Sorcerer's 'Reign of the Reaper' - Album Review

I have been to quite a few festivals over the years and with each one I attend I come away having discovered at least one new band. They are always a great way to find out about new bands and to sample music which you would not otherwise listen to - as well as to see bands who otherwise might not have the pull to play in the UK on their own. The latter point likely applied at the time to the Swedish doom band Sorcerer - who made their UK debut at the 2022 iteration of Bloodstock Open Air. I saw lots of great bands at last year's Bloodstock, but perhaps my main overall discovery was Sorcerer. I had earmarked them to check out and had sampled a couple of their songs in advance of the festival, but their set on the Friday afternoon was my first genuine exposure to the five-piece. I was somewhat aware of the band's history, which involved an early incarnation releasing two demos in the late 1980s and early 1990s before breaking up without releasing anything officially, which also intrigued me. Their story reminded me a little of that of the now seemingly-defunct British band Hell, although without the tragedy behind Hell's original split, and it is always good to see a band finally making a go of it - especially as I understand that the band's early demos were somewhat revered in the underground at the time. 2015 finally saw the release of the band's debut album, then, with In the Shadow of the Inverted Cross launching Sorcerer proper after many years. Two further albums, 2017's Crowning of the Fire King and 2020's Lamenting of the Innocent, were released prior to the Bloodstock appearance which I enjoyed so much - and they further cemented the band's powerful, yet melodic, sound. I have been exploring doom somewhat in recent years and Sorcerer play a brand of doom which I really like. They are clearly from the same school of thought as their countrymen Candlemass - and there are certainly sound comparisons which can be drawn between the two bands. What sets Sorcerer apart for me, though, is that they seem to have a huge love for the Tony Martin era of Black Sabbath - and even covered When Death Calls on covers EP recorded during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Frontman Anders Engberg, who is the band's only 1980s-era member left at this point, sounds quite a lot like Martin at times - but the music is doomier than 1980s Black Sabbath. All of this is evident when listening to their newly-released fourth album Reign of the Reaper - which dropped last month. It is very typical of the band's work up to this point, but the album is a little shorter than their previous efforts - which gives it a bit more of a digestible and svelte feeling. Whilst Engberg may be the only classic-era member left in the band, fellow old boy Richard Evensand played drums on the album before leaving a few months ago - and founding bassist Johnny Hagel still contributes to the songwriting despite having essentially retired a few years ago. It is the band's second album with the line-up of Engberg, Evensand, guitarists Kristian Niemann and Peter Hallgren, and bassist Justin Biggs, then, although Evensand has since been replaced by Stefan Norgren (Eternal Oath; Faceshift; Seventh Wonder) - who featured in the band's recent videos.

For me, the album kicks off with one of its strongest cuts - the epic Morning Star. Evensand's marching drums open things up, with a heroic guitar lead, which sounds more power metal in nature, setting the tone for what is to come throughout much of this album. This is not monotonous doom, but instead a powerful and melodic sound which includes plenty of heaviness and atmosphere to create something suitably old-school. This song is not even all that slow, with Evensand's mid-paced double bass drumming driving another riff-led instrumental break as the first verse is approached - which then sees the song becoming a crunchier affair with Engberg's excellent vocals soaring above a punchy groove. This mix of heaviness and melody is a big part of what makes Sorcerer so enjoyable in my opinion; and this is a track that shifts in tone somewhat throughout - with the verses speeding up slowly as they move along, before the chorus slows the pace and goes for a much more typical doom approach. The chorus is more slab-like, but with chiming guitar melodies adding depth and Engberg's expressive and drawn out vocal melodies. There is a lot of excellent lead guitar playing throughout the song and the opening melody resurfaces a couple of times - before an up-tempo solo section sees both guitarists taking turns to shred, which culminates in some lightning-fast neo-classical runs. Biggs adds some harsh vocals to a slower closing section, which introduces a brief death/doom element to the band's generally more melodic sound - whilst choral vocals bring the track to an epic close. The title track follows and generally slows the pace down somewhat to go for a more traditional doom approach. There is a lot more atmosphere on show here and the piece is less overtly epic than the opening cut - with slow, murky riffing dominating early on, before Engberg starts to sing and the keyboards, from producer Conny Welén, take on more of a prominent role. Those Martin-era Black Sabbath comparisons are very apt here, and the verses could have sat on one of those late 1980s albums with ease - with the slow riffing having sufficient bite and the keyboards adding plenty of depth. The chorus is more melodic, but the overall vibe is retained. A smouldering guitar lead backs Engberg's vocals during the chorus and his vocal melodies sink into the brain after only a couple of listens despite the slower pace. Gothic choirs and demonic spoken word later fill a piano-backed bridge section, whilst the pace is then upped somewhat for another blistering solo section which adds some urgency to the creeping track. The harsh vocals teased in the previous song take on a more prominent role following the solo, too, but it is left to a reprise of the melodic chorus to see the song out.

Thy Kingdom Will Come ups the pace again and the song has a bit more of an urgency to it - with more of a hard-driving approach than either of the two previous cuts. The song has quite a bit of a NWOBHM influence on display at times, particularly during the verses which are no-nonsense heavy metal affairs that speed off with simple guitar patterns and some busy Evensand drumming. Being somewhat less involved than many of the other songs here is no bad thing, though, and it is great to hear the band just rocking out and paying tribute to some of their influences with an old-school arrangement. The epic chorus is very typical of the rest of the album, though, and it returns to something more doom-inspired thanks to the clean guitar depth and Engberg's heroic vocals. Three songs in and the album has already demonstrated quite a lot of variety, but Eternal Sleep shows a little more from the off with some mournful acoustic guitar notes over which Engberg soon starts to sing in a more restrained and emotional way than is typical. The song is not an acoustic-based, one, though, as after this intro it soon morphs into another quite traditional doom number - harking back to the band's older albums somewhat. The previous three songs have tended to focus on big choruses and a more melodic approach, but this song is less catchy in that sense - and instead seems to be going for a more atmospheric approach overall. The chorus feels less anthemic here and the guitar playing is a lot more restrained - letting the heavy chords hang and generally employing less of a lead-based approach. I tend to prefer it when the band go for a more melodic approach overall, which they seem to have refined further on this album, but there is still a lot to like about the more lumbering numbers such as this. Engberg's voice has plenty of space to breathe, particularly during the acoustic sections which resurface occasionally, whilst the overall atmosphere which the song creates is perfect for fans of epic doom. A shredded solo does see the pace upped somewhat, though, but this is a rarity in the context of the piece. Curse of Medusa returns to the more hard-driving sound of the early parts of the album, with Evensand's drumming leading the charge from the off - although there is also a strong atmospheric side to the piece, with Eastern-tinged strings providing the initial melodic hooks in place of traditional guitar leads. This approach works well, though, and it gives the song a bit of a symphonic feel. There are lots of keyboards and strings throughout the album, as is typical of many doom releases, but this song really dials up the grandeur - and this works well in the context of the dynamic song which shifts back and forth between faster verses and the slower chorus, which is another memorable one vocal-wise. The guitar soloing even feels a bit more epic, too. The phrases are still pretty fast, but the solos feel more lyrical than some of the more explosive moments found elsewhere - and this fits in with the majestic sound that the strings and Engberg's excellent vocals conjure up throughout.

Unveiling Blasphemy is another slower song, but it is one that does not let up when it comes to heaviness. There are no acoustic breaks or ballad-esque moments here, with the song instead being a full on doom track which is packed with ringing riffs, hard-hitting drumming, and a vocal performance which sees Engberg sounding a bit grittier than usual. He still soars as usual during the chorus, which feels a bit more expansive and atmospheric, but the verses feel heavier overall - which help the song to stand out. Again, though, this is a song that feels more of a hark back to the band's previous albums. There has definitely been more of a focus placed on big melodies on this album, but plenty of the band's core sound remains - and Unveiling Blasphemy is full of it, with another shredded solo adding some chaotic energy to what is otherwise a precise and teutonic riff-filled piece. The album's penultimate song, The Underworld, is also its shortest. As such, it is unsurprising that it is more of a ripper overall - with a much faster pace, plenty of double bass drumming, and a shredded intro guitar lead which nicely sets the tone for the next four or so minutes. There is less of an atmospheric approach taken here and there are plenty of traditional heavy metal tropes on display instead. The verses gallop along in a manner which distantly recalls Iron Maiden, whilst the band's guitarists take every opportunity to throw in a knotty lead - with plenty of extended guitar moments and short interludes. It is another song which feels less involved than some of the other pieces here, but as a moment of faster metal energy before the album comes to a close with something more typical I think The Underworld works well. The chorus is another pretty soaring moment, with Engberg delivering some more melodic vocal hooks, whilst the guitar solo section is filled with the excellent shredding which was teased throughout the song up to that point with the many lead breaks. The album then comes to a close with Break of Dawn, a much more typical doom song which slows the pace down again and goes for a more atmospheric sound. The keyboards take on a prominent role again here and they actually give the song a smoothness which helps it to stand out. There is plenty of big riffing here, but it does feel a little different to some of the other more overt doom pieces here despite there also being plenty of similarities. Whilst not a ballad, it has some ballad-esque vibes at times as it is not as in-your-face as some of the other pieces here. Engberg's voice again has a bit more room in the mix here and the presence of the keyboards does make the song sound big - but the arrangement is a bit more restrained and mournful overall, which is fitting given that it closes out the album. A short, acoustic-led section reinforces this vibe - and the guitar solo is more of a slow-burner overall, too. The song later closes out on some acoustic guitar melodies, too, which again is fitting - and the smoother doom piece ends the album on a high note with its somewhat more atmospheric approach. Whilst I am still fairly new to Sorcerer, as I have not fully digested all of their previous albums, I can say that, as things stand, Reign of the Reaper is my favourite thing that they have released so far. The greater emphasis placed on big melodies and the excellent approach to lead guitar is what makes the album stand out for me - and the slew of memorable choruses here make the album lodge in the brain after only a couple of listens. It is much more instantaneous than anything they have done before - and it is a great example of the epic doom sound that I really like.

The album was released on 27th October 2023 via Metal Blade Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Morning Star.