Sorceress of Sin – Constantine
Self-Released
Release Date: 06/08/2021
Running Time: 61:00
Review by Simon Black
8/10
Released just in time for their appearance on the Bloodstock New Blood stage, East Anglia’s Sorceress of Sin are – unusually for bands gracing that particular stage, onto their sophomore album. They are also quite experienced musicians prior to forming this act, so I am not sure they truly count as ‘new blood’, but either way I am glad they got the attention this past weekend as they well and truly deserve a wider audience. Their debut only hit our ears in last November, having only formed earlier that year. The shortness of gap between them and the subtly different stylistic delivery between the two might lead one to think that the debut recording had been around for a while before getting released, but this is clearly not the case and is in fact the perfect illustration of what happens when experienced musicians come together and gel perfectly…and prolifically.
Built around the husband and wife team of Lisa and Paul Skinner the band are that rarity of a UK-based Power Metal act. Whereas last year’s “Mirrored Revenge” was very clean and operatic in its vocal approach, “Constantine” is showing Lisa Skinner in a way more aggressive and brutal light when it comes to her delivery. This absolutely suits the darker, more down-tuned instrumental approach which could be heard on the debut, whilst still giving her plenty of scope to demonstrate her range and blisteringly powerful voice when she does turn on the screams and jumps up a couple of octaves for the sheer bloody hell of it.
The rest of the band are tighter than a gnat’s bum hole when it comes to their playing and musical flow. There is a brutally tight rhythm backbone on display here and some absolutely fluid and beautiful shredding from guitarist Constantine Kanakis – who despite the more overtly heavy and darker sound than is the norm for the Power sub-genre, can still pull in some spectacular Neo-Classical flourishes without it sounding remotely out of place (‘Pathogenic Parasite’ being one of the best examples of this). The only downside I can really call out is that the production is quite raw for the genre and whilst this adds a sense of immediacy and energy to proceedings, does mean that some of the subtlety and layering the band are capable of is lost in a slightly trebly haze, but given that it’s self-produced in the middle of a global pandemic I’m not allowing it to get in the way, and neither should you, because the performances and song-writing more than balance this out.
As much as I loved their debut, this album works so much better, because it’s unafraid to break the mould of clichés that too many cookie-cutter Power Metal albums simply fail to do. Part of this I suspect is down to the fact that Power Metal is very much a minority market here in the UK and that without the extra layer of brutality that the British fans expect, then Power bands in the Euro mould often struggle to get an audience. Sorceress of Sin effortlessly avoid this trap, sounding fresh, energetic and clearly British, whilst still clearly a Melodic Power act of the highest calibre. A triumphant follow up indeed.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Necropolis
02. Massacre of Meridian
03. Realms of Elysium
04. Pathogenic Parasite
05. Until The Dawn
06. Dimension IV
07. Erratica
08. Adira
09. Constantine
LINE-UP:
Lisa Skinner – Vocals
Constantine Kanakis – Guitars
Daniel Mackender – Bass
Paul Skinner – Drums
Tom Maclean – Keyboards, Orchestral Arrangements
LINKS:
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