ALBUM REVIEW: Devotion – Sorcerer
Across the world, there’s one certainty in heavy music right now, and that’s hardcore. From the massive festivals to the stacked tour bills all the way down to the smallest local shows, the scene has rarely been stronger in the undercard, with a plethora of bands from across the world looking to stake their claim and bring their own strain of hardcore to the fore. SORCERER, hailing from France, are another one of those bands who look to force their way into the modern conversation, to elevate themselves from best kept secret to the name on the tip of everyone’s tongue. With famed producer Amaury Sauve, noted in the scene for his work with the legendary BIRDS IN ROW, behind the desk, the hopes are high for SORCERER on Devotion.
Over the course of three EPs since 2021, SORCERER‘s blend of metallic hardcore has continued to develop, but the band have always maintained a more gloomy and melancholy edge over other bands. The aggression and violence is still there though, if mixed in with a little more emotion and an almost sombre note at times.
When Badlands kicks in, you could be forgiven for thinking you’ve put on a more traditional metal record, with its orchestral bombast conjuring images of a battlefield in your mind. It’s an odd choice, as the admittedly solid and pummelling hardcore doesn’t match up to the epic opening. It’s an opening you’d associate more with a more traditional or black metal record, rather than metallic hardcore and almost immediately you get the feeling that the band are a little confused in their style. The strange juxtaposition doesn’t continue through the entire record however, but what follows leans more towards the more emotive, straight from the heart kind of hardcore, designed to bring the listener to fits of tearful rage more than anger… at least it would, if the vocals were able to be well understood. This isn’t because of the band being French, it’s down to some poor enunciation on the part of vocalist Dom. However, it almost… works? It gives the music an almost CONVERGE type wailing quality at points; you might not understand what he’s saying, but you certainly feel the emotional heft behind it.
The band like to experiment with more melodic, atmospheric parts at times, particularly on the creeping, almost haunting opening of The Arms Of Mortality, and when it kicks in, they almost sound like a heavier, more nihilistic TOUCHÉ AMORÉ. It’s a weird mix, and the band zigs a lot when they should zag. There are moments where you just want them to go full pelt, to go a bit faster, but it almost seems as if they’re playing it safe. There’s a lot to like here though and it’s clearly the result of the band’s previous EPs coming to fruition. The most cohesive and impactful track on the record is The Bell Jar, which mixes the elements of semi-gothic grandeur, vocals wrought from the depths of the soul and pummelling modern hardcore. It’s also one of the tracks that doesn’t lose 30 seconds or so on an overly long opening part, that while it sets the scene well, it’d be more suited for a band who doesn’t operate at their best going 100mph.
There’ll be better debut full-lengths this year than SORCERER‘s, but there’ll definitely be worse. It shows a lot of ambition, of scope that many bands wouldn’t even dare try. It hasn’t all hit the mark, but the idea of a more epic, grandiose band that brings elements of the rawer moments of HARMS WAY and the shit-kicking of BRUTALITY WILL PREVAIL together with latter day CONVERGE atmospherics is a tantalising one. If this is the first step on a journey for the band, then it is one full of promise.
Rating: 7/10
Devotion is out now via Frozen Records.
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