SIÉGE PERILOUS

My 3rd studio album with Kamelot. Again Good, but non-essential . They have a little more power than prog but is very ok. 3 tracks are absolutly stunning in my opinion, instrumental one named Siege, Rhydin and Once in a dream. Great band, they have a simple/complex music, not for the average listner but neither for the classic listners in prog music.3,5 stars for this one.

This was an important step for Kamelot. It wasthe band´s first album to feature Roy Khan on vocals and Casey Grillo on drums. It was an awkward move at the time, since it was an american group recruiting a singer from Norway and recording in Germany. Khan (ex Conception), with a great voice and stage persona, was a more than what Kamelot needed to conquer their very own sound.

However, Siége Perilous would not be their big greak. There are a number of reasons, but the main problem here is the production. The album was recorded before the band joined forces with future producers/arrangers Sasha Paeth and Miro. The sound is way below what their sophisticated power metal demands for. As a result Roy Khan´s voice is too much in the background and the symphonic parts are somewhat lost in the mix. And that is a real pity because Siége Perilous has no weak songs and tracks like King Eyes, Rhydin, Irea and Where I Reign are some of Kamelot´s best stuff since they started. Roy Khan´s contribution as a songwriter is minimal since when he joined the band most of the tunes were already completed.

Fortunatly, all the problems would be solved by the time they recorde The Fourth Legacy, their really entry into the big time.

All in all Siége Perilous is a very good album. With all its faults it contains strong material and shows the enormous potential the band had and would eventually fullfiled. With a better production the band would not have to wait until their fourth release to do so. 3,5 stars.

Rhapsodies

On to their third album in as many years, and Kamelot have undergone their first major line up changes. Out go original lead vocalist Mark Vanderbilt and drummer Richard Warner, to be replaced by Roy Kahn (from Conception) and Casey Grillo respectively. This however was more than simply a case of a couple of substitutions being made, as "Siege Perilous" also represents a significant change for the band in musical terms.

The prevailing view among fans is that while Vanderbilt was a capable singer, his style was not well suited to Kamelot. Personally, I do not subscribe to that line, for me the first two albums were well made and highly enjoyable. Indeed, from the evidence of the opening "Providence", Vanderbilt's voice is arguably the more powerful.

We should however not be too quick to judge as the vocals are well back in the mix here. The track is a slow, powerful piece with choral keyboards and melodic lead guitar. The first we hear of the familiar double paced drumming is on "Millennium", where Khan's vocals become more defined. His style is similar to that of Ronnie James Dio, the melody being of the type which Rainbow would be proud.

It is though tracks such as "King's eyes" which point towards the future. The structure here is more considered than most of the song's peers to date, the soft acoustic core contrasting tastefully with the melodic rock of the main sections. While there is no apparent concept as such, the track themes are often related to Lord of the rings type mythology, a topic Rhapsody would later exploit in a similar style of music. "Where I reign" for example could easily have been covered by Rhapsody, and would have fitted in on their albums very well. This is actually one of the more striking songs, moving from a gentle flute sound at the start through some fine lead guitar with dramatic backing and building to a powerful conclusion.

"Parting visions" may be the shortest track on the album, and indeed the most accessible, but it is quite irresistible, the synth runs and lead guitar combining with a striking melody. It is immediately followed by an uncharacteristically melancholy song "Once a dream", another song with strong commercial potential. As with "Creation" from the previous album, the instrumental "Siege" offers the band members the opportunity to show off their dexterity, the track hopping remorselessly from theme to theme and sound to sound.

As with previous albums, there is no feature track here as such, each song running to between 4 and 6 minutes. While several feature arrangements which go beyond being single paced melodic rock numbers, none stretches the band. This is though a competently crafted album which links the past to the future in terms of the band's development.

The third legacy

For their third album, Kamelot recruited Roy Khan who immediately become the voice of the band. On Siege Perilous all the trademarks of the band were finally firmly in place. A great mixture of Symphonic Power Metal, Neo-Classical Metal, and progressive flourishes, with strong melodies and powerful vocals. Still, it would not be until the next album, the excellent The Fourth Legacy, that they would have their breakthrough. In my opinion they would also reach their peak with The Fourth Legacy, which remains my favourite Kamelot album. But the present album is my second favourite of the band and a great album in its own right and certainly pointing in the right direction.

The material is strong throughout, even if not quite as memorable as the The Fourth Legacy material. The progressive side of the band is certainly present, but admittedly not very strongly. The instrumental closer Siege is probably the most adventurous track here. The track called Expedition later gave its name to the band's first live album which featured live versions of this and another track from Siege Perilous, Millennium.

I find this album to be underrated and to be among Kamelot's very best albums, and unlike many I actually prefer Siege Perilous to most of Kamelot's later albums. This is highly recommended in addition to the band's masterpiece, The Fourth Legacy.