We’re still arguing about this, aren’t we? Death metal Opeth against prog rock Opeth. Fighting aside, Opeth are rooted in prog and that’s always been extremely evident. Getting older and playing death metal can be difficult, and playing it day after day on tour? That’s understandable. Plus, switching to prog rock prolongs the career of the band, with many of the bands from the 70’s still performing today. Opeth made a conscious decision on Heritage to make the genre switch, but Sorceress seems to be where they have it down.
Pale Communion was an album I came to appreciate later on as it reminded me too much of too many artists. Sorceress may display Opeth’s prog rock influences vividly, but less so than its predecessors. One regard to the album in which makes it worth listening is that Opeth have finally found their own unique sound for prog rock instead of just worshipping the time period. Sorceress still oozes the 70’s influence, but songs such as the mostly-instrumental “The Seventh Soljourn” add a Middle-Eastern flair to the album a little more than halfway through the runtime. Better yet, the down-tuned, lead single and title track “Sorceress” combines heavy chugging guitars with slightly off-beat compositions, typical as to what Opeth is doing.
While that’s all well and good, Sorceress ultimately falls into the problems that I found with Pale Communion and Heritage, in which is becomes a matter of preference and less about enjoying the music as a whole. Sure, the tasty solo in “Strange Brew” is awesome, but as a whole the album doesn’t draw you in as a unit. It’s more enjoyable than its predecessors, that’s for certain, but what I guess I’m trying to say is that each song seems to be more enjoyable on its own rather than as an album.
There’s cool moments throughout, no doubt. “Strange Brew” in particular is a constant whirlwind of dynamics, shifting throughout its nearly nine minutes of music, while “Will O the Wisp” plays with those low dynamics to its advantage. “Chrysalis” is just an all-around great song, as well, so that just needs to be enjoyed and is probably worth the price of the album alone.
The instrumentation is great here, too, as everyone brings their A-game to Sorceress. Everyone in Opeth is a formidable musician in their own right, but given how intricate the music gets at times, such as on the likes of “A Fleeting Glance” and its main riff, you have to give the band props. Balancing technicality and melody seems to be something bands often have trouble doing, but even as a death metal band Opeth were able to do this. It’s nice to see it translate to this newer style.
Part of the problem I initially had with Opeth’s transition to prog rock was now accepting them as a part of that genre. For so long it was difficult to understand why the band who had written My Arms, Your Hearse and Blackwater Park was leaving their signature sound behind, but it seems that they’ve found their footing with Sorceress. It’s not perfect and not the best they’ve done career wise, but it’s still able to be enjoyed as it is. Perhaps now, with their proper footing, we’ll start to see Opeth venture off into new directions with their new style.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhqijfqecvA[/youtube]
