Perhaps the most European sounding American power-prog band, lead by guitarist Thom Youngblood. It started in early 90s, being heavily influenced by early Queensryche, Crimson Glory, Blind Guardian, and Manowar, but lacking the energy and the drive of any of those bands. Kamelot's first two albums, featuring the vocals of Mark Vanderbilt, "Eternity" (1993) and "Dominion" (1995), receiving relatively high ratings from the critics, but in my opinion both were fairly light and not overly exciting. Soon after Vanderbilt departed and was replaced with none other than Roy "Khan" Khantatat of Conception glory. Resulting album, "Siege Perilous" (1997), was widely awaited, but turned out to be a flop, mostly due to the horrendous production. The band got a much needed kick in the butt when the world-acclaimed production tandem of Sascha Paeth and Michael "Miro" Rodenberg took charge. On the follow-ups, "The Fourth Legacy" (2000) and "Karma" (2001), the band showed significant improvement, and joined the American metal elite. The next album was an ambicious rock opera "Epica" (2003), which came out to raving reviews, but it was the part 2 of the story, "The Black Halo" (2005), that became their greatest success. The band began touring in the U.S. and is truly shining.
ETERNITY (1995)
RATING: **1/2
BEST SONGS: "Proud Nomad," "Fire Within," "What About Me?"
Sometimes it's hard to say what the problem is, when every piece of the puzzle is present, but somehow the whole feeling isn't. Eternity has good riffs, emotional singing (even too emotional, sometimes bordering on hysteria), solid keyboards and drumming, and songwriting isn't bad either, but it just doesn't grab you, but rather stays remote. Except for occasional foot-tapping, I was never in it. Maybe, it's the fact that lyrics, written by a drummer, Richard Warner, are obviously secondary to Youngblood's music, and Vanderbilt might have as well been simply humming along, instead of singing words. Also, the rhythm is never kept steady, and riffs change around quite a bit, not giving you that awesome "r-r-rock!" feeling. I think, unlike other bands, Kamelot has too much potential, and as it sometimes happens, gets lost in its own bag of goods. "Proud Nomad," "Red Sands," and "One Of The Hunted" all have good starting riffs, but they get lost somewhere in the process, overshadowed by other riffs and Vanderbilt's vocals. In one word, it's just not catchy enough, but hopefully someday they will turn it around. I like "What About Me?" cuz it's a slow song, and there is no need for energy they are lacking in other songs.
THE FOURTH LEGACY (2000)
RATING: ****
BEST SONGS: "The Fourth Legacy," "Nights Of Arabia," "Until Kingdom Come"
Second album by the band after being joined by Khan (and formation of "Khanelot") and fourth overall (as the title indicates). One thing that immediately sets this album apart from many other albums in power metal genre is the awesome production from Sascha Paeth (Heavens Gate). Every instrument can be heard vividly, and Khan's voice is as good as ever. Unfortunately, there are not too many opportunity for Khan to use his angelic voice to the full, simply because the melodies, the harmonies, and the arrangements are nowhere near the intricacy of Conception (or, should I say, "Khanception"?). It starts out very strong, with a smoothe intro and a fast and rocking title track. Along with great Middle-Eastern sounds and excellent choirs of "Nights Of Arabia" and speed and emotions of "Until Kingdom Come," this one is my favorite on the album. "Alexandria" sounds a bit like mid-period Maiden material, only better produced and not as catchy. "Inquisitor" I simply do not like: the lyrics simply do not match the music. "Shadows Of Uther" is yet another "ethnic" track, with some Irish influences. "Sailorman's Hymn" is more in vein of earlier Kamelot: nice and solemn. A good album, and worth having, but do not expect it to be a competition to Conception.
KARMA (2001)
BEST SONGS: "Forever," "The Spell," title track
The band keeps improving. Stellar production is becoming a norm (Sascha!), and the "rocking-tunes-to-all-tunes" ratio is getting higher. The album begins with a mandatory pompous (though very pretty) instrumental and shifts into "Forever," which is a speed metal version of "Solvich" by Sibelius, and belongs in the same book as Accept and Savatage as far as covering classical compositions. Great tune overall. "Wings Of Despair" is another fast one, but it's not as enchanting. Then comes "The Spell," which is probably my favorite song on the album. A great mid-tempo prog rocker with a sinister chorus ("All my demons cast a spell") is a real gem. Great use of keyboards in this tune too. "Don't You Cry" is a first ballad on this album, and many people love it big time. I think that the music itself, the classical guitar, and orchestral arragements are all pretty good. It's also quite memorable. But I absolutely hate what Khan is doing with his voice on this song. His falcetto in the chorus is unbearable to me, and to hear it from a man who used to reach some of the highest notes available to man (Conception's "Solar Serpent") is very disappointing. Overall, I think Khan is drastically under-using his vocal abilities on this album, he sounds very restrained (this was totally not the case live). Title track is another great number, with keyboards being simply excellent. Session player and producer Miro is doing an awesome job, and I'm just wondering why can't Thom Youngblood hire a permanent keys player, because keys are a detrimental part of the band's music and sound (at the concert, keyboards were handled by a man from Vanden Plaz). "The Light I Shine On You" is also strong, with more good keyboards at the end. "Across The Highlands" is good and fast, with a great chorus, fulfilling the Kamelot quota of "three fast songs per album." "Elizabeth" trilogy stirred up some controversy, and just about half the people love it and the other half hate it. I find the first two parts to be rather weak (and again, Khan switches to falcetto in "Mirror, Mirror," MAN, STOP IT!), and the final part being very good (Khan makes up for his slip-ups before with a blistering performance). Based on the story of Elizabeth Bathory (female version of Dracula), it showcases some ambition, but it comes through a little plain. The bonus track is "Don't Cry" sung in French, not quite sure what the point is. I have to mention Youngblood's guitar, he is a master indeed. A great album, and Kamelot is becoming one of the leaders of the underground American scene. At this pace they will be opening for Iced Earth in several years. :)
EPICA (2003)
BEST SONGS: "Decent Of The Archangel," "A Feast For The Vain," "Lost And Damned"
As Kamelot further progressed into the realm of symphonic epic power metal, so beloved by Rhapsody, etc., a rock opera is only the next logical step. Epica is a rock opera, loosely based on the legend of Faust, as the main character, Ariel, in search of truth and wisdom, is seduced by a dark spirit, Mephisto, but seeks salvation with help of his love, Helena. Great main idea (too bad the plot kinda ends up hanging in vacuum, as no legible conclusion to the story is offered, although I've heard there's going to be a continuation), great sound, great production, great versatility, great vocal melodies from Khan (and his voice is even better than on Karma, I might add), masterful playing from the rest of the band, all of these things are superb. However, in the songwriting department, the songs feel a bit strained and rushed. Straight-ahead power metal pieces like "Center Of The Universe" sound somewhat derivative and formulaic, as Kamelot's two previous albums, were full of excellent similar pieces. Where the band goes on to explore new territories, they achieve marvelous results, as "Lost And Damned," which contains the elements of tango, unheard in metal since Warlock's "Metal Tango," and uses a bandeon, is a strong contender for the Song of the Year. "A Feast For The Vain" is another strong track, both emotional and energetic. Honestly, all songs are a pleasure to listen to, and all are catchy and memorable, and some hooks are terrific ("On the edge of paradise, poison burning in my veins"), I wish they would spend more time on arrangements and just making songs more interesting. The mandatory ballad, "On The Coldest Winter Night" is excellent as well. To sum up: Kamelot turned into America's best power metal band, but even they need to take their time in releasing masterpieces.
THE BLACK HALO (2005)
BEST SONGS: all of them are great, one way or another. Some of the more memorable moments are "When The Lights Are Down," "Soul Society," and "This Pain," but, again, they are all fabulous.
Just when we thought Kamelot was hitting the plateau -- their last three albums have all been good, but nonetheless heavily resembled one another -- here they come with a very different work indeed. The Black Halo could be as much from Kamelot as it could be from... Conception. Yes, that's right. After the non-stop bombardment and smoothly flowing music of their previous works, it is almost unreal to hear jerky, stop-and-go, riffs that made me check the booklet for the guest appearance by Tore Ostby... but no, this is very much Thom Youngblood! You don't believe me? Check out "This Pain," which could easily be on In Your Multitude, or "Moonlight" that could just as easily hail from Flow! That is not to say that the trademark melodic power of Kamelot is abandoned; far from it: just listen to "When The Lights Are Down" and "Nothing Ever Dies." The title track is a perfect hybrid: the verses are pure Conception and the choruses are vintage Kamelot in vein of Karma. But the number of Conception-like moments is staggering. In the advent of the reunion that is supposed to descend upon us at the ProgPower 6.0 Festival in fall of 2005, Khan gave us Conception prematurely. Except, it must be noted, Conception never really sounded this good. Sascha Paeth and Miro Rodenberg have surpassed themselves here, as every instrument sounds distinct, sharp and rich. The rhythm section of Barry and Grillo is the main beneficiary of it. In fact, this is Casey Grillo's shining moment: he has never been this good before, in both power and versatility. Glenn Barry provides the ever-steady background thump, and Thom has jumped over his head, just when the jury decided that he stopped in his development as a guitar player. I don't know what made him re-listen to Ostby's specialty axe work, but I can definitely hear it here, making him jump a few notches up on a world-class chops scale. But it is Mr. Roy Khantatat who steals the show. I did not think he was ever again to reach the smooth perfection of Flow, but on this album he did just that. His voice is absolutely magnificent: passionate, theatrical, melodic, and powerful; the best I have heard him sing since he joined Kamelot. He almost never goes into the falcetto that was grating me somewhat on "Mirror, Mirror" and "The Coldest Winter Night." The only place where he does a little bit of that is in the beginning of "Memento Mori," and he does not irritate me quite as much here, for some reason. He is simply stellar throughout the whole cd, and he is clearly the forerunner for the Male Vocalist of the Year position, a title which was eluding him so far, in spite of commendable performances on previous works.
It is thoroughly useless to try and figure out the story behind The Black Halo: it's a continuation of the Epica tale of Ariel, Mephisto, and Helena, but it is somewhat described on the band's site (in the liner notes to the album). Each song stands nicely on its own, but, of course, it is more enjoyable within the context of the album, and tunes flow nicely from one to the next. I must warn you, however: this album, in all of its greatness, may not be an immediate hit with many people, due to its increased complexity. It simply does not have the same accessability that worked so well for their previous works. But then again, neither did Conception. It took me a good month to realize just how superb In Your Multitude was (my rating of that album went from four stars to four-and-a-half to five), and who knows where will The Black Halo be in my mind over the same period? One thing's for sure: this album features some of the best power-prog material to date, and heavens bless this trans-Atlantic tandem of Khan, Youngblood, and the rest.
GHOST OPERA (2007)
RATING: ***1/2
BEST SONGS: “Rule The World,” title track, “Blucher”
Well, this was bound to happen sooner or later. Kamelot has finally released an average album. It’s still good in its own merit, but on the relative scale this is easily the worst since Siege Perilous. Stylistically, it’s very similar to The Black Halo: depressing symphonic power metal, but the songwriting is simply mediocre, at least by the band’s own, impossibly high, standards. Most of the songs are really laid back, without energy or emotion to express. Khan is still on top of his game, and live orchestra is excellent, but the melodies are mostly insipid and unmemorable. While almost every track is enjoyable while playing, I can hardly remember any of them the moment they’re done. You can even have a conversation with this album playing in the background: an impossible thing with previous Kamelot releases. Some of the more pleasant songs include the opening “Solitaire,” “speedier “Rule The World,” and the classical title track. Dark melodic “Blucher” features a novelty: a rather neat computer-processed chorus. “Love You To Death” is a standard Kamelot ballad with what’s gotta be the worst title in modern history (since the 1988 Judas Priest anti-classic). “Up From The Ashes” would also feel in place on TBH, but it would not be a highlight there either, although it would probably have some commercial success, had the world turned upside down and the song landed on major radio. “Anthem” is the absolute farthest from being an anthem: Kamelot’s nth piano ballad. I simply cannot believe that the think-tank of Khan, Youngblood, Paeth, and Miro was happy with the songwriting here. I suspect that they became so preoccupied with orchestral arrangements that they forgot about the songs themselves. I realize that the boys may be tired from speed metal (faster moments like parts of “Silence Of The Darkness” almost feel like a grudging afterthought), but to abandon speed is not the same as abandon intensity, and this is what GO desperately lacks. At this point we can only hope this is a transitional album, an intermediary, but not a descend into oblivion.
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