Prog rock has always been in the DNA of Swedish metallurgists Opeth, but a funny thing happened a few records back—those genes mutated, ran wild and took over. Gone were frontman and musical mastermind Mikael Akerfeldt’s growl-from-the-crypt vocals. The twisting, 10-ton riffs? Pretty much ghosted like that Tinder date you barfed on after too many Belgian tripels. But on Sorceress, the title track suggests maybe they’ve found a perfect merging of the ’70s and the heavies, as it shifts from funky shuffle to skulking stomp. The rest is still more King Crimson than King Diamond, but that’s not a bad thing: “Strange Brew” begins with an ethereal mellowness, then takes a bad-trip turn into waves of dark riffs and throaty rock-god howls. “Era” follows a similar playbook, gently rocking you to sleep before a serious double-bass banger tosses you around. There’s just a wee bit more of their old sound in this one, but as is his way, Akerfeldt ends with “Persephone (Slight Return)”—perhaps both a cheeky nod to Hendrix and gentle poke at any fans who can’t let go of the death metal in Opeth.
—Richard Rys
