Sorcerer – Reign of the Reaper
Origin: Sweden
Release: 27.10.2023
Label: Metalblade Records
Duration: 47:10
Genre: Epic Doom Metal
Photo Credit: Marieke Verschuren
“I am a millennial. My whole personality is based on Harry Potter!” – This sentence from the browser cabaret refers to different magicians than the following review, but just as a book is more than printed words, epic doom metal is more than just music for its fans.
This genre is also full of bands that are well-respected in the doom universe but aren’t well-known outside of it. Sorcerer from Sweden are one of these combos, so their fourth studio album Reign of the Reaper will be met with open ears, especially by those in the know. But: Isn’t this cultivated and extremely heavy slowness perhaps also interesting for other target groups?
Back to the front
The album contains eight tracks in the band’s typical style. That means: Sorcerer They don’t set any speed records, but they do occasionally create faster passages, focusing on the more melodic sides of their genre. The band achieves this primarily by infusing their sound with references to the classic heavy metal of bygone times.
The opener Morning Star is a good example of how you HERE can hear. The following title track is much more doomy, with the interplay between slowness and reasonably fast passages running through the entire album. That Sorcerer Having a feeling for epic melodies that you would otherwise know from the less leisurely Power Metal corner should be well known.
Serious fantasy
With Curse of Medusa The Swedish magicians then put a little surprise on the album, because this song seems like a hybrid Candlemass and the Warkings. So it’s a big head-wind. The final one Break of Dawn then everything opens again Sorcerer has always been important.
In short, these would be expansive melodies, pounding rhythms and the emotionally epic vocals Anders Engberg, from whom you buy the texts, which are mostly set in the fantasy universe, at every second. Not easy at all with this topic, chapeau!
After around 47 minutes, the listener is released back into the real world with a feeling of epicness. Overall is Reign of the Reaper another high-class record from the Swedes, which is not only exciting for Doom fans, but also for all other genres of Homo Metallicus. Let’s hope that this is finally better recognized, because the band undoubtedly deserves more attention.
Conclusion
Sorcerer hit us Reign of the Reaper Another heavy, but still melodic album that will also appeal to people who find Doom simply too slow. Because the Swedes not only celebrate the slowness, but also the epic character of classic heavy metal. 8 / 10
Line Up
Anders Engberg – Song
Kristian Niemann – guitar, backing vocals
Peter Hallgren – guitar, backing vocals
Justin Biggs – Bass, Growls
Richard Evensand – drums
Tracklist
01. Morning Star
02. Reign Of The Reaper
03. Thy Kingdom Will Come
04. Eternal Sleep
05. Curse Of Medusa
06. Unveiling Blasphemy
07. The Underworld
08. Break Of Dawn
Links
Facebook Sorcerers
Sorcerer website
Also on Soundmagnet.eu
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Interview – Asked at Harvest
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