Artist: Kamelot Venue: B.B. King Blues Club (New York, NY) Opener: Seven Witches Date: 11/21/2005 Label: SPV Records
It was a dark and rainy night when Kamelot made their very first appearance in New York City and despite this weather the overall reception would be a warm one. Inside the venue were hundreds of followers of this excellent provider of Melodic Power Metal and all were at the ready with fists in the air and screams aplenty. It was only recently that I found myself paying attention to this Florida based band and I was amazed at the level of quality that they delivered on their most recent effort “The Black Halo”. The album, released on SPV Records is an immediate follow-up to their last release “Epica” which continues along in its themes found in the book “Faust”. If you don’t own this album already you must make sure to do so as it brings you into an amazing world musically and vocally. Lead singer Roy Khan is probably one of the best singers in Melodic Metal to come around in some years and he follows well in the footsteps of Geoff Tate (Queensryche) and Joacim Cans (Hammerfall). Continue reading Kamelot @ B.B. King Blues Club (11/21/2005)→
Artist: Kamelot Title: “The Black Halo” Label: SPV Records Release Date: 3/15/2005 Genre: Heavy Metal Rating: 8/10
As I listened to “The Black Halo” I felt a bit behind the times when I realized that this would be my first time hearing the music of Kamelot in a full sitting. Before this I had only heard samples of their last effort “Epica” which is not to be confused with the Dutch band of the same name. It was pretty quick into this listen that I also realized that this was the type of band that I had been looking for when it came to intelligent Melodic Power Metal. The genre has a powerful ally as Kamelot most certainly deliver in an amazing fashion by using killer musical hooks that are all led by an incredible vocal range. On this release vocalist Roy Khan and the guys continue along with their running theme of using the literary classic “Faust” for the albums storyline. When the CD begins with the “March Of Mephisto” you are treated to one of the first guest vocalists on the album as Khan shares the duties with Shagrath, from the Norwegian Black Metal band Dimmu Borgir. It is the perfect role for Shagrath as he brings darkness to the tune. The second vocalist joining Kamelot on the album is the beautiful Simone Simons from Operatic Power Metal sensations Epica. She and Khan share the words on “The Haunting (Somewhere In Time)” and this is a stellar number. Light and Dark prominently featured on the same record a mere song apart from each other. If you are among those that enjoy slower tracks there is “Abandoned” and “Moonlight” with Khan handling them with a fine tuned degree of passion. There is nothing like a power ballad when it is done correctly. Should you be looking for lightning quick tracks then the band also provides a number of these for you to enjoy. The standouts in this area are “Soul Society”, “When The Lights Are Down” and “Nothing Ever Dies”. There is enough double bass patterns and intricate guitar work in these to satisfy the most discerning of Metal fans. Continue reading “The Black Halo” by Kamelot→
