Tarot --- Dark Moor --- 2007 (Scarlet)
So, is this a concept album, or are the titles of the songs all just named after cards in the tarot? This is Spanish power metal band Dark Moor's sixth album, their third since the “rebirth” of the band following the departure in 2003 of all but two of the original lineup. The band that emerged from this parting of the ways then released a self-titled album in 2004, possibly to show that they were a new band, or that they were still a band. Either way, self-titling an album that is not your debut has happened before, but rarely, and you would have to come to the conclusion that they were recording as the “new” Dark Moor.
Opener “The Magician” is a heavy, dramatic keyboard-led piece, instrumental and just over a minute and a half long, serving I guess as the overture or introduction to the album. It has very progressive elements, some classical influences and is quite cinematic in tone. “The Chariot” gets things going in a very power metal vein, rattling drums, grinding guitars and expressive keys as the vocals are taken by Alfred Romero, with backing vocals from Nemesea's Manda Ophuis. “The Star” is more guitar-led, more straight ahead metal, romping along at a nice pace, with some good vocal harmonies, steamhammer drumming from Roberto Cappa, and some very Iron Maiden-style guitar work from Enrik Garcia.
“Wheel of fortune” ramps everything up further, with a big, dark sound on guitar and some very tight basslines. The vocal harmonies in this band are really quite impressive, and inform many of the tracks, lifting them a level above what they might otherwise be. The fretwork of Garcia and also Hendrik Jong, who is credited with “clean guitar”, whatever that is, is also not to be sniffed at. There's a return then to the style of the opener, with operatic style vocals and chanting on “The Emperor”, which is slightly more restrained in terms of tempo, and also features some of those “unclean/death vocals” I hate so much, though as in bands like Leaves' Eyes, they're only in the background and don't take over the song, where I can mostly ignore them.
Keyboards come more to the fore here, as the song becomes something more of a progressive metal track than previous efforts, and that continues into the next offering, “Devil in the Tower” riding along mostly on a bare piano line from Enrik Garcia which soon explodes into a big, powerful epic, with rather more of those “unclean vocals” than I would prefer. Not sure if Romero does those too, but the only other vocals credited are those of Ophuis, so I guess he does both. Great guitar solo, some fine shredding from Garcia in the middle, then it all slows down again and he's back on the piano, as the music becomes a sort of stately waltz, with strings-style keyboard and choral vocals.
This track is almost eight minutes long, but it's not the longest on the album: that honour goes to the closer. It's also the only one that I can say, with my admittedly minor knowledge of the tarot, is not titled for an actual card, the Devil and the Tower being separate cards. There's a great double-tracked vocal bit at about the sixth minute, where Alfred Romero harmonises with himself, then the whole thing takes off again as it crashes headlong towards the finish, ending on a somewhat bizarre little piano run. Things stay fast and powerful for “Death”, with more heavy keyboards and great vocal harmonies, Romero's rising high above the music, clear and strong; he really is quite a singer.
“Lovers” starts out on a punchy little guitar melody that reminds me of Boston, then settles down into a power metal groove, with a very clean vocal and the keys taking something of a backseat. I can't say that I've seen any concept running through this album, despite the links to the tarot, but then, I've failed to follow concepts before on albums without liner notes, so who knows? The point is, it doesn't really matter, as the music is good enough to carry the album on its own without any need for following a plotline. If it's there, and you can follow it, then more power (metal) to you; I can't, but it doesn't detract from my enjoyment of the album.
With some more Maiden-style riffs and elements, “The Hanged Man” takes off on a rocketride, with some very melodic keyboard passages, the vocal from Romero a little rougher and rawer here, but tempered by the honeyed tones of Manda Ophuis, then we're into the longest, and most ambitious track on the album. Using the works of Beethoven as its backdrop, “The Moon” runs for just over eleven minutes, and opens with a metal reworking of the famous Fifth Symphony, but it doesn't just “metal-up” Beethoven, rather it integrates his symphonic works into an epic track which has Romero on top vocal form, great work from Garcia on the keys and on the guitar, and powerful backing vocals as Dark Moor weave in and out of the Fifth Symphony expertly, obviously very familiar with the piece. As the song moves into its fifth minute there's a beautiful piano and guitar rendition of “Moonlight sonata”, which really works extremely well. Drums crashing in then fill the famous sonata out even more, and though of course there's no substitute for the original, this is very different, and yet very true to the composer's own work. As you might expect, this part is all instrumental, up until about the seventh minute when it takes off on one of Dark Moor's own compositions before re-integrating with the Fifth Symphony and bringing Romero's vocals back in.
It's a very powerful and interesting end to a good album, made perhaps great by the addition of this innovative piece. It certainly shows that metal has, at its heart, the traditions of classical music, and that not every metal band is about noise and anger, as people outside the genre seem to think. This is thoughtful, progressive music that really reaches deep down into your soul and stirs something there, and I look forward to hearing a lot more from Dark Moor.
TRACKLISTING
1. The Magician
2. The Chariot
3. The Star
4. Wheel of Fortune
5. The Emperor
6. Devil in the Tower
7. Death
8. Lovers
9. The Hanged Man
10. The Moon