Release Date June 12th, 2026
Format LP/CD/Digital
Genre Gothic Metal
Origin Portugal
Portuguese veterans Heavenwood has been carrying the torch for dark and melancholic metal since the mid 90s, standing among the first names from Portugal to gain serious international attention in the gothic and doom metal underground. Since the days of “Diva” and “Swallow”, the band built its identity around sorrowful melodies, heavy riffing and emotional darkness, sharing stages with names like Cradle Of Filth, Amorphis and In Flames. After ten long years without a full album, Ricardo Dias dos Santos returns with “The Tarot Of The Bohemians, Part II”, closing the conceptual cycle started back in 2016 and pushing Heavenwood deeper into spiritual darkness and emotional torment.
“The Tarot Of The Bohemians, Part II” sounds huge without losing the cold and sorrowful spirit that made Heavenwood recognizable through the years. The album dives into gothic metal, dark-doom passages and melodic death metal textures with a far more cinematic aura than older releases. There is a strong emotional pull running through the entire album, especially in the guitar work and layered atmosphere, while the vocals move between mournful melodies and harsher moments that give the songs a darker edge. The production by Niko HK Krauss gives the material a bigger and more dramatic sound without stripping away the human emotion buried inside the riffs.
“The Tarot” concept gives the album a mystical and occult aura, though the music itself remains the main weapon here. Songs like “Death”, “The Devil” and “The Moon” bring an oppressive emotional charge mixed with heavy grooves and melodic despair, recalling the old spirit of bands such as Paradise Lost and Sentenced without sounding trapped inside nostalgia. Heavenwood sounds experienced, wounded and determined, and that emotional tension gives the album real power.
Ricardo Dias dos Santos deserves credit for carrying this album almost entirely on his shoulders. The guitar work constantly shifts between melancholic melodies and crushing heaviness, while Eduardo Sinatra’s drumming adds force and movement across the album. The material stays focused and emotionally intense across its running time, avoiding filler and weak moments. Some sections could have used more raw aggression and a few melodies circle around familiar gothic metal territory, though the songwriting remains strong enough to hold attention throughout the entire album.
“The Tarot Of The Bohemians, Part II” is a dark, emotional and powerful return from a band that still sounds inspired after more than three decades. This is a serious, elite metal record that commands respect, avoiding mainstream commercial traps. Heavenwood returns with total authority, dominating the gothic metal realm with an ambitious, dark masterclass.
| 8.0
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