I admit it… I was always a sucker for concept albums. Be it “The Wall” or “Abigail”, I just somehow geek out when I get to sit down with a musical story book. Maybe it is because of the way I listen to music… I can’t listen to “just a little” music. I make a point out of being swept away to a different state of mind, to a different world where there is just me and the music. Nothing else… Concept albums give me that rush by default.
Since I am also a huge fan of well played progressive rock and metal I was thrilled to hear that the new Kamelot album, “The Black Halo", would have a conceptual theme along the lines of their previous album “Epica”. To say that my inner nerd was giddy with anticipation would be to understate things.
Who is Kamelot you say, getting ready to x off this review to go on hunting for a band you have actually heard of. Kamelot is a Florida based metal band that started out as an average power metal outfit only to evolve into a darker more progressive field as time passed. A lot of this can be contributed to the arrival of Norwegian singer Roy Khan some albums ago. He used to be the frontman of one of the most underrated prog metal bands of all time, Conception, and he has a very smooth deep and dramatic voice – quite unlike most other singers in this genre, where shattering glass seems more important sometimes than adding texture to a soundscape.
OK… Enough ranting… I know I listen to more obscure metal than most and you don’t see me reviewing all those others on a regular basis, primarily because I know they don’t matter one iota to any of you, one way or another.
This album is different though… I know for a fact that there are tons of people out there who miss this exact type of music today. People who fell in love with Queensryche’s first four albums and then lost faith as they progressed (digressed?) into a limp Pink Floyd wannabe. Well, Kamelot has that old school Queensryche approach to their songwriting, basing their songs around Khan’s beautiful round vocals and adding strong guitar riffs and dramatic arrangements with grand piano and symphonic strings. This creates a very “atmospheric” metal which definitely brings to mind such classic Queensryche albums as “Rage for order” and “Operation Mindcrime”, but Kamelot is far from a bleak copy cat. They take it to the next level and sound more like what Ryche could have sounded like today if they had not dropped the ball so pathetically after “Empire”. Kamelot weaves more theatrical elements into their music and execute with sharp instrumental precision the smarter arrangements and the subtle twists.
The story itself revolves around the the classic tale of Goethe’s Faust, where a man sells his soul to Mephisto to gain worldly wisdom and immense riches. This story started out on their previous album “Epica” and is nicely concluded on “The Black Halo”.
A good concept album needs more than a good story and quality music. The songs themselves need to interlock and carry the flag throughout the album. A song that might be utterly pointless on its own can make or break a concept album when put into the right context, and in that aspect Kamelot has succeeded splendidly. All songs share both a lyrical and a musical theme that sweeps you away and gives this album an identity of its own. Remember when you could hear a song and just know from which album it was from? Well, every song here could only be on this album. They are all perfect fits…
Worth noting is that Kamelot has enlisted the help of some prominent cult figures from the somewhat more obscure metal scene to lend their unique touches to some songs. Shagrath from Dimmu Borgir appears on guest vocals as the demon Mephisto, and Simone Simons from Epica adds an angelic touch to a couple of songs with her soaring vocals.
The instrumental performance on this album is outstanding overall, with guitarist Thomas Youngblood leading the way with tasteful riffs and stellar shredding in all the right places. Drummer Grillo and bassist Barry lay down a solid foundation with technical and superb playing without “getting in the way” of the song.
There comes a time when you as record buyer feel tapped out inspirationally and just need something new. Why don’t you give this album a chance? It won’t kill you to walk into Best Buy or Target and spend $13.99 on a solid piece of music like this. Maybe it will even open up your ears to a whole new world of metal you never dared venture into before because it seemed so very “elitist”. Well, snap out of it and take a fucking chance.
I’m done pimping this CD now, but check out the videos for “March of Mephisto” or "The Haunting" to get an idea of what Kamelot is all about:
