Many people are more than familiar enough with doom metal, myself included. However, many of those people have seemed to have forgotten that doom metal doesn’t require being ridiculously heavy at the same time, as the band can simply have a slower tempo and be called doom. It makes for a great sound that’s reminiscent of classic metal and it’s the sort of thing that’ll never go out of style. Sorcerer clearly understands such as this Swedish group have created a record that’s well crafted and entertaining to boot.

Originally formed all the way back in 1988, Sorcerer was there during the days when metal was exploring new territory at a slower pace than today and these Swedes had their time in the sun but then decided to call it a day sometime afterward before returning in 2010 only to write new material in the following years. Since then, I can happily say that their quality has only gone up as Sorcerer’s upcoming album, “The Crowning of the Fire King”, is as much of a callback to classic metal as it is delicious to listen to. With plenty of tracks that stretch over five minutes from an eight-track album, “The Crowning of the Fire King” forgoes the massive heaviness that doom has become known for while still retaining the slower tempo, and this really allows Sorcerer to work in much more intricate instrumentation that suits many aspects from the vocals to making a more complete fit for the very rhythms themselves. It all just came together very well to the point where Sorcerer truly feels like a blast from the past because you can really feel the classic ingenuity and approach to metal woven throughout this album, and that really helps “The Crowning of the Fire King” become not only a very tasteful record to hear any day of the fucking week but also an excellent example that the 80s take on metal is far from dead. Thanks to bands like Sorcerer who put out tremendous records like these the classics will continue to roll out to new generations of metalheads who will then, in turn, keep the tradition going, and that’s just a gift that keeps on giving.

I’m more than up for any and all bands to try and present to us new takes on metal as that’s the kind of shit that I live for, but there’s nothing quite like a return to form or echoing the past as there’s always excellence that’s been done before us in many forms. Sorcerer comes back at a time when it feels like all we need is a classic album to really take us back to a simpler time, and this is just that album! “The Crowning of the Fire King” is not only a grand achievement for Sorcerer but also a glimpse into a style of metal that’s not represented nearly enough in the world nowadays.

“The Crowning of the Fire King” releases on October 20th via Metal Blade Records!

PRE-ORDER “The Crowning of the Fire King” via iTunes here.

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