Tarot, the heavy metal band from Finland, have been together since way back in 1982, with the band initially named Purgatory. Only two original members remain; brothers Zachary (guitars) and bassist/vocalist Marco Hietala. The band released many albums, but only became more known throughout the metal scene when Marco joined Nightwish in 2002. Now they are on their eighth studio album, written between 2008 – 2009 mostly by Marco, Zachary and Keyboard player Janne Tolsa, with the rest of the album put together during some demo sessions.
The album pelts in straight away with the first track ‘Satan is Dead’ with some heavy guitar riffage and a few pinch harmonics added here and there, and Marco’s haunting voice duelling with second vocalist Tommi Salmela, both equally impressive with their vocal abilities. With such lyrics as “The Satan is dead and we’re ready to take his place” it’s clear that Tarot are going for a much darker feel to the album. ‘Hell knows’ starts off quite stunningly with some excellent keyboards and a riff to be proud of, and some quality drumming patterns. The vocals are nothing short of beautiful, especially showing off both their abilities in the chorus. But I still somehow felt this track was missing something.
Other tracks that stand out for me are ‘ The Pilot of All Dreams’ with its heavy, complicated but impressive guitars, fast talented drum rolls and again vocals to die for!. ‘Magic and Technology’ got me wanting to do some slow wind milling and throwing my horns in the air in a very metal stance. Quite an amazing feel altogether on this one. Some evil guitar and bass work with ghostly heartfelt vocals. ‘I Walk Forever’ is a slower track, the intro being a creepy but beautiful keyboard piece, then it kicks in with a funky riff and vocals. The best part of this track is the harmonic vocal parts in the chorus. Amazing! And I can imagine this track will sound even better live. The finishing track ‘Gone’ at first gives a traditional feeling with the acoustic guitar and the chilled vocals, which quickly get more aggressive with the electric guitars making a show, but before getting used to the up-tempo speed, it slows down again, and repeats this winning pattern throughout. There’s a keyboard solo in the middle with sirens and quiet drum rolls giving it quite a haunted feel.
On the whole, the album was more impressive than their last album ‘Crows Fly Back’. There’s nothing really on here that is deserving of bad criticism. The band work well together, and production work is done to perfection. Overall, it’s a winner and definitely won’t be letting down even the most demanding Tarot fans wanting another killer album. Unfortunately there’s no news yet on any UK dates, but here’s hoping!
http://www.wingsofdarkness.net/php/index.php
http://www.myspace.com/tarot
