2007 is shaping up to be a memorable one for power metal; Heavenly’s Virus has set the early pace, Wizard are unleashing Goochan, heck HammerFall are about to tour the United Kingdom. On top of all that Dark Moor enter the fray.

Unusually in the genre Dark Moor come not from the cold Nordic region but instead hail (see what I did there?) from Spain and Tarot is, surprise-surprise, “is a conceptual album based in the enigmas of the arcanes.” It also features vocal contributions from Manda Ophuis, who sings with the band Nemesea whom, I must confess, I have never heard of. However the female touch helps add some light to proceedings and reminds us that Dark Moor once possessed a female vocalist themselves. 

Whilst waiting for the Royal Mail to deliver my latest batch of CDs I took a trawl around the interspunge to see what others were saying about this album and most mentioned Kamelot as a reference point and I can understand that but personally I see a lot of Sonata Artica here. Either way, the bottom line is that Tarot is a very good LP indeed. 

It contains some mighty fine tunes especially  The Chariot which I assume features the aforementioned Ms Ophuis and has been made into a rather fetching video which you can find at www.dark-moor.com. Devil in the Tower is another initial favourite and is followed by Death, which is a whole lot more fun than it sounds. In fact a swift look at the song titles may lead the casual observer to believe that Tarot isn’t a whole lot of fun when in fact it is.  

As with (perhaps all) other power metal records Mr Originality doesn’t make much of an appearance but that’s not the point. All the bases are ticked. It’s suitably epic; there are orchestral bits, speedy solos, lightning speed drumming and it is all done in a reliably po-faced manner. 

I would draw your attention to The Moon, which arrives at track eleven. Listen to it carefully. Yes, that is Beethoven that you can here. It’s al a bit Jeff Wayne but it’s pulled off with such panache that you can’t help but enjoy. 

The guitar work from Enrik Garcia is a joy throughout, the rest of the playing is very good, the songs are catchy and the drumming is competent! All told, this is a valuable addition to any metal fan’s collection.

Let us know your views on 'Tarot'

Track List

The Magician
The Chariot
The Star
Wheel Of Fortune
The Emperor
Devil In The Tower
Death
Lovers
The Hanged Man
The Moon

 Line Up

Alfred Romero - Vocals
Enrik Garcia - Guitars
Dani Fernandez - Bass
Roberto Cappa - Drums