Tarot - Crows Fly Black

Published Jan. 07 2007

*=Staff's pick	Crows Fly Black* Traitor Ashes To The Stars (video) Messenger Of Gods Before The Skies Come Down* Tides* Bleeding Dust You* Howl! Grey

Genre	Heavy Metal	Marco Hietala	Vocals
Tracks	10	Zachary Hietala	Guitar
Runningtime	47 Min.	Marco Hietala	Bass
Label	Nuclear Blast	Pecu Cinnari	Drums
Release	19 Jan. 2007	Janne Tolsa	Keyboard
Country	Finland	Tommi Salmela	Back.voc/sampler
Similar artists	Rage

Tarot is not a new band where Marco Hietala is trying to ride on his Nightwish fame if anyone thought that. To be correct it is over twenty years ago since Tarot debuted with the album Spell Of Iron in 1986. Nevertheless, while Nightwish is on a break searching for a replacement for Tarja, Marco finds time to deliver the eighth album along with his band mates in Tarot, and Crows Fly Black is their label debut on for Nuclear Blast.

This is nothing out of the ordinary, but simply basic heavy metal really, but damn well performed such and it is hard not to enjoy Crows Fly Black. The somewhat ordinary metal grips you right from the start with the opening title track, just try to resist the guitar hook in that one, which shows the strength and dynamics of Tarot. Despite the fact that there is a dark atmosphere embracing the album, it has a positive feeling and it feels to be very energetic in the faster tunes.

Crows Fly Black has a good mix of songs on it with mid-tempo tracks and those that are a little faster, and in the ones first mentioned it becomes very powerful. As in Before The Skies Come Down which is a track where I think Tarot comes out as their best. Some great melodic hooks, the significant vocals gets good room in the calmer verses that lead to a simple yet powerful chorus, and it is complete with a melodic, classic sounding guitar solo of high calibre. Moreover, even if the music might not be that out of the ordinary, the music appears intelligent and it sounds to come from a confident band that does not have the need to prove anything, but just to be doing what they like and to do it good. Leads and solo parts give evident of that when it almost becomes progressive metal with some instrumental parts where the keyboard is given some room.

To lead the way for the album a single of the track You has been released, and apparently it went to the top of the charts in their native country Finland, and I can understand that as it captures the essence of Tarot really well. It is fast, catchy and they have managed to compress most of their elements in the shortest track on the album. To hear Marco sing on a Tarot album again where he gets plenty of space sounds really nice for a change, and to give him some more space in Nightwish would not be wrong at all, if you ask me. At least not if he continues to sing as he does on this album, this must be his best singing ever?

The production makes the album sound awesome. The sound is thick and heavy, yet it sounds clear and is greatly mixed so that all instruments can be heard well. In all, this is a solid effort, and with no song that leaves me with much to be critical about, everything holds a high standard, although none of the songs go over the top. It might not be out of the ordinary but it has a refreshing feeling and Tarot successfully manages to stay away from becoming stereotype.

Oh, and by the way, Nuclear Blast, I am utterly thankful for receiving promos, but you do not make it easy for me when you divide the albums in 99 tracks.

See also review of: Suffer Our Pleasures

Performance	Originality	Production	Vocals	Songwriting
9	4	9	8	7

Summary
7,5 chalices of 10 - Thomas