Swedish epic doom outfit Sorcerer was formed in 1988 by bassist Johnny Hagel, drummer Tommy Karlsson, and guitarist Peter Furulid. The following year, singer Anders Engberg, and a second guitarist, Mats Liedholm, were welcomed into the fold and the band set about releasing their first demo, Anno 1503, that same year. Richard Evensand was recruited as a new drummer in 1990 and two years later, their second demo The Inquisition saw the light. However, Sorcerer disbanded shortly after. They made a comeback in 2010 under a new line-up—Johnny Hagel and Anders Engberg with Kristian Niemann and Ola Englund on guitar and Robert Iversen on drums—to perform at the German Hammer of Doom Festival. Owing to this renewed interest, they re-released their remastered demos complete with three previously unreleased tracks: "Wisdom," "Northern Seas" and "At Dawn." In 2012, Ola Englund quit and Peter Hallgren took over, with the band's first official studio album, In the Shadow of the Inverted Cross, following three years later on Metal Blade Records. Another line-up reshuffle—Robert Iversen was replaced on drums by Lars Sköld—preceded the release of their second album The Crowning of the Fire King, issued via Metal Blade in 2017, and founding member Johnny Hagel was later replaced by Justin Biggs. The group unleashed their studio album, Lamenting of the Innocent, in May 2020 followed by fourth offering Reign of the Reaper in 2023.
