Crows Fly Back [Import]

Tarot | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 12, 2007)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Nuclear Blast Americ
• ASIN: B000KP7LX4
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #339,357 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Crows Fly Back

2. Traitor

3. Ashes To The Stars

4. Messenger Of Gods

5. Before The Skies Come Down

6. Tides

7. Bleeding Dust

8. You

9. Howl

10. Grey

11. Veteran Of Psychic Wars

12. Tarot Media Player

Editorial Reviews

Tarot is not only a card game, but also a long time running heavy metal band from Finland. The band was founded in the early eighties by the Hietala brothers. The first album ''Spell Of Iron'' was finally released in 1986. Much later Marco became famous as a member of Sinergy and of course Nightwish, but he never abandoned his baby band. Tarots have released great albums, which are a lesson in stainless steel, pure heavy metal - but without the clichés. If you never heard of Tarot, this is the chance to become part of the beautiful world of metal the band unleashes. 2007.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great metal!, March 14, 2007

By 

k93 - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Crows Fly Back (Audio CD)

Tarot is a Finnish metal band that has been around for a long time, and this disc is my first introduction to their music. And I have to say, this is very fine straight-up heavy metal! (Can Finnish metal be anything other than great? hehehee) For me, the highlight of this band is Marco Hietala. As many know, he is the singer for Nightwish on their last couple of albums, and that is how I got to know Tarot. Anyone who loves Marco's vocals on Nightwish should definitely pick this up. IMHO he is one of the best vocalists in heavy metal!

As for the price, yeah 38 dollars is insane!! You could order this from Europe yourself and even with the shipping and currency exchange it wouldn't be that much! So, look for a cheaper copy, and get it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Keeps Me Coming Black for More, March 14, 2011

By 

Hayden (Australia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Crow Flys Black (Audio CD)

It's natural and common to be excited about listening to an album for the first time. But it's not many times that you're genuinely excited about hearing that same album a second time, let alone a third, or a fourth. For me, Tarot's 'Crows Fly Black' was one of those cases.

After listening to absolutely everything from Nightwish's catalogue, and especially loving the material featuring Marco Hietala in the band, it was only natural that I was going to turn to Tarot to see what Marco's original band had to offer. I decided to begin with 'Crows Fly Black', one of their later albums, figuring that the band would have well-and-truly matured by this point in their career, and figuring that the production of the album would be decent due to its relatively recent release (of 2006). After receiving it a few weeks ago, and having played it over a dozen times, I can safely say that Tarot are certainly at a mature point in their career. In fact, they're one of the most matured and professional acts in metal. 'Crows Fly Black' is simply superb; every single track is well-written, ideally structured and executed almost to perfection!

On this outing, Tarot have created a near-flawless hard rock/metal album. They avoid making the mistakes that so many metal bands make. There are basically no cheesy, cringe-worthy or cliche lyrics here (e.g. "the flames of the fire, burning with desire"). None of the songs sound forced, uninspired or sound like they were thrown together in ten minutes; the riffs are well-crafted and evidently thought out. Each song sounds different from the other, meaning that listening doesn't get tiresome. The guitar solos aren't all about showmanship, but rather about fitting in with the general vibe of the song; the solos are focused on enhancing the music, and working integrally with the song in order to create a better track overall. There's no failed attempts at trying to sound epic; Tarot know their limitations. There's no spoken word, no ridiculously long intros, no flamboyance or any pretentiousness because, while these things can work in metal (for bands such as Nightwish, Iron Maiden, etc.), Tarot don't exactly have the resources to allow such things, something which they are obviously aware of.

So, rather than biting off more than they can chew, or being over-ambitious, Tarot have just stuck to what they know and what they do best - play classic metal and hard rock music. Rather than waste their efforts in branching out into new territories of experimentation (which so many metal bands make the mistake of doing), Tarot simply cultivate the abilities that they have, and refine their material to perfection. And don't think that this results in Tarot becoming a boring band; they are FAR from boring. The strategy that Tarot have taken towards making their music has payed off in a big way. Just listen to the album, and you'll see what I mean. These guys sacrifice the frills in order to work on the core music; to work on creating brilliant riffs which can be found in the likes of the Title Track and the superb "Before the Skies Come Down"; to work on the catchy choruses found in "Howl!", "You" and "Ashes to the Stars"; the infectious brutality of "Messenger of Gods", "Traitor" and "Bleeding Dust"; the perfection of "Grey" and the beauty of "Tides". Every one of these tracks has something special to offer; something memorable, enjoyable and addictive that will warrant and encourage further listens.

And this is why I have kept coming back and listening to this CD, and why I have always felt a small jolt of excitement every time I press/click the play button; I just know that I'm in for something special. I know that I'm going to enjoy the Deep-Purple-meets-Ozzy-Osbourne main riff in "Before the Skies Come Down", I know that I'm going to enjoy the catchy bridge of "Bleeding Dust", I know I'm going to enjoy the musicianship in "Messenger of Gods", I know that I'm going to enjoy the anthemic chorus of "Howl!", and I know that I'm going to enjoy the vocals in "Tides". As I've said, each track has something great to offer to the listener, and this is because Tarot have taken the time and put in the effort to shape some quality songs, rather than screwing around trying to be something they're not. They're a band who know exactly WHO they are, WHAT they're trying to achieve, and HOW they can achieve it - and, as a result, it benefits their output.

Tarot have quite played their hand cleverly, showing maturity and brains as they have crafted one of the most flawless hard rock & metal albums you are likely to hear. On this occasion, Tarot have focused one hundred per cent upon what they do best, and they have DONE their best in doing what they do best. I take my hat off to Tarot; they're a very respectable band and an absolute class act.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars great metal, March 9, 2007

By 

Zort "zortified" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crows Fly Back (Audio CD)

Tarot is a wonderful, awesome metal band. Good, sharp metal without being 'screamy' - you can actually understand the singer's lyrics. I really love their version of Veteran of the Psychic Wars. I gave the CD four stars because $34 is a bit overpriced, so definitely check the Amazon marketplace for better deals (or go directly to their website! [...])