At last, Tasmanian rockers Tarot are releasing the long awaited follow up to the promising debut, Reflections. Seeped in the rock roots of Heep and Purple their brand of Hammond driven rock shows a more mature and structured approach as vocals, guitar and Hammond vie with each other in harmonious conflict.
Called Glimpse of The Dawn, the new album kicks off in fine style with the title track…Hammond and acoustic introduce a folksy feel before the main riff/melody kicks in and develops into a sort of Heepy-Ashy song of quality. That feel continues on the complex, melodic ‘The Winding Road’. The calm mid-section brings a well structured and crafted guitar solo. The Hammond is truly unleashed on ‘Leshy’s Warning’ – after a clever acoustic guitars intro, the instruments play nicely but Hammond chords win out. The short, instrumental ‘The Harrier’ will have you thinking ‘I’ve heard that’… you haven’t!
My favourite has to be the very Hensley feel to the rather excellent ‘The Vagabond’s Return,’ it has a nice keys intro building to the strong riff and a delightful section leading to another great guitar solo. The album closes with seven minutes of the band having a blast on ‘Heavy Weighs the Crown,’ Hammond and synth bring a touch of old-world majesty before the rolling drums lead us to a Purply/Heeply slice of quality 70s rooted, modern rock with a sense of freedom and humour… actually, this is my favourite.
This is a solid rock album with so much to satisfy the rock lover especially, but not exclusively, if you like the early Heep sound. Give it a listen and you won’t be disappointed.
Glimpse of The Dawn is out now via Cruz Del Sur Music.
