#19 - Top of 2016

Opeth -Sorceress (Nuclear Blast)

In 2016, Opeth released the third album of the new phase of their career, with "Sorceress" following in the footsteps of "Heritage" and "Pale Communion", with a really progressive rock feeling, taking the band further away from its metal roots, while at the same time, paradoxically, bringing some metal elements back! This is a very interesting release in terms of the progress & ongoing transformation of the band, while at the same time their musicianship remains at very high levels! The album kicks off with the interlude "Persephone" which directly leads to the title track, an interesting prog piece with constant changes in pace. It is followed by the mystical and progressive, but equally Opeth-esque "The Wilde Flowers", and while "Will-O-Wisp" is more solemn and personal, "Chrysalis" breaks out in a progressive orgasm of riffs and a very 70s feel, while retaining a more contemporary edge. "Sorceress 2" is more of an acoustic interlude which reprises the themes of the title track flowing into "The Seventh Sojourn", a mostly instrumental track which features some of the most "Opeth" melodies in recent memory. "Strange Brew" starts off slow and quiet and slowly adds some guitar touches before going full prog and then returning to its silent solemnity, coming full circle. "A fleeting Glance" is another masterpiece of blending the quiet with the powerful - with a very emotional solo- as most songs contained here, while "Era", which closes out the album, is a very experiential piece with a very strong chorus part. 
A very good effort, which while not reaching their creative peak in the progressive rock/metal genre (which was probably "Heritage"), is still an incredible musical journey worth exploring by any fan of the progressive scene.


93/100

Below are the official lyric video for the title track and the music video for "Era".