Artist description ROOT…root…So mighty, twisted, branched widely out, drilled tight to the depth, wrinkled by ages, but still full of prolific juice, on the top of its powers. Yes, that´s the way our root is…sure, we mean ROOT. The band, that began to play in 1987, has managed a very strong and persistant (true cult) position in the Czech as well as worldwide metal scene during several years. The leading couple of ROOT (singer, composer and lyrics writer Jiri "Big Boss" Valtr and the musical "brain" of the band in the person of Petr "Blackie" Hosek) has the main merit with the increasing success of ROOT. In spite of many personal disagreements and "dead communication" periods these two leaders have always found their common way how to create music. The connection of their phenomenal composing abilities gives a birth to music art, that is able to fascinate all the fans by its cunning, original invention and mystical energy which come through every molecule of perceptive listener´s body. The band found its typical and unchangeable face with the breakthrough album "The Temple In The Underworld" , whose legacy is successfully developed with every following record. The brilliant album "Kargeras" was overcome with the even more excellent album "The Book" released in 1999. You wouldn´t find many records in the chronicle of worldwide metal music that would breathe by such a pure mysticism as the trio of above mentioned ROOT albums. The quality level has always been raising… Let´s believe this reality will stay the same at the upcoming record which should be finished in summer 2001. Wish the creation of ROOT is eternally lasting and cycling as the carousel of Zodiac…

Music Style dark mystical metal

Artist History The "BLACK SEAL" album was nominated to Czech Grammy Awards 2001 in hard'n'heavy genre !!!

Group Members Big Boss - voc., Blackie - guit., Ashok - guit., Igor - bass, Evil - drums

Albums Zjevení (1990), Hell Symphony (1991), The Temple... (1992), Kärgeräs (1996), The Book (1999), Black Seal (2001)

Press Reviews ROOT - "Black Seal" "Underrated" and "underappreciated" are two terms which are used an awful lot in the metal scene, but they have perhaps never been so aptly applied as to the Czech Republic's Root. Their sixth album, Black Seal continues down their singular path of musical evolution to arrive at an insular plateau of original style, superior execution, and artistic integrity. Yet, they still seem to be largely unknown. Whether this is due to poor distribution, lack of promotion, or their somewhat esoteric sound is unclear, but it's certainly not due to lack of talent or originality. The stellar production from their last masterpiece The Book reappears here, with a biting but clear guitar tone, warm roomy drums, and lots of enchanting post-production effects. The feel is somewhat similar, but with Root it's almost useless to refer to their past albums for descriptive fodder. They are an ever-changing entity, and their influences are absorbed into their own personal vacuum. There does seem to be more of a doom feel to Black Seal than their past efforts, especially in places like the opening of the title track (which could easily be a Solitude Aeturnus riff) and the creepy plodding crawl of "Liber Prohibitis." Root's real strength lies in their guitar work, their impeccable tone providing a wonderful springboard for some creative chords and stellar lead sections. Ashok is one of the best soloists in the metal scene, his feel and technique are peerless and in a just world he'd be mentioned alongside greats like Michael Denner, Andy LaRocque, Trey Azagthoth and Lars Johansson. One of the most jarring and effective uses of guitar on the album is in the strange tapping horrific melody over the opening staccato riffing of "Nativity." The two guitar parts simultaneously clash and work together, creating a nice sense of tension with the tenuous polyphony that is sadly absent in much of today's music. Vocal terror Big Boss is a multifaceted asset, his demonic howlings and operatic laments providing the most unique aspect of the band. His bizarro-vibrato croonings are more prominent than ever, but yet there is a wide variety of vocal styles and more atonal retchings than on The Book. Fernando of Moonspell is a guest vocalist on "Salamandra," and his subdued approach here is much more effective to these ears than the "ancient sexy vampire" pretensions of his own band's vocal work. Probably the most noticeable difference of Black Seal from their past works is the inclusion of occasional accompanying keyboard lines. Subtle and effective, the use of keyboards imparts a slightly more theatrical feel to the already emotionally charged material. Another in an incredibly long string of classic albums, Black Seal is a resounding success, and hopefully, the beginning of increased recognition and respect for its composers. Aaron J. Klamer, DigitalMetal.com

Location Brno, Czech Republic - Czech Republic

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