Review: Opeth – Sorceress (Released: 30th Sept 2016)
The Progmeister (on behalf of Midlands Metalheads Radio)
Ok guys, let’s get it straight, the Opeth you know and love from the past has come and gone !! I must admit I didn’t follow the band back in their former years when they embraced their “growlier”, darker and heavier side, having been a Prog-Freak since the early 70s their new direction holds a great deal of appeal.
I am led to believe that when “Heritage” came out in 2011, a number of hardcore fans were pissed off as they didn’t agree with the band’s very obvious musical shift, but one man’s loss is another’s gain and one only has to check out the chart positions (in the Top 10 of at least a dozen countries !!) of this, their latest album to know that it would seem it has been a change for the better and whether you agree with the “new” Opeth, you have to admire their bravery in taking such a bold step in a new direction. I suppose you could say they have gone with their gut feelings and embraced another facet of their musical legacy…
So, let’s take a look at the new album…
Rather than a track-by-track blow-by-blow. I’ll start by picking out some of the stand-out tracks and then give an overall view of this, their 12th studio album.
Kicking off with “Persephone” (1’52) one of the shorter tracks on the album. Consisting of a nice acoustic guitar/mellotron flute combo topped off with an ethereal female vocal, it sounds like a lost coda from “Tubular Bells”, the calm before the storm I suppose.
I am fully aware of Mikael Åkerfeldt’s influences and in many ways, I do wonder if, at times, the band play homage to their musical heroes on this album ??
“Chrysalis” – Opeth meets Camel !! Kicks off with some real kick-ass guitar work and a driving vocal/keyboard interplay. Amazing organ work that even Peter Bardens would be proud of topped off with glorious vocal harmonies, a mid-section guitar/organ freak out and solid rhythm section that settles down to bring the track to a nice laid-back close. This is a lost “Camel” gem which, along with “Era” represent Andy Latimer and Camel at their peak… A fine tribute.
“Will O’ The Wisp” – Mikael takes lead vocal on this track, but take him out of the equation and bring in Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull and you’d think you were listening to a track from “Songs From The Wood” !! Opeth indulge their folk background here and in fact it’s quite evident throughout as “Sorceress 2” (3’49) is once again a shorter track that uses a great deal of acoustic guitar/mellotron flute with laid back vocal.
Moving on – “The Seventh Sojourn” – along with middle eastern-style acoustic and sitar topped with tablas and Led Zepp’s “Kashmir” mellotron before fading out to an ethereal piano/acoustic guitar and vocal motif.
The longest track on the album is “Strange Brew” (8’44) – probably the most “interesting” track on the album as it goes thru’ a number of changes. Not quite a prog-epic, but so much going on. It starts out all laid back and wistful, then at just over 2 mins an organ arpeggio breaks the mood entirely. Maybe the title gives it away as the feel of this track harkens back to the 60s/70s in many ways with reverberated vocals and piano interspersed with manic moments of screaming guitar/mellotron choir before returning to a nice mellow mid-section that builds you up and brings you back to Earth, nice subtle changes in mood and tempo before finishing how it began, you never know where it’s going !!
Overall, the band should be immensely proud of this album. Over the last three albums they have matured, evolved and progressed (excuse the pun) to totally exorcise their dark past with an album of so many lighter moments you will find this a therapeutic audio balm rather than an assault on the senses (and eardrums) !! That’s not to say it has it’s rockier/heavier moments. There’s a nice mix of Heavy and Haunting – nice one guys, you deserve all the success you receive from your current fan-base and the music press/media – the chart stats speak for themselves !!
A very worthy 8 out of 10………………..
