Isa Kamelot's worst effort since Roy Khan joined the band.

I am among the one-fourth or so of Kamelot fans who found Kamelot's album from 2007 Ghost Opera a very disappointing follow up to The Black Halo, to say the least. I love this band, and tried to love this album, but failed. Yes it's hard to follow up such a work of art as The Black Halo was, but I expected something at least better than this when I first went to play what was then the new Kamelot album that I had just bought. At first I thought, oh, this'll just take some time to grow on me. I've listened to it seven or eight times since, and every single time I felt equally, if not even more, disappointed as I got to know the album. I even had some friends tell me it grew on them so they liked it a lot after a few listens, but for me this wasn't the case at all. It really pains me that I should give an album by one of my favorite metal bands an overall negative review, but it is what it is.

There are various shortcomings I think I can at least attempt to pinpoint on why this was such a disappointment. First off, the production sounds mucky to these ears. The added string parts just seem to clutter everything up instead of enhancing the emotional quality of the music as they had done in previous albums, as if they had written the song and threw in some strings just for good measure. I could be very wrong on this, but that's what I think I'm hearing. It also seems like the band felt like they needed to progress the music somewhere, but were very unsure as to what they would do to make it different, so they forced it to be by actually subtracting some of their progressive elements, such as the instrumental and solo sections, the diverse song format, ect. Even something about the vocal lines seem everything short of memorable, which was usually what saved a Kamelot song from being less than mediocre in their earlier material. The album as a whole just sounds very uninspired, like the band knew the fans demanded another album, so they forged one just to keep their momentum going. I would have rather they waited longer and released a quality album, as Symphony X had done upon the release of Paradise Lost, five years or so after The Odyssey. Sometimes I wonder if I disliked this album because I was so amazed by The Black Halo and set my expectations too high, but when I think of the album by itself, making no comparisons, it still falls in the below average category. The musicianship and potential is clearly there, but the composition and production, in this fan's opinion, isn't.

On the positive side, there are a few tracks that, while still mediocre, have some enjoyable quality. I'm referring mainly to the first three tracks, especially Ghost Opera. They are well written, even though they follow the simplistic layout of the rest of the album's tracks, and Khan's brilliant vocals sore as they always have. These are what save the album from being a one star, and just typing that sort of hurts inside since I adore the three albums before it.

So, as the rating indicates, I would in fact only recommend this to die hard Kamelot fans, for many of them find this release comparable to The Black Halo and a logical next step from that album. As for me, it sits on my shelf collecting dust, for any time I listen to it and try to figure out what's to like about it, I just come out sad that I couldn't.

Stephen As told by Khan that the band wanted an even further experimentation on "Poisoned", that's exactly what you'll get out of this album. They stripped down the power metal rhythm which made them popular in the early 2000s, boosted the progressive lever upward, varied the record with industrial element, gothic nuance, traditional melodic metal, and some occasional slow-tempo ballads.

"The Great Pandemonium" rolls with a groovy techno drumming, wrapped the atmosphere as if you're crawling in a dark dungeon, and as the chorus explodes, you'll be swarmed with an overflowing melodies. "If Tomorrow Came" brimmed with darkened riffages, in a slow gothic style, before Khan punches the chorus with a soaring voice and Grillo kicks in an ultra-fast tempo. Both are good tracks but "Hunter's Season" definitely is the pinnacle of the record. Started with a decent verse, the best thing erupted when Khan delivered a nostalgic hooks of classic Kamelot on the chorus. Not only the song has a superb arrangement, check out Youngblood's lethal solo, a very inspiring high-voltage shred performance, his finest moment.

"House On A Hill" is a good moody ballad and "Once Upon A Time" shows the band flirting with his old style, a very good track, but somehow the rest of the tracks are just bland and quite boring to be honest. "The Zodiac" with Jon Oliva supposed to be awesome but the arrangement is just dreadfully pale. The title track epic, which divided into four parts, is ridiculous, as the best part in my opinion, is "Part II : So Long" which is a ballad. "Seal of Woven Years" might be decent, but "Necropolis" and "My Train of Thoughts" are examples of how effective is the "Skip" button on my player's remote.

For those who highly appreciate "Ghost Opera", this can be an easy chew and enjoyable ride, but for those who's longing for anything in the veins of "Karma" or "Epica", you'll be left disappointed. While I'm on the latter part, from my objective point of view, there are several good songs to enjoy, some are okay, but the rest are disposable. The songwriting overall is just too flat and bland, I know they can do better than this, far better, but I just didn't see it here. I even need to find a good time and mood to spin this album in entirety, otherwise, "Hunter", "Pandemonium", and "Once" are probably the only three tracks I wanted on my iPod.

Conor Fynes 'Poetry For The Poisoned' - Kamelot (6/10)

While I'm of the belief that the speed and grandiose leanings of power metal has been to-date, a game for the Europeans to dominate, there are usually exceptions to any rule. Although they possess a very European sound about them, American act Kamelot are one of the few bands on the Western side of the Atlantic that I care about, and one of even fewer that rank as being kings in power metal. With each new album now, the expectations of their fans are always high, but the band generally manages to uphold their level of quality. 2010's 'Poetry Of The Poisoned' offers nothing new to Kamelot and shows very little development to their sound, but as usual, this band creates a very melodic, epic piece of work that should please the majority of their fanbase, and possibly catch the ear of a few more fans.

As with many of Kamelot's releases, there is the impression here that the songs are bound by a concept and storytelling narrative, although the lyrics and subject matter seem to dart around quite a bit more than usual for the band. Opening with the single-worthy 'The Great Pandemonium,' the listener is instantly brought on a dark, yet very melodic journey. The musical highlight here and throughout many of the songs is always the beautiful operatic tenor voice of singer Roy Khan, whose voice shows little sign of aging, and belts each note out with either grand force, or a vulnerable beauty. A soaring chorus, an exotic central riff and plenty of effective melodic hooks baked into the symphonic structure of the music works very well. Most of the other great songs on 'Poetry For The Poisoned' share the same strengths as the opener, including the intense second track 'If Tomorrow Comes' and the beautifully dynamic 'The Zodiac.'

Unfortunately, there are a handful of tracks here that don't share the same memorable quality, and therefore pale in comparison to the tracks that came before, despite the majority of the songs here sharing a similar formula. The fact that there is little variety beyond the operatic, melodic and chorus heavy anthems can lead to the album feeling a bit too one-tracked for it's own good, despite the fact that the band uses the formula very well. Towards the end of the album is the four-part title track, which despite efforts to give the appearance of being an epic suite, unfortunately isn't. Each track comprising the 'Poetry Of The Poisoned' suite generally sits around the two minute mark, leading one to wonder if it was really necessary to break the piece into sections. In any case however, the suite is welcome due to the fact that it allows the band to break out of their typical song structure, and try something a little bit different, although the suite is no far cry from the rest of the album.

'Poetry Of The Poisoned' is far from an excellent album overall, but the high marks here rest very high indeed, making the album a good addition to their consistent discography. There's no denying that the members of Kamelot are very skilled in their craft, and as one might come to expect by now, their skills and distinct brand of power metal continue to work pleasantly. Now, if only the band would break out of their comfort zone and do something a bit different, something absolutely astounding might be in store.

Valarius With ‘Siege Perilous’ comes two major changes to Kamelot, firstly and most importantly is the debut of new vocalist, ex-Conception singer Roy Khan, who's powerful and emotional singing has finally given Kamelot the voice they need. The second change is the more prominent use of keyboards. Whilst keyboards were used on the previous albums, it's with 'Siege Perilous', Kamelots third album, that the keyboards really start to lend more to the music than mere backing strings and sound effects.

Unfortunately, these two changes don't instantly bring in huge success, and while this is a good attempt, it really feels like nothing more than a transitional period for the band, whom would really go on to further develop their own style with the next few releases.

Of course, that doesn't mean this is a bad album. Although some of the songs are pretty forgettable, others are pretty powerful and dramatic, and ooze of that Kamelot charm that comes with their own medieval-inspired sound. Songs like 'Providence', 'Parting Visions' and 'Irea' are great songs that could easily belong in a set with the bands later epics.

Overall, this is a good release which belongs in any Kamelot fans collection, but for new fans of the band this could prove to be the wrong starting point.

SouthSideoftheSky Bad karma

Epica is by some considered to be more progressive than previous albums by Kamelot. If there is something to this decree it is probably in virtue of two things: that it is conceptual and that it is even more symphonic or even orchestral than the previous album, Karma. While this is all true, I personally think that the musical direction remains basically the same as on Karma. This means that what we have here is just more of the same which is Kamelot's own brand of Symphonic Power Metal. I pointed out already in my review of Karma that being symphonic or orchestral should not be confused with being progressive. For me, this album comes across as more bombastic and quite overblown in a way that the previous two albums did not.

What they have done for this release is to add a conceptual element as well as several short symphonic interludes between the songs and some occasional operatic female vocals. There are also a couple of spoken word passages and small pieces of Pink Floyd-ish dialog. None of these additions are particularly successful in my opinion, and make the album a bit incoherent and lacking in direction. Apart from these supposed enhancers of their basic sound, Kamelot follow their previous formula pretty closely with Epica. Just like the previous two albums, the present one too starts with a short instrumental by way of introduction. What follows is a rather typical set of Power Metal numbers with catchy melodies and the characteristic rapid dual bass drum attack. I like this type of song to a degree, but I sometimes find them a bit tedious. Overall, I think that these songs were stronger on Karma and The Fourth Legacy.

There are however also some very good moments on Epica. These mostly come towards middle and end of the album. The first that really caught my attention was A Feast For The Vain with its excellent Flamenco-influenced (!) middle section and brilliant acoustic and electric guitar work. This song would have fitted well on The Fourth Legacy which, in my opinion, is Kamelot's best album. On The Coldest Winter Night is a very nice acoustic ballad, with an almost jazzy feel. The short acoustic guitar solo is wonderful. Lost & Damned is another strong number. The very appealing Folk influences that, for me, made The Fourth Legacy such a thrilling experience are more apparent here than they ever were on Karma. The use of the bandeón, which is a kind of Latin accordion, was probably unheard of within Metal music before the release of this album and gives a nice touch to the song. (The brilliant guitarist Al Di Meola is very fond if this instrument that brings a melancholic and nostalgic mood and maybe the Kamelot guys have been listening to Di Meola's music as inspiration?) Had only the rest of the album been as eclectic and inspired as this!

Epica is not a bad album, but it is a bit fragmented and some parts, like the spoken and orchestral parts as well as the operatic female vocals, are out of place. This makes the album occasionally come across as overblown and overly bombastic and I am left with the feeling that the band bit off more than they could chew. There are some excellent moments to be found here, but the listener must wait too long for them to arrive and they then pass to quickly.

I think I got most of the Kamelot I need from the previous two albums