So the cards have to be mixed again. One thing is for sure, Tarot have as much in common with Nightwish as AC/DC with Kylie Minogue. But that again is rather a good thing not to catch up with any similarities and taking a risk to get compared. 
Tarot are playing a more or less average Heavy Metal with a volumenous beat. Yeah, they are good, very good indeed, and the ace of hearts accociates himself  often with the joker, who again goes his own way from time to time on his keyboard, but also without. Underlined by the king of spades - Zach, who get his six strings dancing. And he does like his beer inbetween,that's for sure, and you can see this! But never mind, he truly can play his guitar, and only this counts in the end. But again, it is Marco Hietala, who's very own brand is his funny beard which is whipping along with the beat and gets itselves almost in a frontrole position. 
Yep, the strategy does well, and those few fans here in our good old Metropolis venue, shake their heads from upside down to the power sound of Tarot. 

The set combines the material of eight albums, released between 1986 and 2006. (see setlist). But the actual highpoint of the gig is a soloperformance of the joker tommi Salmela, who leaves his keyboard alone to come in front of the stage to produce the abolute flash down. It's great and the kids in the audiance get exited. The euphoric wave swaps from stage to the audiance and back again like a ping pong. A rather interesting matter of fact is, that this song performed by Tommy is an over 20 years old track named 'Veterans Of Psychic Wars', written by Eric Bloom of Blue Öyster Cult. By the way, also Ozzy Osbourne has covered this piece already in the eighties and it has been taken as the titletrack of the movie 'Heavy Metal'. It's rather sad, that most fans don't even know all this and are not aware of this circumstances. But on the other hand it also proves, that exspecially the old classic tunes are still pretty much alive and they get very well down where and when so ever and leave other now a days music still behind in a way. It is also sad, that nowadays music never reaches this magic cultstatus again due to the too fast living musicbusiness. But at least the old tunes still get honoured. 
Though to get back to the current facts, - the tarot, which gets played tonight is a very well done indeed, - like I said before. Unfortunately you can't read the future here. But as long as this band is going on now, I'm sure, they will be on the track for another 20 years maybe. And despite all indiviuallity, it's quite useful, that the name Nightwish is sailing somewhere in the background. So Marco, please try to keep both birds flying, one helps out the other as we say so.

PS.: sorry I forgot to mention one bandmember. But that one is sticking to the drumkit with a very grumpy face and seems to be the deadringer of Tarot carrying two finnish flags. Please take care of the boys, so we still have a chance in the future to catch a piece of the tarot cake. 
                                                                                               More Live Pics  here