''The Book'' is the fifth studio album by

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places * Czech, ...

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

/ heavy metal band

Root In vascular plants, the roots are the organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often below the sur ...

, released on 24 June 1999 through Redblack Productions. It was the band's first album with guitarists Marek "Ashok" Šmerda and Aleš "Alesh A.D." Dostál (even though the latter left the band after the album's release, and only returned in 2014), and their second of four albums to be recorded at the Shaark Studio in

South Moravia The South Moravian Region ( cs, Jihomoravský kraj; , ; sk, Juhomoravský kraj) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the south-western part of its historical region of Moravia (an exception is Jobova Lhota which trad ...

, the others being ''

Kärgeräs ''Kärgeräs'' is the fourth studio album by Czech black metal band Root, released in 1996 through Black Hole Records. Beginning with this album, Root began to drift away from their traditional black metal-inflected sonority, seeing them advancing ...

'', its sequel ''

Kärgeräs – Return from Oblivion ''Kärgeräs – Return from Oblivion'' is the tenth studio album by Czech black/ heavy metal band Root. Originally announced on 28 September 2016, it was eventually released on 25 November through Agonia Records, and is their first studio album ...

'' and '' Black Seal''. The track "Lykorian", included in this album, is different from the eponymous track present in their previous album ''Kärgeräs''.

Critical reception

''The Book'' was very positively received upon its release. MetalUnderground.com gave it a 4 out of 5, stating: "''The Book'' seems more focused overall than ''

The Temple in the Underworld ''The Temple in the Underworld'' is the third studio album by Czech black metal band Root, released in December 1992 through Monitor. This marked the end of their early raw black metal sound, and was also their last release with guitarist Dani ...

'', keeping up the unique style but not going nearly as eclectic. The sound is based in doom and a constant mid-tempo pace, and is overall a bit more mature and advanced than the earlier albums. Unlike with its predecessors, almost none of the album can even be remotely considered black metal anymore, as Root went a far different direction than the infamous second wave. Vocally, the disc usually sticks to a deep and clean baritone singing that can't really be heard anywhere else". MetalReviews.com praised it as "excellent and highly recommended", saying that "the band sound like a cross between

Iced Earth Iced Earth is an American heavy metal band formed in Tampa, Florida and currently based in Columbus, Indiana. They were formed in 1984 under the name the Rose, then Purgatory, by guitarist and main songwriter Jon Schaffer and original drummer ...

and

Grand Magus Grand Magus are a three-piece heavy metal band from Stockholm, Sweden that draws influence from classic heavy metal bands and elements of doom metal. Career The band was formed in 1996 under the name ''Smack'' by former Cardinal Fang vocali ...

, with plenty of experimentation and a singer that sounds like

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...

" and ultimately rating it with an 89 out of 100.ROOT - THE BOOK - MetalReviews.com
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Track listing

Personnel

* Big Boss (Jiří Valter) – vocals, ocarina * Petr "Blackie" Hošek – guitar, keyboards, production * Alesh A.D. (Aleš Dostál) – guitar * Marek "Ashok" Šmerda – guitar * René "Evil" Kostelňák – drums * Milan Valter – piano * Michal "Siki" Sýkora – cello * Jaromír "Deather" Bezruč – cover art * Lenka Slezáková – photography * Pavel Hlavica – mixing * Petr Najezchleba – engineering

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Book, The 1999 albums Root (band) albums