KAMELOT

It is not surprising, given the title, that this is the fourth album by Kamelot. They have used a guest keyboard player, along with choirs and string sections, and these have all added depth to what is a stunning melodic metal album. There are parts of it, such as the introduction to "Desert Reign", which give no hint of the power and force of the music as it is not what one would expect to find on a rock album.

But, songs such as the title track show Kamelot in their true colours, flying high on a wind of anthemic intricate melodic metal with Casey Grillo pounding those double bass drum pedals for all he is worth. The fact that they have attempted to make their music much more than just another metal album is definitely in their favour, and Noise have also done their part with some evocative artwork for the booklet. If you are intrigued by bands such as Stratovarius then this is an album you must discover (distributed in the UK by Koch International).

Originally appeared in Feedback #57

Kamelot are one of those symphonic power metal bands that loads of people seem to enjoy as they have rather progressive song writing and skip the overloaded elements and stereotypically charged joyful topics many of their European colleagues are focusing on. After the criticized predecessor "Poetry For The Poisoned" that had many dull moments and a lack of passion and variation, the band's Norwegian singer Roy Khan left the band and was soon replaced by another Scandinavian singer, the young Tommy Karevik from Sweden. Many people were expecting a return to strength but also a few changes but to my negative surprise nothing of this happened.

If I didn't know that the band had a new singer, I wouldn't have even recognized it as the new guy sounds like a pale copy of his predecessor despite many positive comments about the young man's old main band that are the Swedish progressive metal act Seventh Wonder. The lack of original vocals is though not the main issue on here. The problem is that this record is even more emotionless and overloaded than the previous one. We get way too many sound effects, an endless number of more or less impressive guest musicians and a too elevated number of artificially flavoured orchestral and symphonic instruments that make me think of a bad computer game soundtrack. When one hears a random female guest singer in one track that is followed by pointless choirs performed by a group of children just to kick off a pathetic and overlong kitsch symphony part, this is not only confusing but also mildly amusing. The songs sound directionless and random. Too many cooks spoil the broth in here.

There aren't any truly catchy or outstanding parts on this release to point out. I might cite that the diversity works best in "Veritas" but only because I really like oriental folk influences in general that are also included on this song. The calm and mysterious beginning of the epic "Prodigal Son" also seems quite promising but the songs turns out to go nowhere as time runs out and is way too long.

In the end, this new release is even a step down after the flawed predecessor. Blind fan boys will talk about multiple influences, progressive changes and many new faces and influences but I can't agree on that at all. The band just sounds lost on this release. The last album had at least a constant atmosphere and clear guiding line. Even if you're a regular fan of them, you should give this release a listen before you take the risk of buying it and have a very negative surprise.

Originally published on the Metal Archives on November 26th of the year 2012

Silverthorn is a business-as-usual release from Kamelot which I'm sure will please fans of their mildly symphonic flavour of power metal but doesn't quite hit the point where it's going to win you over to their style if you're not a fan of their earlier work. The album has a rather busy production style - there tends to be a lot going on at any particular point in the album, to the point where the instruments and the choir and the synthesisers and the orchestrations all get piled on top of each other in a way which, to me, just comes across as kind of messy. This tends to obscure the finer qualities of the album, in my experience, though Kamelot faithful may find they have more patience with it.

Please do NOT trust my rating 'coz it's too personal. Kamelot is a BIG thing to me - JRENG!

I don't think people are quite interested with this band as this might not be considered as prog band and it tends to be a metal band with bit of prog elements (not that much, actually). This band introduced me to my love to power metal music when I first listened to Kamelot "Karma" album sometime in early 2000s - I do not remember exactly when. I was so amazed with how neatly-composed orchestration of classical music "Regalis Apertura" opens the album that flows beautifully into a melodic power metal track "Forever". Oh man ... since then I pledged myself as a great fan of Kamelot even though I only had "Karma" album. Later I got the "Fourth Legacy" that also blew my mind at first spin, followed with "Epica" album. Having got three great albums I was so convinced that this is THE band for me as the music is really me. Why? All of Kamelot albums are melodic in nature with many memorable segments in their compositions. For example, "Karma" was to me like when I got hooked with Marillion's debut "Script for a Jester's Tear" - I always spun the CD barely everyday and in any typical days I spun the album more that one time in its entirety. I was really falling in love with Kamelot like I did with Marillion in 1983.

As some of you might have noticed from my previous reviews that I am a great fan of Fish- era Marillion and gave full five-star rating for each of their early four albums as the music is melodic and well-composed. The next question is how does it make sense for someone who loved symphonic prog music like Marillion, Genesis, Yes turned his mind into a power metal one? The answer is simple: the memorable melody and tight composition that really made me hooked to the music. Somehow, I love the combination of memorable melody and upbeat tempo like "Forgotten Sons" (Marillion) and "Forever" (Kamelot). Musically both are different in genre but .hey my friends .... music is emotion. Both songs really stir my utmost emotion and they elevate my motivation. And I do not exaggerate this. Music, especially prog rock has been around my life since I was 14-year boy in a small city, Madiun, east Java, Indonesia.

Let's focus on Kamelot - let's talk about this masterpiece work (my view) ...

Since Karma, Kamelot has never released mediocre albums. They always released excellent to masterpiece albums as far as my taste concerns. I was almost disappointed with "Poetry for The Poisoned" album at first listen. But it grew steadily on me even though it did not reach what so called "masterpiece" album for me. But the album is prog and is excellent one that I would not put aside from Kamelot music history as the album was an important milestone for the band. People might say the band is mediocre as the are (the members of the band) not individually skilled musician - sorry to say. Or put it in a right perspective: they might be a skilled and technically competent musicians with their music instruments; only that they do not make a show of force on their technical competency. But ... the most important thing is that they are great composers as their albums have always been excellent to masterpiece quality.In business and management world we can say that the great companies are those who can produce extraordinary results through ordinary people. In the case of Kamelot actually I can see Youngblood , Palotai and Paeth are great composers even though their individual skills with their instruments are not dominating the overall musical scene they make.

As Wiki says "Silverthorn is the tenth studio album from metal band Kamelot. The album was released on the Steamhammer label, a subdivision of SPV on October 26, 2012 in Germany, three days later in the rest of Europe and one day after that in North America. It is the first album to feature Tommy Karevik as the lead singer. It will also be their third concept album.The story is original, about a little girl in the 19th century named Jolee who dies in a tragic accident, witnessed by her twin brothers. It deals with an affluent family that handles tragic events leading to coverups, secrets, and betrayal. The cover is Jolee, the main character and angel of afterlife, as an adult". It's clear that Kamelot is now having a new singer replacing Roy Khan whom has left the band according an interview with Kamelot sometime in August 2012. But I don't think this has changed the music style of Kamelot as this album is pretty similar with previous albums.

Manus Dei (2:12) opens the album wonderfully with really amazing piano touch of Palotai supported with great orchestral work. Pattern-wise it's typical in any Kamelot album like The Fourth Legacy where it starts beautifully with orchestra music that sets the stage for the next high-energy music. This opening orchestral arrangement reminds me to Regalis Apertura or The New Allegiance of previous albums. As a stand-alone track, this short orchestra is very inspiring as at it creates colossal nuances and I always play this LOUD or using Senheiser headset to get subtleties of the music. It ends with excellent transition piece that connects to next wonderful track Sacrimony.

Sacrimony (Angel Of Afterlife) (4:39). I do really enjoy this track. Having heard that the vocal department would be replaced by new guy I did not expect much because the vocal quality of Roy Khan really matched with Kamelot music. But as the single version was out already, I was amazed (overall) with the fact that this one is musically really excellent and I enjoy this track from start to end. Come to think of similarity, I can only reckon that this track is in the same vein of "The Fourth Legacy" or "Forever" from their previous work. The good news is that the new singer - despite it's not someone I had been familiar with - proves that he does not let down Kamelot's fans base. Oh man, this track is really beautifully composed and I do enjoy it very much. I like the upbeat tempo and the orchestral arrangements at the back as sometimes are represented by Palotai's keyboard work. "Sing for me angel of afterlife calming me down / Chaos inside my nebula / And make the wrong turn to right in a celestial light / Forgive my sacrimony" followed beautifully with interlude that starts with vocal mumbling and great yet simple keyboard solo and guitar solo.

Ashes To Ashes (3:58) sounds at first like a straight forward power metal vein. But when I look into details it has great transition pieces. One thing I notice is that the drumming style of Casey Grillo which really characterizes the music of Kamelot. His drumming work is really solid and powerful. There is a very nice shot at minute 2:20 until 2:35 which has great riffs and break that brings later to the excellent interlude with keyboard solo followed with guitar solo. Both musicians Palotai and Youngblood seem to agree that their musical instruments were both mixed thinly so that when the solo appear in the music they do not dominate. I think, this is a great approach frm them. They don't want to show force on their music instrument skills.

Torn (3:51) sounds similar in structure with Ashes to Ashes but this time the keyboard orchestration is flavored with middle east melodies. As the music enters the interlude part, the meddle east melody appears clearly through the music produced by keyboard followed with guitar solo, mixed thinly. "A call to rebel to the vision still stand Like a shadow" .....

Song For Jolee (4:33) is a mellow and melodic song that initially starts beautifully with piano and orchestra that back up the vocal line. For some reason, I really love this track, emotionally. At approx minute 3:20 the drums enter the music backed wonderfully with excellent orchestra. This track really blew me in many ways. In local term it's mbrebes mili (tears in my eyes) enjoying this track. First, I like the vocal clarity of new singer Tommy Karevik especially his deep rooted understanding and delivery of the song. Second, I like there are many curved notes as the melody goes with the music - it does not sound like a straight forward melody. Third, this song has brought me back or in in some ways remind me to the story when Prophet Mohammed was in a very sad situation after her wife (Khatidjah) and his uncle who always defended and supported him passed away. The story was very well known for moslems around the globe with the event called as Isra' Miraj - i.e. the occasion where the Prophet transcended a travel horizontally from Mecca to Baitul Maqdis mosque and vertically as it's clearly stated in the Koran. Some lyrical verses might match with the sad situation he was facing: "I'm sorry but I can't stop the bleeding. Crying and it's all because of you." ...oh what a wonderful one!

Veritas (4:34) starts beautifully with soft piano work backed with violin followed with riffed-music typical of Kamelot in medium tempo. The vocal then enters the music nicely. Composition-wise this one is quite straight-forward. The strong point is on the background music which I believe because the touches from Miro and Sacha Paeth who are the masters in orchestration of many power metal bands. The break of this song features female vocal by Elize Ryd. It's a very nice track.

My Confession (4:33) starts with a musical riff produced by keyboard followed with symphonic style music and followed with vocal work. The music flows in medium tempo with memorable keyboard work combined with piano touches and guitar that represents like rhythm section during vocal work. The interlude is nice, it starts with music riffs using bass guitar, guitar and keyboard. After that the keyboard solo. Silverthorn (4:51) opens beautifully with a combined work of piano and background orchestra. It's a great introduction before the music enters into medium tempo riffs that feature vocal line. The riff is memorable in nature as it's simple and enjoyable.At first spin I thought I would get bored with this track. But then I realized that Kamelot is smart as the music then turns into mellow one with the succeeding track below:

Falling Like The Fahrenheit (5:06) is a melancholic composition with excellent orchestration while maintaining the basic power metal music style through soft riffs. Like "Song for Jolee", this one reminds me to "Don't You Cry" of Karma album. I think most people would love this melodic song with mellow style. "Give me the secrets that you keep. I'll save them for no one else to see".....

Solitaire (4:56) is a typical Kamelot power metal style with strong melody and heavy riffs dominated by bass guitar and drum work. Youngblood performs his stunning guitar work in a thicker sound compared to previous tracks where he played solo.It's good to have this song near the end of the album. Some segments sound very similar with "Forever" from Karma album.

Prodigal Son is actually a short epic with approximately 9 minute duration, comprises three parts. It starts with an ambient organ work that features people mumbling sounds. Tommy Kaverik vocal then enters the music in slow style followed with choirs. At the end of vocal verse Youngblood gives his stunning guitar solo, mixed thinly, backed wonderfully with an orchestration. It ends up with much more dynamic arrangement where guitar still plays important role. The song moves its tempo from slow into the fast one nicely. It finally ends with great and powerful Grillo drumming.

Continuum (4:17) serves like an ending chapter for the story with orchestra music plus keyboard that feature the choirs, closed with nice piano touch by Palotai. But it's not the end as there is violin work at the very end of the album after several seconds quiet.

You might discount my rating

What I have just explored is actually what I consider a wonderful music that really matches my taste - that's why I can write a novel-long view abut this album. You do not have to trust my rating as I said that Kamelot is a BIG thing to me. It's a very personal and very subjective view of this album. The thing is that I have no option to downgrade this high-impact musical composition as their albums have already made me hooked to their music. I really love how the heavy riffs that comprise the combined work of bass guitar, low register notes electrical guitar and jaw-dropping drums backed nicely with excellent orchestration. I am really hoping, in fact, that Kamelot will do South East Asia tour and make a concert right here in Jakarta, Indonesia. Many great bands already perforned here including Yes, Dream Theater, Helloween, DragonForce, Lamb of God, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple etc. If Kamelot plays in Indonesia, I will definitely see them on stage. Yeah!

The reason I give five star for this album is mostly due to its wonderful composition where they can create a nice combination of melody, change of styles and tempo as well harmonies among musical instruments and vocals. For those of you who are newbie to Kamelot, I am sure you would give a minimum of four star rating - at least on some tracks. Keep on proggin' ...!

(Uhm ....so long review with 2,225 words!)

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Kamelot have a strong sense of majesty and grandeur that they inject into their power metal and this separates them from the rest. One would sense a Gothic atmosphere in the music with grand cinematic keyboard swathes, and atmospheric howling wolves baying at a lonely moon. The dark forest that hides the secrets of powerful warriors that meet for rituals, or one may picture Valkyries riding through the gloomy night hunting the enemy down. The guitar riffs gallop like horses furiously being whipped to their rider's ultimate goal. The vibe is reminiscent of Manowar subdued with orchestral soundscapes, as they seek those who play false metal as each note they play may send a black arrow into their hearts. The lyrics are not about violent conquests though, but still have a sense that there is a mystical medieval concept hidden within and there is a quest to retrieve some ancient relic The secret of the iconic Silverthorn is a major component of the album, and one is never sure what power it holds or how it is integrated into the tale. The death of the sister is tragic as she fades in the embrace of her twin brothers, and one is compelled to learn more and perhaps it can be ascertained that her secret that died with her with the power of the Silverthorn that can bring life, perhaps her own. The lyrics in such songs as 'Sacrimony (Angel Of Afterlife)' or 'Falling Like The Fahrenheit' are indecipherable within the story but therein lies a mystery to be unravelled.

The music itself races along with the likes of furious power riffs such as on 'Solitaire', and then settles into bells chiming, and preternatural sounds on 'Part III The Journey'. The essence of the music is encapsulated within the beautiful arrangements, the crystalline vocals are mesmirising emanating from the incredible Tommy Karevik. The metal is left to the accomplished guitar execution of Thomas Youngblood, who is well backed by a rhythm machine from Sean Tibbetts' bass and Casey Grillo's drums. The symphonic textures are courteous of the sweeping keyboard finesse of Oliver Palotai. It is not a heavy album by any stretch of the imagination but has the kind of Nightwish sounds where metal meets Gothic with embellishments of keyboards. This is certainly the style that is becoming more popular with the teenage obsession with Gothic culture, especially as a soundtrack to 'Twilight', or 'True Blood'; listen to Continuum at the end of the album and you will hear the Gothic references. It has angelic choral voice intonations, soul stirring violins, and a crescendo of sweeping strings that flow organically to the end of the album.

One glance at the Kamelot backlogue of albums is enough to cement their reputation as lovers of the fantasy realm and the surreal on a very dark level, usually adorned by witch like beings of dark beauty that glare out menacingly or curl up into the shadows with their serpentine bodies preparing to pounce, in a background of castle gates and birds flapping around them in the glow of the moonlight. There is a market for this enigmatic imagery and music for all the reasons outlined, though I am not personally as taken with the Gothic metal meets symphonic genre as some will be. The album races by quickly and I had to focus to work out where one song ends and another begins. However, I can appreciate that the music is well performed, the vocals are top notch and it will appeal to the Kamelot fanbase. 'Silverthorn' is no masterpiece but a decent quality album with some haunting atmospherics and a sense of grandeur with sumptuous musicianship and just the right amount of metal thrown into the cauldron.

Kamelot began in 1991 in Tampa, FL. During the history that followed, they have had a few lineup changes, but through it all have carved out a special niche in the metal world and gained a steady following of fans. Their strongest trait may be that their style is not easily grouped with just one sub-genre, but bridges the gaps between various like-minded styles, borrowing elements of Progressive, Power, and even a little doom or gothic metal, also integrating stylistic elements of classical and cinematic music. The overall effect of this combination of elements is a sophisticated, refined style of metal. Silverthorn finds Kamelot entering a new stage of their career, following the announcement of the departure of former vocalist Roy Kahn on April 21st of 2011. After all was said and done, Kamelot introduced Tommy Karevik, also the vocalist for Progressive Metal band Seventh Wonder, as their new singer.

Now I'm going to stop right here before telling my readers specifically about the new album to make a little confession: I have previously not considered myself a fan of Kamelot. I was more of a casual onlooker ? occasionally checking out what they were up to, and then moving on to other music I was more interested in. I will also freely admit that not only is Seventh Wonder one of my all-time favorite bands, but I also consider Tommy Karevik to be one of my all-time favorite singers. He has a ridiculously silky-smooth, strong voice with an incredible range and a great sense of melody with on-the-money, perfect pitch. So of course when I heard he was the new Kamelot singer, I thought "well, I guess I'm going to have to check out the new album for sure then." Well let me tell you?I think this album has made a fan of me. It is really something special. For the Seventh Wonder fans, I will say that Kamelot utilize Tommy's voice in a completely different way, giving him a chance to explore his musical and emotional range in unique ways. For Kamelot fans, I think you will be pleased to hear that this album still sounds undoubtedly like Kamelot, as Tommy seems to channel, at times, former Kamelot singers, while still giving it a bit of his own spin ? his style suits the band quite well, while still giving them new life in a sense.

Silverthorn is a concept album ? according to guitarist Thomas Youngblood: "It's the story of a young girl who dies in the arms of her two twin brothers, taking the three siblings' big secret to her grave. The songs on Silverthorn talk about despair, a sense of guilt and the pursuit of truth. In this context, the silver thorn in the album title has a mysterious meaning, but it's up to the listener to unveil this secret."

Keeping this in mind, it's no surprise that the album has a strong dramatic, cinematic, and Progressive feel to it. There is a strong sense of story throughout the album, and not just in the lyrics but there is a journey-like feeling to the music as well. Also adding to this cinematic, story-telling feeling were the appearances of guest musicians: the band was supported at the studio by Elize Ryd, Eklipse, Alissa White-Gluz (The Agonist), Amanda Somerville, and others. One of the things I found to be a strong indication of quality here was the sense that the melodies in the album were very memorable, and ended up replaying themselves in my head hours after hearing the album. And as a big fan of Progressive Metal, I'd like to point out to others like myself that I noticed plenty of changes in the music as well as little classically inspired instrumental interludes that added to the sense of being taken along on a journey. I will say that personally, I felt this may be Kamelot's most progressive album yet, though there is still a strong Power Metal presence and a sense of accessibility, resulting in a blend that I think will appeal strongly to fans of multiple sub-genres. There is some very strong interplay between keyboards, guitars and vocals throughout the album, resulting in a rich, multi-layered feeling to the music. All said, I feel Kamelot has made a strong case both to fans and former onlookers such as myself that they are back with a vengeance, and the result is that they have produced one of the most exciting albums of the year.

Originally written for www.seaoftranquility.org

Note: original rating given was 5 stars, however, on a site dedicated to Progressive music, I can't see giving this a full 5 stars.

I do really enjoy this single. Having heard that the vocal department would be replaced by new guy I did not expect much because the vocal quality of Roy Khan really matched with Kamelot music. But as this single is out already, I am amazed (overall) with the fact that this one is musically really excellent and I enjoy this track from start to end. Come to think of similarity, I can only reckon that this single is in the same vein of "The Fourth Legacy" or "Forever" from their previous work. The good news is that the new singer - despite it's not someone I had been familiar with - proves that he does not let down Kamelot's fans base. Oh man, this track is really beautifully composed and I do enjoy it very much. Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Memento mori

I know that many would disagree, but for me Karma and especially Epica were somewhat disappointing. As I pointed out in my reviews of these two previous albums, being symphonic or orchestral should not be confused with being progressive. In my opinion, Kamelot were absolutely in their element on the excellent The Fourth Legacy on which they perfected their early style and injected it with folky and oriental influences without ever sounding bombastic or overblown. With The Black Halo, Kamelot once again tones down the worst excesses and injects some more progressive elements into their brand of symphonic Power Metal.

The melodies are the strongest since The Fourth Legacy and the first four tracks are very enjoyable indeed. The guest performance of the great Jens Johansson (of Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force fame) on March Of Mephisto is interesting. Johansson is a fantastic keyboard player, but his presence here admittedly appeared slightly out of place to me on the first few listens. But overall, the inclusion of a couple keyboard solos in the early tracks adds a much needed diversity to Kamelot's sometimes rather one-dimensional sound.

Had things continued on with the same high quality of the first few tracks this albums would even have rivaled The Fourth Legacy. But after the initial excitement, the album tends to settle with the same familiar formula. A bit more diversity and variation could have helped, but there is clearly talent in this band. The Black Halo might be Kamelot's most progressive album, but it is not their best. The Fourth Legacy remains my favourite Kamelot album, but The Black Halo is a return to form and a good album in its own right.

"The Black Halo" was kind of a watershed album for Kamelot. they got almost everythign right on this one.

The predecessors Karma and Epica were like the soundboards and with Khan and Youngblood in full creative flow, they hit the ceiling with The Black Halo. it has a good, tight concept - sort of similar to the Nicolas Cage movie "Ghostrider" and some others but hey, Mephistopheles is older than metal itself!

from the time the album kicks of with the brooding, deep March of Mephisto with some growling vocals(Mephisto?), we are in for a Kamelot treat. i can't quite understand the "interlude"s - are they supposed to be "breaks for breath" or pauses in the story? the album's not that long (for a prog metal album anyway, at just over 57 minutes), so why do we need them? and i also feel "Serenade" isn't a fitting closer and they'd have been better off finishing on a high with "Memento Mori".

If I include "Poetry For The Poisoned" then I own the last five studio albums from KAMELOT and I must say this is the first time i've been disappointed. I know a lot of people said that about the previous album "Ghost Opera" but in my opinion there was enough there to warrant the four stars. Not here though.

"The Great Pandemonium" kicks in hard quickly and vocals come in after a minute and they will come and go, as will the growly spoken words. I much prefer the instrumental sections on this one. "If Tomorrow Came" is uptempo to start then it settles with vocals in a hurry. It does pick back up and I like the heavy sound before 3 minutes. "Dear Editor" is a short piece with samples of rain and street noise. "The Zodiac" is heavy to start then a calm with spoken vocals comes in.Very cool to hear guest vocalist Jon Oliva (SAVATAGE) come in singing.You know it's him right away. A tasteful guitar solo comes in after 2 1/2 minutes.

"Hunter's Season" has double bass drumming with Khan singing over top on the chorus. I much prefer the versus though. Check out the guitar solo before 3 1/2 minutes. Wicked stuff right there. "House On A Hill" has male and female vocals and is laid back but powerful at the same time. "Necropolis" is my favourite. It's a heavy onslaught and I like Khan's vocals better here too. "My Train Of Thoughts" gets better as it plays out.

"Seal Of Woven Years" has a cool atmosphere to start then it turns heavy a minute in then it picks up speed. It does settle back when the vocals arrive but the tempo continues to shift. "Poetry For The Poisoned" is a four song suite that is really a mixed bag. I enjoy parts 1 and 4 but parts 2 and 3 are ballad-like. "Once Upon A Time" ends it, and this is Power-metal all the way.

Not a bad album by any means, it's just not up to the quality these guys usually produce.