I have to confess I was on the verge to delete the word “Power” in the style description. What I got to listen to on the band’s seventh album entitled Tarot does not have anything to do with power metal anymore.
Instead Spanish DARK MOOR exactly offer again what they got (not wrongly) blamed for on their previous releases: trivially average quality of very melodic metal. Music is interspersed with too often heard melodies, keyboard use, many choirs and synthetic string arrangements. Tarot is not only too melodic (I admittedly have a general problem with) but also in such a way hackneyed since the heyday of Helloween that I cannot wrap it into words.
Of course, there is nothing to nag about technically. These four gents absolutely know their trades, as well as the female guest vocalist Manda Ophuis (Nemesea) who is permanently used. Same can be said about the production, which is perfectly tuned on this kind of music and brings out the best.
Ergo, there is only one problem left: I cannot deal with the musical stylistic. Even objectively considered nothing new gets offered and tracks like The Chariot, Wheel Of Fortune and Lovers quickly turn out be listening-away-pieces. Even used fragments of the 9th symphony (for Elise from Ludwig van Beethoven respectively) as in The Moon do not help. Only the pure singing passage in Devil In The Power (great arrangement) I found innovative and convincing. Why DARK MOOR did not gave us more of that?
Anyway, those who are looking for an independent piece of music will not find it here. Additionally it suits that the cover artwork looks like Royo, but it is not. More than 6 points I’m not willing to spend.