Epic doom and classic metal resound throughout Sorcerer‘s much-awaited debut LP, In the Shadow of the Black Cross, which is out March 24 on Metal Blade Records. The band are something of a myth in doom, having released two demos in 1989 and 1992 — both later compiled and release by John Perez of Solitude Aeturnus‘ imprint, Brainticket Records — before breaking up and sending its members on to other acts like Therion, Tiamat, 220 Volt, Soilwork and so on. Under the guidance of founding bassist Johnny Hagel and vocalist Anders Engberg, who are joined by guitarists Kristian Niemann and Peter Hallgren and drummer Robert Iverson, Sorcerer made a return in 2010 and have been constructing In the Shadow of the Inverted Cross ever since, with Iverson in the role of engineer.

It wasn’t an especially quick process, but the precision with which Sorcerer execute the record’s eight tracks justifies the extra care. Songs like the eight-minute “Lake of Lost Souls” unfold with latter-day Iommi-style metallic grace, the album’s first three tracks — “The Dark Tower of the Sorcerer,” “Sumerian Script” and “Lake of the Lost Souls” — forming a triumvirate of classic doom that, because they hail from Stockholm, one might be tempted to relate to Candlemass. In the context of the album as a whole, however, Grand Magus seems a more appropriate fit, since neither are Sorcerer shy about establishing a metallic foundation for cuts like “Exorcise the Demon” or “The Gates of Hell,” stepping forward in tempo and aggression while remaining in full command of their sound to the point of seeming to nod at Enslaved‘s “Fusion of Sense and Earth” with the central riff of In the Shadow of the Inverted Cross‘ title-track.

Wherever they might be headed at any given moment on their quarter-century-later debut, though, the material is drawn together by a sense of grand mystery and gracefulness, so that the synth-underscored verses of “Prayers for a King” or the final, solo-topped apex of “Pagans Dance” and quiet epilogue that follows fit seamlessly with the rest of the album’s shifts, including those of “The Gates of Hell” preceding, the shortest and perhaps most metallic cut on In the Shadow of the Inverted Cross. With it, the five-piece dip for four and a half minutes into near-power metal stylizations, blurring a usually distinct genre line effectively as they dig crisply into what winds up being a singularly infectious hook, peppered with guitar leads, chanting and more fist-pump-worthy riffing than your wrist can handle.

I’m pleased to be able to host the premiere of “The Gates of Hell” ahead of the album’s March 24 release. Please find it on the player below, followed by some more bio background on the band/record from Metal Blade, and enjoy:

SORCERER was formed in Stockholm, Sweden in 1988 but disbanded after two demos in 1992. Both demos are considered true Doom Metal classics and have been released on CD in 1995. In 2010 the band came back together to play the Hammer of Doom festival in Germany and a year later the Up The Hammers festival in Athens, Greece. Both shows were received extremely well and the thoughts of putting together a new album started to take form. In the end it took over two years to write, arrange and record it but the result is nothing but pure, heavy epic doom metal. The process of putting all bits and pieces together and making it ready for mix and mastering was the work of drummer Robert Iversen, also a very fine recording engineer, who was acting as the spider in the recording web. The album was mastered by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Amon Amarth, Devin Townsend).

With years of professional experience and top-class instrumental abilities among its band members the SORCERER of the 21st century is determined to deliver epic doom metal for many years to come; on record and on stages all around the world!

Track Listing:
1. The Dark Tower of the Sorcerer
2. Sumerian Script
3. Lake of the Lost Souls
4. Excorcise the Demon
5. In the Shadow of the Inverted Cross
6. Prayers for a King
7. The Gates of Hell
8. Pagans Dance

SORCERER is:
Anders Engberg – vocals
Kristian Niemann – guitars
Peter Hallgren – guitars
Johnny Hagel – bass
Robert Iversen – drums

Sorcerer on Thee Facebooks

Sorcerer’s website

Sorcerer at Metal Blade Records

Tags: In the Shadow of the Inverted Cross, Metal Blade Records, Sorcerer, Sorcerer In the Shadow of the Inverted Cross, Stockholm, Sweden

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 12th, 2015 at 11:33 am and is filed under audiObelisk. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.