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SORCERER
In The Shadow Of The Inverted Cross

Metal Blade (2015)
Rating: 8.5/10

It’s most certainly an understatement to say that In The Shadow Of The Inverted Cross is the long-awaited debut album from Swedish doomsters Sorcerer. These guys were formed in 1988 by Johnny Hagel (bass), Peter Furulid (guitar) and Tommy Karlsson (drums), but split four years later in 1992 with Hagel moving on to Tiamat.

In their original carnation Sorcerer released just two demo recordings before they went their separate ways, but now they are back with their first full-length offering. Hagel is the only founding memeber remaining, and is accompanied by vocalist Anders Engberg (who originally joined the band in 1989), guitarists Peter Hallgren and Kristian Niemann (ex-Therion), and drummer Robert Iversen.

In The Shadow Of The Inverted Cross serves up eight tracks, a majority of which clock in at over six minutes, beginning with ‘The Dark Tower Of The Sorcerer’. With this much anticipated return to the fray I was expecting some spine-shuddering epic doom metal, and that’s exactly what Sorcerer delivered to the door.

This opening slab features a killer Black Sabbath-esque riff and lumber; simplistic by design yet brooding and atmospheric as Iversen’s drum pounds like the heartbeat of a golem. As Engberg begins his ogre-like bellow I’m reminded of the epic nature of Solitude Aeturnus and Candlemass, but fused with a traditional metal peal as Dio springs to mind. It’s Gothic doom metal played as it should be played; mid-tempo, gargantuan and majestic, and exuding power and promise amidst the grey waterfall of guitars, bass and percussion.

‘The Dark Tower Of The Sorcerer’ seems a fitting way to start off this debut monolith; Engberg’s vocals soar above the grey clouds as the bass prods in sinister fashion. Okay, so there’s no great deviation from that classic doom metal theme, but when it is relayed so authentically and with added creak one cannot help but find themselves nodding along.

‘Sumerian Script’ ups the pace just a tad; again the riff is mighty and catchy but it’s the drums which stand out – they roll like thunder as the tune slows the pace to a troll-like chug. For me it’s Black Sabbath circa-Ronnie James Dio all over again; the powerhouse vocals are exceptional as Engberg shows his versatility from slow, menacing narration before bursting with those soulful cries of doom.

‘Lake Of The Lost Souls’ is an absolute behemoth; the drum and guitar giving off a steep, yawning presence as if the listener’s eye is being cast over mist-enshrouded mountain peaks. Slow, lumbering and heavy the guitar aches as the track evolves marrying sullen melody with majestic gloom.

With the opening batch of songs pretty much setting up the stall for the rest of the album it comes to a point where we know exactly what’s coming next, but that’s the great thing with classic doom metal. We want to be drowned in seas of despondency and finding ourselves perplexed by configurations of woe. As each riff comes rolling in the percussion forces the old oak beams to creak with suspense and weight, and I almost want to accuse most of the tracks for being too long, but again that’s the glory of traditional doom metal.

‘Prayers For A King’ features another tidy, no frills oaken riff, evoking images of rainy shores and ancient lanes. Engberg’s vocal croon coats this merry moroseness in sullen glory, and as the track heightens I’m again reminded of a Dio-fronted Sabbath. But as one can imagine, the shorter tremors of ‘The Gates Of Hell’ come as a welcome surprise before the final plunder ‘Pagan’s Dance’. The boys have certainly saved the best expression for last; beginning with a mere trickle of acoustic and shimmering cymbals, the song exists as a ghostly murmur before its eventual storm clouds gather on another booming riff.

Yep, the whole premise comes from the Black Sabbath book of “How To Do Doom Metal”, but it’s just so riveting that for the hour or so I spent listening to this I was more than happy to attend such a funereal excursion. This is how doom metal should be played, because there’s not one weak department within this heaving condominium of sound. Sorcerer has cast its spell and we are all enchanted.

Neil Arnold

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