Dark Moor
Tarot

To buy an album of a band blindly, especially a semi-unknown one that you've practically never heard of, you either have to be very good or very reckless; in this specific case, I can say with absolute certainty that I was very good.

The band in question is called Dark Moor, they come from Spain and play power metal: a power that focuses more on keyboard-guitar duets than on pure orchestrations, thus closer to Stratovarius rather than Rhapsody of Fire or Nightwish. This is also because the vocalist, Alfred Romero, has a style quite similar to Timo Kotipelto, which compensates for the not-so-stunning vocal range with passionate and nearly perfect interpretations, adding value and enjoyment to the album, which in its entirety is enjoyable, fresh, and sparkling like sangria, suited not only to fans of the genre like myself but also to those who want to listen to a new band, technically competent and with great melodic talent without seeking originality at all costs.

The album, dated 2006, is called "Tarot," and, as can be easily guessed, it is a concept album based on the depictions of famous divinatory cards and their hidden meanings, while the general structure resembles the Rhapsody of the Emerald Sword Saga: 10 tracks, an instrumental at the beginning and a suite at the end. The instrumental is called "The Magician" and more than a true intro, it's a standalone musical fragment where the orchestrations express not tension and solemnity but rather a more fascinating and arcane atmosphere that we will find in some meanders of the album. The first proper song is "The Chariot," a nice ride with a very epic choral refrain, which with its adventurous momentum introduces us to a real one-two that will leave any power lover ecstatic: first "The Star," which has the same overwhelming force and magnificent charge of positive energy as power classics like "Hunting High And Low" by Strato, thanks to the divine vocal performance by Alfred Romero and the practically perfect solo by Enrik Garcia, guitarist as well as the main composing mind of the band, then the equally brilliant "The Wheel Of Fortune" with a perfectly fitting "rotating" riff, a verse that closely echoes the atmosphere of "Moonchild" by Iron Maiden and the usual superlative chorus that never tires. "The Emperor" is decidedly more solemn: rhapsodical reminiscences (section "Unholy Warcry"-"Erian's Mystical Rhymes") for the continuous bounce between the choirs and Alfred Romero's voice, who also here does not make you miss Fabio Lione, but this nevertheless excellent song almost takes a back seat compared to the grandeur of "The Devil In The Tower," the second-best song on the album: almost eight minutes in which our artists create a visionary musical fresco that perfectly combines powerful orchestrations, pounding rhythms, impetuous solos and markedly power choruses with a formidable medieval ballad interlude, one of the most fascinating things I have ever heard that spills into a stunning a cappella choir partially inspired by that of "The Prophet's Song" by Queen.

"Death" is decidedly less sumptuous and more heavy, offering the hardest riff of the album, and a very fast pace with a particularly pounding drum and menacing orchestrations that relentlessly follow the entire song. Next are "The Lovers," beautiful but a bit too long-winded in the chorus, and "The Hanged Man," neither good nor bad, which pave the way for the last gem, the diamond ring that closes the chain in great style: "The Moon": 11 and a half minutes, with even "illustrious citations" (properly metallized) of classical composers like Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and Mozart, that our heroes perfectly blend with their choruses, their orchestrations and their increasingly refined melodies (in particular, the bridge of this song is simply wonderful). The album theoretically ends here, but there is also the bonus track, "The Fool," an excellent power song that would have found a better place at the beginning of the album.

Overall, a great album by a band that, with songs like "The Devil In The Tower" and "The Moon" has demonstrated having such compositional talent as to deserve a place of honor in the pantheon of the gods of power. They may not be the most original, but, as I have already mentioned before, if the songs are enjoyable and have value, this becomes a completely trivial and irrelevant detail.

LISTEN TO DARK MOOR.