From their EPK, "A whole decade after their last album, Portuguese gothic/dark metal pioneers HEAVENWOOD announce the release of their highly-anticipated new record, "The Tarot of the Bohemians – Part II," marking the second and final chapter of the conceptual work inspired by the hermetic writings of Gérard Encausse. "Every work has its own story, and this new album goes far beyond being merely a concept and a continuation of the first part released in 2016", composer, founder, guitarist and singer Ricardo Dias dos Santos comments. "Against all odds that arose in 2022 - after a near-fatal accident and imperative changes that led to a number of irreversible decisions - the conclusion of "The Tarot of the Bohemians" finally sees the light of day, continuing a legacy that has endured for more than 30 years."

"Death" is the first cut, and there are some harmonies and melodies mixed in to the heavy sound. The harsh vocals are filthy, and there is also some dissonance present at times. It's a slow mover. "The Devil" is quicker in pace, but the riffing fairly standard. The drums move well but there isn't much in the way of dynamism on the album so far. The twin guitar harmonies are nice though. "The Lightning-Struck Tower" features heavy and meaty bass notes that give the song a strong bass for the riffs. You can definitely pick up on elements of dark metal here, but not a lot of gothic inspiration. Indeed, the vocals are usually sung clean and low. Maybe Ricardo wants to bring something new to the table. "The Stars" has a mid-tempo pace and they let melodies peek their heads out here. This time, the vocals are clean, and the song has a groove as well as hooks. This will be a memorable offering.

"The Sun" is similar to the previous song, in that it offers clean vocals and melody, instead of harsh vocals and dissonance. It's also another song with a catchy chorus. "The Judgement" hears the album turn back to harsh vocals once again, although this time, there are melodies interwoven with them. That combination is one of the things that the album does best. "The Fool" take diversity a step further with the advent of acoustical guitar strums in the beginning. Although I don't know which band came first, I hear influences of the Finnish band HIM here, and it's wonderfully melodic. "The World" is last up, and they keep the melody flowing. I much prefer this to the harsh vocals, although both do have their roles on the album. The female vocalist who crops up here and there is also uncredited, so I don't know her name.

Although the album has a rough start, being stuck in the mud with obligatory harsh vocals and simple riffs, it successfully transitioned to the sounds that are familiar to those of us who enjoy the genre of dark and gothic metal. Things like lower register clean vocals, harmonies, hooks, and memorable melodies are the best parts for me.