The wild journey that began the band's gnarly prog transformation into a sleek, smooth, subtle beast after Watershed continues on the band's twelfth full length since they debuted with Orchid many moons ago.
For those familiar with the group's willingness to adapt and their recent evolution of the past eight years will probably find the weakest album since Heritage. While that album really took the sound the band was reaching for to new heights, it knew how to do so in such a creative fashion that the entire approach was super eclectic. Pale Communion was also a different shade on the same interpretation of the angle Mikael was rooting for, and it was a mysterious album, full of lush intricacies that knew how to string along a collection. On Sorceress, it's only until halfway through the album on "The Seventh Sojourn" where things get really interesting, but by then half of the album has already passed in mundane irrelevance.
While "Strange Brew," and the tracks that follow raise the pace a bit with some sick licks, there's just not enough in the vocal and artistry gas tank to make up for lost time. At times it sounds like the band is taking everything from a Trioscapes album and the ideas all seem too rehashed and familiar for some reason. While the album isn't a complete waste by any means, it just doesn't take us where the past collections have, and it really just washes over after the first tedious listen.
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