Opeth - Sorceress review
| Band: | Opeth |
| Album: | Sorceress |
| Style: | Progressive rock |
| Release date: | September 30, 2016 |
| A review by: | Daniell |
Disc I
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)
Disc II [limited edition bonus disc]
01. The Ward
02. Spring MCMLXXIV
03. Cusp Of Eternity [live]
04. The Drapery Falls [live]
05. Voice Of Treason [live]
When a trailblazing monster of a cult act turns into a '70s prog tribute band, there's surely going to be some backlash. Opeth have been getting loads of backlash (deserved and not) since 2011's Heritage. I have no doubt that Sorceress will be met by many with at least the same amount of hostility. Whether or not it's justified is a different story; let's see how different they are.
Variety has always been Opeth's main strength, so it's no surprise that nuanced and sometimes surprising songwriting is still present. There is so much going on within some songs that it's easy to lose track of which song is playing if your thoughts trail off for a minute. The band still can, most of the time, coalesce numerous contrasting passages into a cohesive composition ("Strange Brew", "The Wilde Flowers"). This applies to most of the long songs here, but not all of them are so masterfully crafted. The annoying beginning of "Sorceress" and the meandering ending of "The Seventh Sojourn" are the best examples of questionable composing choices.
I can't shake off the feeling that Opeth have lost some of their knack for finesse and dainty songwriting that shines so brightly on Pale Communion in songs like "Voice Of Treason" or "Faith In Others", to name a few. No song on Sorceress, however good, comes close to the adroit brilliance of the best songs from the previous release. Speaking of great songs, "Chrysalis" is a sure shot for all fans of old Opeth. Style- and mood-wise, it could easily fit on their older albums. Minus the growls, of course.
The number of progressive influences that can be heard on the album is overwhelming. Even somebody who has only fleetingly glanced at the prog scene of the 1970s will hear that the sorceress has concocted a strange brew made of numerous ingredients from that era. All those influences stick out, like all song titles that I ungracefully crammed into that last sentence.
This review would be incomplete without a word about the production. I have no idea how Opeth could let this out in the world. The sound of the bass guitar, or whatever it is that sounds so thundering, overshadows all other instruments and vocals. Everything else sounds muffled in comparison. The sorceress conjured up 56 minutes of aural suckage.
As much as I love Pale Communion and like Sorceress, I can't understand why Opeth chose to shed their unique style and don the apparel of a copycat. They are still a bunch of amazingly talented musicians, but now, instead of making their own music, they rehash ideas that are 40 years old. If for you Opeth ended on Watershed, you can give this album a miss. Just listen to "Chrysalis". Everyone else - you might be pleased, but I'm not sure you will be amazed.
 | Written on 03.10.2016 by Writes overly honest and totally subjective reviews when fancy strikes him. Which is not often. Which is probably good, all things considered. |
Comments
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Comments: 39
Visited by: 676 users
| qnick90 Posts: 101  |
Yeah that pretty much sums up my feelings about this album - Big fan of their "Progdeathwhateveritis" style, but not so angry about lack of growls as some people. Heritage was dissapointment beacuse of its inncosistense-failed experiment feeling, while after listening to Palce Communion I was like "Wow, ok, now I get it - they never be like they used to be, but nevertheless it is top quality music." But with Sorceress... It is meh prog rock taken/stolen from 70s and various musicians from that era made it much better... and the horrible production. Take the benighted song for comparision - Mikael stole the first riff from the Camel, yet he managed to alter/compose/improve - whatever the main idea in the way it ended up in pure awesomness.... it just did not felt like he thought "yeah, nobody remembers old progrock these days, so I dont have to try to change it and hipsters would still love it" It just lacks this "something" he was able to do to recreate the old ideas (metal or non metal) into so awesome mix of styles
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| BlankFile Posts: 705 |
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| Devil Eyes Posts: 17  |
I've tried and tried to get into the new prog-rock version of Opeth but I just can't do it. To me, it sounds mediocre, watered-down, and like you said, just copies what was done 40 something years ago. It's sad that they have made this decision to change direction like this, but what can we say about it? They gotta do what they want to do, if they don't want to make metal anymore then so be it, but I for one will not be giving a damn when their next album is announced. In my eyes, they broke up after Watershed, and I'll just have to live with it.
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| Auntie Sahar Drone Empress Posts: 5989  |
Written by BlankFile on 03.10.2016 at 16:26 I'd be tempted to say Part IV actually, don't forget Damnation. But while that album was actually quite good, the other three have really fallen flat. Not quite sure what they did there that they aren't really doing anymore
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| Darth Satanious Post Destroyer Posts: 2157  |
I liked several songs from this album but it isn't like I am crazy over them either.
---- Christless
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| cobrapel Concept One Posts: 197  |
A great progressive metal band, but an average progressive rock gang
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| Cynic Metalhead Ambrish Saxena Posts: 7560  |
Written by cobrapel on 03.10.2016 at 18:23 Neither. Sorceress is nothing but a flying kiss tribute to 70's prog rock which i don't think had require too much efforts while recording. A terrible prog metal band, but a cut-above average prog rock group.
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| Mechaniacal Posts: 107  |
I loved Wilde Flowers and Strange Brew, but after a few listens, it's an alright album.
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| !J.O.O.E.! Account deleted |
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| 3rdWorld China was a neat Posts: 4367  |
The end of Wilde Flowers shows how desperate they try to sound heavy without going into growls and distorted guitars. Average stuff and a definite down step from PC.
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| onedh Posts: 11 |
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| Jaeryd Nihil's Maw Posts: 1062  |
I found Heritage interesting because it was a new direction, at least for them, and while it was a bit plodding and dull at times, it was overall quite a weird and organic album which made it somewhat fun to listen to occasionally. Pale Communion seemed a little more straight-forward by comparison, and though the songwriting on some tracks was better than Heritage's material, I've realized that over time that their second effort with this new sound hasn't held my interest. I've only listened to a little bit of this album, but it seems to me like they're just going further in the direction of becoming a copycat 70's prog band rather than making the 70's prog sound their own unique thing. Steven Wilson may have done the same with Raven, but I think he did a better job of pulling it off then Opeth has. I'll give the whole thing a listen sometime soon, but at this point I'm not sure I'm going to ever own a copy of this one.
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| Tuonelan Posts: 168  |
8.2 on Prog Archive, where few people are commenting that it's a mere imitation of the bands that they love. I don't think that the band has lost their identity or their focus in the composition so much as they have drifted further from what marked them as a metal band and are exploring new ground that doesn't showcase the sort of composition that is typical of progressive metal as much as it is of some other branches of prog. I think a 7.7 is a fair rating of it as a prog rock/metal album , though I'd personally rate it higher than that as an album if I'm setting aside my love for the metal they wrote and letting it exist on its own.
---- For ages we have wandered Under the wings of deception Too long have we been waiting For the long winter to end
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| wildchild Warchild Posts: 4650  |
Just listening to Blackwater park here. The music. And thinking why they are doing these to themselves. Maybe the parallel projects are draining their creative rage. haha don't know. This new album did not get me yet.
---- warchildpost.blogspot.com
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| BlankFile Posts: 705 |
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| Introspekrieg Totemic Lust Elite Posts: 2749  |
Quote: Bravo. It is a tragedy that "The Ward" was not included on the non-deluxe album, such a beautiful song.
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| satthia Posts: 25 |
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| BlankFile Posts: 705 |
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| Bad English Tage Westerlund Posts: 62004  |
Strange Brew - better they should make a cover version from the Cream
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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| RyanZaneX Posts: 4  |
 :banger: great album great cover fuck off haters go and listen tech death metal stop bothering opeth fucking losers
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| RyanZaneX Posts: 4 |
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| Crème fraiche Posts: 703  |
Written by Bad English on 04.10.2016 at 20:04 I thought this was a standout track to be honest. A highlight for me! Saw them live a week ago in Pittsburgh and they still killed it live. Played a good mix of old and new as well. If you don't like the new direction i wholeheartedly understand. Im not blown away by any means, but there are some good tunes here for sure.
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| ronster Posts: 2 |
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| BloodTears ANA-thema Elite Posts: 11835  |
Excellent review. This one on par with the last two albums and not really my cup of tea, honestly. It's probably inferior to both those albums too. I remember some stand out tracks but not much else. I don't think I'll go back to it many times. Opeth, you do your thing but I'd rather listen to other stuff  (And before you ask, it has nothing to do with growls whatsoever).
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| Daniell _爱情_ Elite Posts: 6100  |
Written by BloodTears on 05.10.2016 at 13:03 I think it's much better than Heritage, which was disjointed, messy and chaotic. I'd say: Heritage: 6.0 Pale Communion: 8.8 Sorceress: 7.7
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| BloodTears ANA-thema Elite Posts: 11835 |
Written by Daniell on 05.10.2016 at 15:23 I don't know. I was one of the few people who actually kinda liked Heritage. I like Heritage more than Sorceress. Pale Communion is obviously the best out of the three but I liked many songs on Heritage unlike this new one. It was more of a transition album but I think it worked better than this.
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| Nimlot A. Reader Posts: 470  |
Written by qnick90 on 03.10.2016 at 11:28 Written by Cynic Metalhead on 03.10.2016 at 19:08 Written by Jaeryd on 03.10.2016 at 23:37 Quote: I honestly don't feel like I have even a basic familiarity with 70's prog rock (I like Genesis and Gentle Giant), so I can't hear the brazen copying of old prog bands that seems to be a major criticism here (this doesn't sound like either Genesis or Gentle Giant). I can absolutely hear some Ghost in The Wilde Flowers, but Ghost aren't a 70's prog outfit. I'd be mighty grateful if someone could point me to some of newOpeth's specific source material.
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| Jaeryd Nihil's Maw Posts: 1062 |
Written by RyanZaneX on 04.10.2016 at 22:49 This is precisely why so many people find Opeth fanboys to be insufferable wieners. Replace fedoras with Opeth and this is exactly what you sound like.
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| Introspekrieg Totemic Lust Elite Posts: 2749 |
Written by Nimlot on 05.10.2016 at 19:30 It's just an easy criticism for hypocrites who still worship bands that are still doing the same in other genres (I'm looking at you Thrash). They used to be themselves, "Opeth" with sprinklings of classic prog rock influence, now they are just fully involved in the influence side of things and worshiping the music they like versus making their own unique blend. If you listen to Camel (as pointed out earlier in the thread), you will notice some very distinct similarities, but that has been going on since the early albums. It's the absence of their old dynamics that has people pissed, no more growls to counterbalance the beautiful melodies. It just feels empty, although it is still good musically. I love many songs on this album, but as a whole I find a few faults. I honestly thought a few songs had a very direct Moody Blues influence. Hell, they had an album called Seventh Sojourn (although I thought that track was a lesser interesting version of Closure from Damnation.) The frantic guitar chords of "The Ward" definitely harken back to the Moody Blue's Question. You could find countless other examples of using these influences in similar ways, it's only misdirected anger because everyone just seems to miss the old Opeth that combined influence into a sound of their own.
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| Jaeryd Nihil's Maw Posts: 1062 |
Written by Introspekrieg on 06.10.2016 at 01:49 That's precisely my complaint. It's not that the current music is necessarily bad, it's just that they lost everything that made them unique by going down this road, and by continuing on it without adding enough of their own twist to make the sound fully their own.
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