Root is another of the small cadre of left-field
Czech Republic bands.
Compared to oddballs such as fellow countrymen
Master's Hammer
and
Love History,
Root is almost conventional in style, but they are still
a highly original and very entertaining band, ranking
with the aforementioned Love History and
Forgotten Silence
as the best bands to come from the Czech Republic.
They've been at it for quite some time, forming back in 1987
and still going strong.
Musically the band might be
closest to doom metal, particularly
given the overall pace of the songs, but Root rarely sounds
like a traditional doom band, instead opting for a darker,
occult-ish style, with interesting riffs and surprising depth.
The music alone is reason enough to listen to this band,
but in vocalist Big Boss the group has one of the most original
frontmen in metal today.
His booming, theatrical baritone is the perfect compliment to
the music, but he mixes up his vocals with some blackish rasps,
and even times resorts to evil laughs and screams.
Though it may come across as a cliche, Root has progressively
improved with age, as albums such as The Book
and especially Black Seal are nothing short of brilliant.
Simply an outstanding band.