Root "Kärgeräs" CD (Bonustracks)

Whenever I think of Root, I remember how much I hate the current music industry, not just in general but also within the metal community. Back before the internet was a gigantic force, bands tended to be successful due to having a good amount of skill or prowess in their work. However, in the current day the metal market has been over saturated. Public image and appealing to the masses has become a more important thing than ever. Because of this, Root has never gotten the attention they deserve, despite creating several masterful albums throughout their career.
I believe I first discovered Root when I saw Kärgeräs - Return From Oblivion at a record store. It looked exceptionally cool, with Big Boss's face plastered on the cover, and the cool Root logo molded in bone. I did end up buying this album (luckily enough) from the internet. After doing this, I took a look on the Metal Archives and discovered that Root had created quite a few more albums previously. Listening to them, and especially after hearing Heritage of Satan, I realized how awesome their latest release was. Whereas their previous album Heritage of Satan is a lot more faster-paced and thrashy (though somewhat generic, unfortunately), this one is a lot more progressive and epic in scope, with a variety of styles presented.
Finally getting to the actual album, this is a continuation of the Kärgeräs story created by the album by the same name. To be perfectly honest, I really don't understand it too well. The album seems to portray the pleadings of the sons of "Grandiose Magus", wanting him to make the nation Kärgeräs return again after it was destroyed by his own hand. The song "New Empire" is a great example of this being portrayed lyrically, and the actual song is quite awesome as well, having lighter verses followed by a heavy, melodic riffing section. I like the change that Big Boss did with the voices as well: Equirhodont (Grandiose Magus) has a raspier, older sounding voice, while his son Raon has his verses sung cleanly. Another song that has the same lyrical concept as this is "Moment of Hope". An entirely acoustic piece, this song has Lykorian speaking to Grandiose Magus. It is a very emotional endeavor, with Big Boss once again showing the versatility of his vocals. On the other side of things, Kärgeräs - Return From Oblivion also retains much heavier tracks reminiscent of some found on their earlier epic albums. "Life of Demon" is a great opener, maybe one of Root's best. The song show off Big Boss's operatic vocals while also having a phenomenal rhythmic section. Other highlights include "Black Iris" and "Moment of Fright." I caught the mentions of Root's previous albums in the latter ("So play your Hell Symphony", "Black Seal is broken", etc.) Though quite cheesy, the song is still is an great collection of vocals and riffs. If I'm not mistaken, it is actually mostly done vocally by Igor, the bassist of Root. He actually does an excellent job; I don't even think Big Boss could sound like him. I do also have to commend the other members of Root as well. Alesh A.D. and Hanz lay out memorable guitar riffs and patterns in each song, and Paul Dread does a rather technical performance on every track as well (the drumming really is quite spectacular.) This might also be the best sounding Root album in terms of production. Many of their albums are rather underproduced (which could be a good or bad thing depending on personal preference.) The guitars and drums on Kärgeräs - Return From Oblivion are quite strong, and I can actually hear the bass decently well. The rest of the tracks on the album are also extraordinary; Do not ignore them. In my (not so) humble opinion, Kärgeräs - Return From Oblivion is simply just another Root masterpiece. Those who liked The Book and Black Seal (and Kargeras, of course) will surely like this. Even in his 60's, Big Boss and his crew can still churn out masterful pieces of metal for the average metal fan, notwithstanding their general obscurity.

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