Band: Tarot
Album title: Spell Of Iron MMXI
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Distributor: Nuclear Blast Records - PIAS
Release date: 06/05/2011
Release: CD

Tarot is a Finish heavy metal band that goes back to 1982. While the band enjoyed a broad underground popularity in Finland, the band has never been very famous elsewhere until gaining new success in 2002 when their singer and bassist Marco Hietala joined Nightwish, and so could make some fans for Tarot. The success the band made on their own can be thanked to their album called “Spell Of Iron”.
That record was released by Bluelight Records and the song “Wings of Darkness” from that same record became the band’s most popular track, and it has been performed in every show ever since it was released in 1986. That same album after so many years has gotten a royal polish and is about to be re-released.
But don’t get me wrong, all of the old songs were re-recorded while featuring vocalist Tommi Salmela and the keyboard work of Janne Tolsa, two elements that Tarot did not have back then, so you definetly won’t get “the same” record as back then. To be honest this isn’t my genre, can’t really relate to it in any way, but the songs really do sound amazing. Old school early metal structures in a modern sound jacket. A combination you can’t screw up, but the keyboard thing and the finish metal scene won’t be for everyone.

71/100

Jeroen.