OPETH — Sorceress (review)

Album · 2016 · Progressive Metal

4.5/5 · 2016-12-09
adg211288

Ever since making the decision to embrace a more progressive rock based sound full-time, the Swedish one time extreme progressive metal act Opeth has certainly been dividing opinions. Quite right to, as their output since Heritage (2011) has been quite far removed from what many deem to be the classic Opeth sound. For this reviewer's part I did like Heritage but it hasn't stood the test of time as well as I'd expected and though I do appreciate it in its own way, I've never been too fond of the following Pale Communion (2014), which I found to be much more stripped down on influences, making it the least interesting Opeth album. Sorceress (2016) is the band's twelfth album and up to its release it was anyone's guess as to what Opeth would be doing this time.

I'll say it right off the bat, those hoping for Opeth to return to the sound of albums like Ghost Reveries (2005) and Blackwater Park (2001) are going to be left disappointed once again. Opeth in 2016 is still first and foremost a progressive rock band. However they have brought some metal back on Sorceress, as well as a whole load more influences including psychedelic rock and folk rock, which immediately makes it come across as a much more varied album than Pale Communion, with a lot more changes between heavy and light sounds. An early highlight comes in the form of the Sorceress title track, which blends heavy psych with metal riffs to create something that could even be called a kind of doom or perhaps stoner metal. The following The Wilde Flowers is an even more varied track collecting multiple influences into one coherent piece, including a quite fast metal section to close. You won't catch Mikael Åkerfeldt dipping into Opeth's death metal roots at any point (and perhaps those days are behind the band forever), but Sorceress is best shot the metalheads will have at getting into a modern Opeth album. There are softer tracks like Will O The Wisp included here, but it's altogether a much more rocky release.

I'd say that since Opeth stopped being a full on metal band that Sorceress is their best release. Like Heritage it chops and changes its style a fair bit, but it sounds like its done much more smoothly this time. Everything feels more natural. That it has more influences to its progressive rock sound makes it a lot more interesting than Pale Communion was, but it's how well its done that makes it such a quality release. The metalhead in me obviously feels inclined to say that the metal and hard rocking moments are when its at its best, but the band is doing the softer stuff really well too. It's a release that's all about the balance between all the styles, and Opeth have done this one right. I think that for the first time I can really say I'm on board with the direction these guys are going in now. A pleasant surprise.

more than 2 years ago
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bartosso wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Hey Adam, I'm back and I'm glad you're still here :)

Yes, I mean, what I'm always trying to emphasize is that for me it's NOT about Opeth not being metal anymore. To me it's about Opeth being unable to reinvent themselves within the confines of the retro prog sound. It all seems a bit forced, uninspired and derivative, compared to, say, GR. Still, I can see why people who are very fond of the retro prog sound, enjoy those latest albums.

Sorry for spamming with long posts here but I will probably never get around to reviewing this album, so here are my two cents.

Unitron wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Good review, I think it's a solid album. Better than the last one, but not as good as Heritage imo.

666sharon666 wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I've had the same opinion of all three albums since they went full prog rock: good but not great. I do like this slightly more than Pale Communion though.

adg211288 wrote:

more than 2 years ago

To be honest after my first listen to this I didn't think I was going to rate at more than 3.5 at most and I didn't bother to go back to it for ages, but it suddenly clicked after spending a bit of time with it to do this review.

adg211288 wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Hey bartosso, long time no see around here mate.

All I can say about your comment and the others before it is: this is exactly why I started my review by saying the band have been dividing opinions.

bartosso wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Which doesn't mean I didn't like your review. For a big classic prog fan, this is probably worth a try.

bartosso wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I can't help but feel bitter about how the things have turned out for Opeth. After the graceless Watershed, promising but slightly misguided Heritage and predominantly boring Pale Communion (save for "River" what a track!), I didn't even bother to get this one. Judging by the samples I've heard, it was the right thing to do.

UMUR wrote:

more than 2 years ago

To my ears it´s nothing special. It´s solid progressive rock with the occasional harder rocking moment, but I´m mostly a Little bored with the Whole thing, Out of the last three, the only album which made my blood boil a Little is Pale Communion, because I think Opeth got back to what they are good at with that album, which is creating beatiful melancholic melodies and arrangements. As soon as they go 70s hard rock and Hammond organ, they lose me. It´s too generic to my ears.

siLLy puPPy wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I've been loving this one as well. I don't think it's better than Pale Communion which i think is equally excellent, just different. I have to say that it's these later prog albums that got me into Opeth. The earlier ones never clicked with me and now i'm making up for lost time :)

Nightfly wrote:

more than 2 years ago

My love of prog as well as metal makes this an easy album for me to love and i agree, best of the last 3, though I do prefer Pale Communion to Heritage. It's my favourite album of 2017 in fact.