Tarot are an Australian band with a retro sound, offering Hammond-driven Hard Rock with strong 70s overtones. The long-awaited sophomore album “Glimpse Of The Dawn” was released on April 12, 2024 via Cruz del Sur Music/Heavy Chains Records and contains eight mid-length tracks. The title-track opens the album and immediately immerses us in the band’s sound, an energetic Hard Rock with fine interlacing of guitar and keyboards. The vocals are dynamic and expressive and fit well into the musical context, interpreting the lyrics with passion. A solid and elaborate rhythm section full of tempo changes and deep, load-bearing bass lines characterises the song structure. While the guitar offers an interesting solo in the middle part, and then the vocal returns with engaging refrains. Continuing the musical discourse undertaken in the previous “The Winding Road” is another excellent piece of 70s-style Hard Rock. Heavy sounds permeate the track, rhythmic, energetic and with riffs that intertwine keyboards and guitar of fine workmanship, while the bass and drumming provide a solid rhythm section. Interesting instrumental sections offer forays into Prog reminiscent of bands like Uriah Heep or Rainbow, with an intense guitar solo in the finale. After two more heavy tracks, the band offers a more melodic track, “Leshy’s Warning.” The intertwining of softer sounds and the band’s gritty rock creates an interesting mixture that softens the tone between the heavier sounds of the other tracks. A musical crescendo incorporating refined guitar riffs and keyboards, with the intensity increasing as the track progresses. The final instrumental section stands out. “Echoes Through Time” returns to the band’s heavier sounds with well-constructed riffs from the guitar and keyboards. The rhythm section is solid and the vocals warm and expressive, while the keyboard solo inserts offer valuable cues. A track with epic atmospheres, between proto-Metal and 70s-style Hard Rock, enhancing the band’s compositional and excutive technique and offering a retro sound with a modern and personal touch. The album’s shortest track “The Harrier” features two minutes of intertwining electric and acoustic guitar, creating an enveloping atmospheric sound. A bombastic organ intro characterises “The Vagabond’s Return,” a track that combines classic Hard Rock with the band’s personal touch. Engaging choral parts characterise the vocals, with more energetic verses, interpreting the lyrics with intensity and making the track punchy. The interplay between guitar and keyboards is well constructed and the continuous tempo changes lead the band to explore Heavy Prog sounds with keyboards in evidence. Another sumptuous, well-constructed and incisive riff opens “Dreamer In The Dark,” another track that winks at Prog-soaked Hard Rock sounds. The vocals are dynamic and expressive and alternate perfectly with the instrumental parts, bringing the classic sounds of the genre into a fresh and modern context. The longest track in duration “Heavy Weighs The Crown” concludes the album, exceeding seven minutes in duration. It is an energetic blend of Heavy Rock and Progressive with keyboards in great prominence, intertwining with beautifully crafted electric guitar riffs. The rhythm section is solid and elaborate, with continuous tempo changes that allow the central theme of the song to evolve with technique and quality. Intense, energetic and very involving, a track that concludes this listening perfectly. The band confirms in this second album, what was good in the previous one, between heavy guitar riffs intertwined with keyboards and a granitic rhythm section. The vocals are dynamic and expressive, fitting perfectly into the band’s musical context, skilful in bringing retro sounds into a fresh and modern context with personal traits. Long tracks that enhance the band’s compositional technique. A recommended listen for all lovers of Hard Rock sounds with large use of keyboards, in the style of bands such as Uriah Heep, Rainbow and Deep Purple.
Tracklist
01. Glimpse Of The Dawn (05:15)
02. The Winding Road (04:50)
03. Leshy’s Warning (05:13)
04. Echoes Through Time (04:38)
05. The Harrier (02:14)
06. The Vagabond’s Return (05:50)
07. Dreamer In The Dark (06:43)
08. Heavy Weighs The Crown (07:06)
Lineup
Will Spectre / Vocals and Guitar
Felix Russell / Guitar
David Walsh / Bass
Dave Harrington-George / Keyboards
The Hermit / Drums