OPETH – “Sorceress”
Five Swedish people are under the spell of a witch: OPETH’s 12th album “Sorceress” is prog music from the 70s. The named sorceress made time travelling possible and the retro sound alive. OPETH started as Black Metal band, became Death Metal and going on to Prog-Rock. This mix makes the band to one of most popular deputies in the progressive genre. They are somehow a Russian Roulette: You can never be sure what you get.
Although mastermind Mikael Åkerfeldt goes the way straight ahead, which they once decided to go,
“Sorceress” is not as soft as the further album “Heritage”.
Songs like ‘Chrysalis’ and ‘The Wilde Flowers’ are tight and dominated by drums and a heavier sound. ‘The Seventh Sojourn’ takes you to a journey to an oriental world, discover deserts and oasis. The title track ‘Sorceress’ is mysterious and creepy. The song length is not as long as it was the two albums before, OPETH tried to keep the essence and concentrate to substance. This album is a difficult album anyway. It is unusual to listen to, if you prefer songs which are catchy and easy to sing along. The strength of “Sorceress” is the divinity of styles, instruments, rhythm. Just everything. If you lay down, close your eyes and engage in the music you will have
an exciting journey to the musician spheres.
The influences of the music are as manifold as the album itself: “My music taste got a little wider,” says Mikael Åkerfeldt. “I started listening to jazz. I bought a lot of Coltrane records. I never really thought Coltrane would be for me because I like ‘dinner jazz.’ I like comfortable, soft, nice, and lovely jazz. Like Miles Davis’ ‘50s stuff. Porgy and Bess, for example. Prog, symphonic rock, singer/songwriter, metal, hard rock… But there wasn’t anything that set me off like THE ZOMBIES or SCOTT WALKER. Nothing got me going this time.”
Friends of DEEP PURPLE and KING CRIMSON will have lots of fun with this album!
All in all is “Scorceress” a very filigree, frisky album, which is in love with a lot of fine details.
OPETH – “Sorceress” Tracklist:
01. Persephone
02. Sorceress
03. The Wilde Flowers
04. Will O the Wisp
05. Chrysalis
06. Sorceress 2
07. The Seventh Sojourn
08. Strange Brew
09. A Fleeting Glance
10. Era
11. Persephone (Slight Return)
So what do you think of OPETH’s new style? Prefer the old or the new stuff? Leave us a comment!