another massive success, and the thoughts of putting together a new album started to take form.In 2012 guitarist Ola Englund left the band to join Six Feet Under and Peter Hallgren (Rob Rock, 220 Volt) was brought in to complete the lineup. Work on the new album progressed slowly but steadily and in the end it took over two years to write, arrange and record it but the result is nothing but pure, heavy epic doom metal. The process of putting all bits and pieces together and making it ready for mix and mastering was the work of drummer Robert Iversen, also a very fine recording engineer, who was acting as the spider in the recording web. The album was mastered by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Amon Amarth, Devin Townsend). After fielding offers from several labels the band signed with Metal Blade Records in 2014.Finally then, in March 2015 Sorcerer released the critically acclaimed ”In The Shadow Of The Inverted Cross”. Sorcerer played several festivals in support of the album; Sabaton Open Air and Rock Hard Festival among others, with the latter especially being a huge success for the band, selling out their entire merch supply even before finishing their set.2015 also saw the release of the EP ”Black” which consisted of 3 songs left over from the ”...Inverted Cross” sessions as well as an acoustic version of the track ”Prayers For A King”.In the end of 2015 the band started to write material for a follow-up album to ”In The Shadow Of The Inverted Cross”. Progress went pretty fast and 10 new tracks emerged out of many great embryos stored in the Royal Epic Doom chest. The songwriting carried on throughout 2016 and in early 2017 they went into the studio to record.During the recording the band and drummer Robert Iversen parted ways because of musical differences and Lars Sköld (Tiamat, Avatarium) filled the role as session drummer on the album. In the early summer of 2017 the album was ready to be mixed by the very talented Ronnie Björnström (Aeon, Cut Up, 220 Volt) who also turned the knobs on their last album. The mastering this time was expertly handled by Mr. Thomas ”Plec” Johansson Soilwork, Watain).Sorcerer are extremely happy with the outcome of their second album ”The Crowning Of The Fire King” and hope that their fans will embrace this one as they did the last. They will promote the album with live shows during 2017 and 2018 determined to put their mark on the doom metal scene. With top notch musicianship coupled with strong, powerful songs they are ready to deliver their Royal Epic Doom to the masses around the world for years to come.
Album:
For the most part, Sorcerer’s third full-length album follows a similar template as its predecessors. It is closest in spirit to 2017’s The Crowning of the Fire King, consisting mostly of dramatic epic doom numbers whose trudging lengths come out to the Swedes’ longest total runtime. However, Lamenting of the Innocent mixes things up enough to feel like a logical step forward rather than a retread.Considering how I’ve commented on Sorcerer’s uplifting approach to slow grandiosity on past albums, it’s interesting how this effort is their darkest yet. The change in rhythm section makes for more aggressive performances; bassist Justin Biggs stands out in particular as his supplementary snarls and cutting rumble give the riffs some extra muscle on songs like the title track and “Age of the Damned.” The predominately inquisition-themed lyrics and occasional backing choirs further maintain a darkly pastoral mood.A couple outlier tracks are also sprinkled in that put the album’s variety closer to that of 2015’s In The Shadow of the Inverted Cross. “The Hammer of Witches” is the most upbeat track of the lot, mixing a King Diamond-style trot with a pounding, gritty chorus. The power balladry of “Deliverance” also makes for a drastic change of pace, especially with the guest appearances by cellist Svante Hanryson and Candlemass vocalist Johan Langquist. Context aside, the latter’s performance here is oddly closer in spirit to the Epicus days than anything off The Door to Doom.The band’s signature elements remain at the core of the songwriting, though the newer elements alter their perception. While the songwriting still revolves around the twin guitar work and sweeping choruses, the layers sometimes carry a dissonant undercurrent that gives ominous feelings to the melodicism. Ander Engberg’s power metal wail is probably the most level force at hand, and the harsh vocals’ contrast makes them feel even stronger.Overall, Lamenting of the Innocent is more or less of the same quality as Sorcerer’s other albums but is also their most developed effort thus far. The more aggressive inflections give some extra oomph to the drawn-out compositions while the hooks get that extra hit of drama thanks to the darker tinges. They probably could’ve dropped one of the doom numbers in favor of another upbeat song or two, but that’s hardly a dealbreaker. There are a couple adjustments that could be made, but Sorcerer is still making the most of their second wind.
Line Up:
Johnny Hagel - Bass (1988-1992, 2010-present) - See also: Order of Isaz, ex-Tiamat, ex-Lithium, ex-Sundown (Swe)
Anders Engberg - Vocals (1989-1992, 2010-present) - See also: ex-Dreams Fall, ex-Twilight, ex-220 Volt, ex-Book of Reflections, ex-Lion's Share, ex-Section A, ex-Therion (live), ex-Tony Martin (live)
Richard Evensand - Drums (1991-1992, 2017-present) - See also: Demonoid, Reignsaw, ex-Dog Faced Gods, ex-Ebony Tears, ex-Southpaw, Toehider, ex-Sectu, ex-Therion, ex-Black Majesty (live), ex-Soilwork (live), ex-Chimaira
Kristian Niemann - Guitars (2010-present) - See also: Demonoid, ex-Therion, ex-Snowy Shaw (live)
Peter Hallgren - Guitars (2012-present) - See also: ex-Eclipse, ex-220 Volt (live)
Justin Biggs - Bass (2019-present) - See also: Autumn's Mourning, Hyperion (live), Therion (live), ex-Dying Daylight, ex-Descend, ex-Sarasvati, ex-Revolution Renaissance
Tracklist:
01. Persecution (intro)
02. The Hammer of Witches
03. Lamenting of the Innocent
04. Institoris
05. Where Spirits Die
06. Deliverance
07. Age of the Damned
08. Condemned
09. Dance with the Devil
10. Path To Perdition
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