Album Review: Sorcery – The Immaculate Sin

Album Review: Sorcery – The Immaculate Sin

Reviewed by Sam Jones

Sorcery are possibly one of Sweden’s most criminally underrated and longest running bands in its myriad of death metal. Formed back in 1986 out of Gavleborg, the band’s earliest years saw their first Demos before they began working on their debut 1991 full length: Bloodchilling Tales. For years, other than one other Demo following this release, this was Sorcery’s sole album due to their break up in 1997. But 2009 finally saw Sorcery’s revival and since then the band have enjoyed relative stability and a slew of full length works: 2013’s Arrival At Six, 2016’s Garden Of Bones and 2019’s Necessary Excess Of Violence. It’s been seven years since that latter record but finally we have a new opus on the horizon: The Immaculate Sin is scheduled for an October 1st release window and like every album they’ve put out since their revival Xtreem Music will take distributing responsibilities for it. When I discovered Sorcery I was amazed at how good their music was, how they seemed to go from strength to strength with each succeeding release and I am ecstatic to finally see a new Sorcery album. Let’s see what the Swedes have this time.

The band demonstrate their Swedish calibre with a guitar tone not wholly buzzsaw but absolutely treading that path. It’s as if the band threw down every wall that could contain their sound to let their riffs flow, unending, from one end of their record to the next. The result is your inability to escape nor hide from the riffs or tone as even if a chord isn’t being played, the resonance uttered after the said chord is going to linger, and continue lingering, until the next sequence of a song comes into play. It certainly capitalises on the macabre, murderous vibe The Immaculate Sin purports for numerous licks and intricate bridging pieces bolster this horror-laden atmosphere. In addition, the guitar likely doesn’t need to be played all too quickly to establish their sound as something ripping, but to feel the speed they’re adept with, that unending, cyclonic maelstrom, it really drives home just how eviscerating their tone feels herein.

It’s nice to hear vocals on such a Swedish death metal record and acknowledge your following along to the lyrics. Many cases where such a tone is implemented it can drown the rest of the songwriting and vocals out, which is why listening closely to the lyrics feels such a treat. Ola Malmström may be in his mid fifties now but listening to his vocals, the way he’s able to place emphasis in certain syllables, control over his timbre, you’d think he were a man twenty years younger. His stellar command of his delivery places him at the forefront of the band’s performance as it’s difficult to separate one from the other. Just alleviating the production that small amount to give us a window into the lyrical progression means a lot as people will go that little deeper into Sorcery’s world of hellfire.

I appreciate Sorcery for not willing to outpace their audience’s capacity to absorb their performance. By this I specifically refer to their tempo and how their songwriting features enough to justify the track length and pace they’re putting out. Whilst there are instances of blast beats and more intense flurries of blitzing musicianship, the crux of Sorcery’s performance is upheld by steady, keenly controlled direction that will jog alongside you whilst never running so far ahead you’ll always feel behind. Therefore as a song ends you’ll feel deeply satisfied that you received the vast majority of entertainment and quality during that first listen, but since you recognise it’s of a grand quality it’ll make repeat listens that more likely.

Something I noticed with The Immaculate Sin is while the band play with speed exceedingly well, it’s when they bunch their riffs together in successive, hammering attack that their tone morphs from that buzzsaw variant and into something meteoric, something with tenfold mass behind its impact. Now this alteration to their general songwriting isn’t overtly prevalent, you know what you’re getting with a Sorcery record, yet it’s nice to know they’re applying some variety into their sound. It’s like after a while they’ll forgo their blades and knives and opt to simply punch the life out of you because they feel slicing and stabbing alone aren’t enough.

In conclusion, it’s another home run for Sorcery as their fifth full length comes to its end. Hideously underrated and consistently competent, Sorcery prove why they’re still in the game and amongst the pantheon of Swedish extreme metal for whilst their sound is clearly reminiscent of their contemporaries, there’s more than enough occurring and present within to give them not only their own identity but a record that easily stands on its own qualities. With satisfying songwriting, plenty of variety, a record that not only sounds but feels great to experience, The Immaculate Sin is a roaring and breathless ride from start to finish that never lets up on you. A thoroughly great time is ahead of you.

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