By: Richard Maw
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 20/10/2017
Label: Metal Blade Records
Fantastical, epic, dark, heavy and doomy are all
words that describe the record appropriately. There are not too many doom bands
ploughing this traditional furrow these days, but Sorcerer represent the very
best of them. This is another excellent album by an excellent band
“The
Crowning of The Fire King” CD//DD//LP track listing
01. Sirens
02. Ship Of Doom
03. Abandoned By The Gods
04. The Devils Incubus
05. Nattvaka
06. Crimson Cross
07. The Crowning Of The Fire King
08. Unbearable Sorrow
The Review:
Sweden's Sorcerer return, a mere two
years after the excellent “In The Shadow
Of The Inverted Cross”. In my review of that album, I noted the Dio-esque
lyrical themes and stylings, the Sabbath weight and the epic nature of real
doom. Well, I am able to report that all those elements are present and correct
on “The Crowning...”
From
the rolling drum intro, to the first riff, to the first vocal- everything you
would want from a doom album is here. The sound is suitably epic, as are the
song lengths. There is some excellent lead work in opener “Sirens” as well. With both the second and last track here clocking
in at close to ten minutes, this is not a doom record for the casual doom fan-
or the “doom” fan who thinks that sludge is doom. This is true doom for true
doom heads- start with Sabbath, go to Saint Vitus, Pentagram,
Trouble,
Candlemass
and The
Obsessed and then... Sorcerer would be a logical next step.
The
album is dramatic, textured (acoustic guitars shimmer here and there, melodies
are plentiful, riffs are massive) and as heavy as lead. The likes of “Abandoned By The Gods” feature riffs
that you would swear were from the hands of Iommi himself. Indeed, the solo
backed by rhythmical bass is straight out of the Tony Martin era. An acoustic
instrumental bridges the record and the final three tracks are as strong as the
first three; the band save the title track for next to last, showing that the
record is not front loaded.
Fantastical,
epic, dark, heavy and doomy are all words that describe the record
appropriately. There are not too many doom bands ploughing this traditional
furrow these days, but Sorcerer represent the very best of them. This
is another excellent album by an excellent band. Doom on.
“The Crowning of the Fire
King” is
available here
