| Sorceress | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 30 September 2016 | |||
| Recorded | May 2016 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | Progressive rock [1] [2] | |||
| Length | 56:41 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | ||||
| Opeth chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Sorceress | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 81/100 [4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Blabbermouth.net | 7.5/10 [6] |
| Exclaim! | 7/10 [7] |
| The Guardian | |
| Kerrang! | |
| Metal Injection | 8.5/10 [9] |
| Metal Storm | 7.2/10 [10] |
| Pitchfork | 6.7/10 [2] |
| PopMatters | 8/10 [11] |
| Sputnikmusic | 4.1/5 [12] |
Sorceress is the twelfth studio album by Swedish progressive metal band Opeth. [13] The album was released on 30 September 2016 via record label Nuclear Blast and the band's own imprint Moderbolaget. [13]
The album was produced and mixed by Tom Dalgety and recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales. [13] Following the album's release, the band embarked on a world tour with bands the Sword, Sahg, and Myrkur as supporting acts. [14] [15] Thematically, the album draws inspiration from Åkerfeldt's personal life, as he divorced in 2016. [16] The album was streamed via SoundCloud on 29 September. [17]
All tracks are written by Mikael Åkerfeldt, except "Strange Brew" music composed by Åkerfeldt and Fredrik Åkesson
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Persephone" | 1:52 |
| 2. | "Sorceress" | 5:49 |
| 3. | "The Wilde Flowers" | 6:49 |
| 4. | "Will o the Wisp" | 5:07 |
| 5. | "Chrysalis" | 7:16 |
| 6. | "Sorceress 2" | 3:49 |
| 7. | "The Seventh Sojourn" | 5:29 |
| 8. | "Strange Brew" | 8:44 |
| 9. | "A Fleeting Glance" | 5:06 |
| 10. | "Era" | 5:41 |
| 11. | "Persephone (Slight Return)" | 0:54 |
| Total length: | 56:41 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "The Ward" | 3:14 |
| 13. | "Spring MCMLXXIV" | 6:11 |
| 14. | "Cusp of Eternity" (live with The Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra) | 5:44 |
| 15. | "The Drapery Falls" (live with The Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra) | 10:23 |
| 16. | "Voice of Treason" (live with The Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra) | 8:10 |
| Total length: | 90:26 | |
| Chart (2016) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA) [18] | 7 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [19] | 10 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [20] | 16 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [21] | 20 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard) [22] | 13 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [23] | 11 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [24] | 3 |
| French Albums (SNEP) [25] | 29 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [26] | 1 |
| Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ) [27] | 18 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI) [28] | 12 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [29] | 28 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [30] | 8 |
| Polish Albums (ZPAV) [31] | 17 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP) [32] | 20 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [33] | 10 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [34] | 31 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [35] | 7 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [36] | 6 |
| UK Albums (OCC) [37] | 11 |
| US Billboard 200 [38] | 24 |
Although markedly different from those albums, Sorceress has something of the mood and tone of that work, driven by Åkerfeldt's personal experience, including a recent divorce, more than a reflective, authored distance.