While being from Sweden just like me, and starting out all the way back in 1988, Sorcerer still managed to be completely unknown territory for me. The fact that they have a huge gap between 1992 to 2010 might have something to do with it of course. I do know a few of the bands that several members of Sorcerer have been in otherwise however, such as Tiamat, Therion, and Sundown.

“We are Sorcerer, and we’re gonna entertain you a bit more!”
- Anders Engberg (vocals)

We’re not talking about any of those bands now however, we are talking about Sorcerer, and from what I could see as I entered the already pretty packed hall of Gimle (the night was sold out, mind you), and hear from the enthusiastic cheers as the band entered the stage, they certainly had a good deal of fans here tonight, which was boding well.
Sorcerer (and we’re talking about the Swedish band here, clarification given as there are many, many bands out there with the same name), if like me you are new to them, call their style epic doom, or someone does at least, as this is what shows up when searching them online, and I guess that’s not too far off the mark. Listening to the title track off their latest album, Reign of the Reaper, that certainly is a cool doom track, and there are more like it, but Sorcerer also provides faster tracks, closer to heavy/power metal in style, and I guess that’s where the epic part comes in. All in all, it’s giving the band and the show of course, a nice bit of variety that’s much appreciated.

Anyway, the band was quick off the mark, with Engberg only extending a short greeting to the audience while the opening riff of Morning Star was already playing. Later, his banter with the crowd would pick up, and we heard him swinging back and forth between English, Swedish, and a bit of Danish - the former for longer storytelling, and the latter for quick comments or thanks.
All such communication was left to Engberg, but the rest of the band was certainly a big part of delivering a show while playing as well. All of them provided nice backing vocals in ranging areas, and while they were all lively enough, Justin Biggs (bass) was certainly getting the most into the groove of things, doing a nice doom-stomp around the stage when the song was fitting. I also quite enjoyed that both guitarists got to show off with solos, and providing very distinct voices in that area; Kristian Niemann leaning more towards the sweeping, noodling style, and Peter Hallgren often taking up a slower, bluesier path.

I wasn’t the only one enjoying Sorcerer, that’s for sure. I’ve already mentioned that they got a warm welcome by the Danish crowd, and it didn’t end there.
Engberg led the action in getting a good hey shout and raised fist going for Sirens, and when Unveiling Blasphemy came next, he had everyone waving their hands from side to side.
Not that the crowd needed much encouragement, as they were giving Sorcerer a lot of shouts and applause between songs already, and when the show’s end drew nearer, they even picked up a chanting of the band’s name all on their own - no encouragement from the band needed! This obviously pleased Engberg and the boys immensely.

From start to finish, this was above all my expectations. The music, the performance, the audience engagement, everything was on point, and I had a great time throughout - and I wouldn’t be surprised if these guys came back to visit Gimle again, possibly as an Epic Fest booking.

Setlist:

Morning Star
Sirens
Unveiling Blasphemy
Abandoned By The Gods
Curse Of Medusa
Reign Of The Reaper
The Hammer Of Witches