SORCERER RELEASES VIDEO FOR “DELIVERANCE” FEATURING JOHAN LANGQUIST OF CANDLEMASS
Sorcerer will be releasing their third full-length album, Lamenting Of The Innocent on May 29th. I recently got to interview guitarist Kristian Niemann for an upcoming episode of my Mars Attacks Podcast.
One of the things we discussed is how the band purposely went out of their way on their press release to mention how they were more than a doom metal band. The various influences totally shine through on the album. You can totally hear Dio-era Sabbath and Rainbow, and bits and pieces of early Maiden on the album as well. Sure there are aspects of doom metal on the album, but it isn’t the only thing that you’ll find.
“Deliverance” is the third single off of the album. It features Johan Langquist, lead vocalist for the band Candlemass. Obviously, this isn’t a stretch for the band or Langquist, as both have been associated with the doom sub-genre for a very long time.
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When interviewing Kristian, I mentioned that this song really reminded me of Black Sabbath’s “Sign Of The Southern Cross”. It isn’t a rip-off of the song at all, but the influence is there with how the song is structured. It isn’t a carbon copy, which is obvious when you hear it, as they’ve really made it their own. There are also the dueling vocals of Langquist, and Sorcerer lead singer Anders Engberg.
Lamenting Of The Innocent is a strong album throughout. Given that it isn’t a full-on epic doom album, it may turn some old-school fans off. But, if you listen to it with an open mind, I’m sure most will enjoy it. It really reminds me of some classic albums that came out when I was a kid. More specifically, albums produced by the great Martin Birch. And wouldn’t you know it, he produced many an album by Rainbow, Maiden, and Sabbath.
What blows my mind about the sound and production, is that it was self-produced by the band. A lot of bands wouldn’t be able to do what Sorcerer has done on the album. There are too many self-produced albums that are just bands wanking off, with no rhyme or reason, just because they can. Or the main songwriter or big shot in the band has their instrument jacked up way above the rest of the band. Sorcerer however seems to really have a grip on what they should, and shouldn’t do. To the point where they can properly call out when something isn’t good enough. One member is never overpowering in the mix. Once again reminding me of albums by some of the bands that I’ve alluded to above.
I’m not saying this is a carbon copy of classic albums by Maiden, Sabbath, or Rainbow. But, Lamenting Of The Innocent, really gives you a sense of the band sitting in a room together listening to some of the albums that got them into music in the first place. More bands should do this instead of pandering to fans, critics, or the rules of a specific sub-genre. It really feels like they did what they wanted, and didn’t really care if anyone else got it or not. The happy byproduct is that this is a solid album from top to bottom. The album ebbs and flows have peaks and valleys and firmly stays within the metal genre, doom purists be damned.
You can check out the video for “Deliverance” here:
Article by Victor M. Ruiz of Mars Attacks Radio & Podcast, and Galaxy Of Geeks Podcast. Connect with him on Twitter: @vmr907
