Kamelot - Reissues: Eternity / Dominion / Siege Perilous / Fourth Legacy / Expedition / Karma / Epica
Credit to Sanctuary Records for recognising the quality and importance of US band, Kamelot's back catalogue.
Despite the fact that the band remain (and always will) resolutely below the waterline of a wider public consciousness, they've progressively climbed to the pinnacle of power metal during the last 10 years. A niche market perhaps, but one that's populated by many thousands of fans.

Yet, when you listen to the band's first two albums - 'Eternity' (1995), 'Dominion' (1996) - their future looks far from rosy.
Recorded by Jim Morris at his Florida studio, the two albums sound unsure of which direction to pursue. It's a situation not helped by Mark Vanderbilt's dragging, one dimensional vocals. Most of the material plods along unadventurously, but good vocals could quite easily have redeemed good songs like 'Call Of The Sea' from the debut and 'We Are Not Separate' from the follow up.

By third release, 'Siege Perilous' (1998), Vanderbilt had departed and Norwegian, Roy Khan, ex of Conception had joined. No coincidence perhaps that on this album the band take those first few tentative steps toward the epic, operatic, symphonic / power metal we know and love.
Thomas Youngblood's first bash at production shows flashes of genius in the album's mix of colourful, neo classical orchestration and riffy, razor sharp axework.
In Khan he'd found a worthy foil. They match each other perfectly on the pivotal, groundbreaking tracks 'Expedition', 'Where I Reign' and 'Parting Visions'. Each in its own way raising the bar, both in terms of what Kamelot could aspire to and the standard to which their competitors must now match or surpass.

New production team, Sascha Paeth and Miro proved to be a dynamic force on the band's fourth album, 'The Fourth Legacy'.
The energy levels are higher, melodies are more immediate, hooks are pulse quickening and the carefully crafted neo classical influences are even more apparent.
There's an almost tangible aura of confidence radiating from the awesome 'Nights Of Arabia', 'The Shadow Of Uther' and the inventive rock/metal hybrid, 'Alexandria'.
With no production duties to worry about, and with Miro handling the arrangements and keyboards, Thomas Youngblood was free to let fly (or to rein in) his imaginative axe solos and tuneful riffs. Consequently, the album is liberally peppered with memorable guitar moments, conveying exact nuances of mood, without going over the top or becoming too clinical.
It was a real coming of age release.

A surge in popularity and a European tour followed immediately. The ever reliable Paeth recorded and mixed a live album 'The Expedition' (2000), distilled from hundreds of performances.
Naturally, the selection of tracks favours 'The Fourth Legacy', with six of the nine tracks coming from that album.
As you would guess, with Paeth managing proceedings, the sound here is excellent if a little muted at times. The release is made more notable due to the inclusion of three previously unreleased bonus tracks. 'We Three Kings'(instrumental) and 'One Day' were recorded in 1998 at Morrisound, and 'We Are Not Separate', which originally appeared on 'Dominion', was rerecorded with Khan on vocals in 2000 by the ubiquitous Sascha Paeth. A good song really shines now.

The same team (Paeth and Miro) was responsible for the magnificent 'Karma' album (2003).
Youngblood's and Khan's songwriting collaborations seemed now as collusive and intuitive as they were ambitious. Thanks to Miro's sparkling orchestrations, this was power / symphonic metal with a sleek, silky sheen.
This is serious stuff too, with a string quartet, a real orchestra and real "opera vocals".
All in all, 'Karma' was, and still is, a real metal antidote for the low, arduous, all pervading hum of contemporary metal.
It's also an album chock full of great tracks.
Even when they slow the pace there's a power and a majesty carrying these songs. Khan builds up the balladic 'Don't You Cry' slowly then hits the chorus in one throat grabbing moment of emotion. 'Temples Of Gold' starts off with acoustic guitars before developing a depth of eastern promise. Only the band's efforts to bring celtic rock into the power metal fold on 'Across The Highlands' fail.
In ample contrast, the three track, self contained mini opera 'Elizabeth' shows us exactly what Kamelot do best. 'Requiem For The Innocent' and 'Fall From Grace' have it all. Galloping guitars, swathes of strings, coruscating riffs, incendiary axework and explosive, climactic choruses.
Eight out of ten cats said 'Karma' is probably the band's best work.

'Epica' (2005) had a hard act to follow, but it tried its best. A bit too hard at times.

The team - Paeth, Miro and the band - wrote and recorded some outstanding songs once again, but in going for a level of sophistication - this is a concept album, based on Goethe's Faust - it seems in places to be overpowering, in danger of collapsing under its own weight.
The 'Intro', a genuine cacophony of dissonant voices, signals a real change in approach. Tracks like 'Center Of The Universe', 'Farewell' and 'Descent Of The Archangel' are driving and slightly ominous works, clearly reflecting the subject matter. But in honesty, almost all of the album operates at this level.

If you like your power metal to be serious minded, earnest, heroic, then 'Epica' is for you.

Since then, the band have gone on to release 'The Black Halo' in 2005 and 'Ghost Opera' in 2007. Watch out for the review of this latest release over the next week.

Ratings
Eternity : 5/10
Dominion : 5.5/10
Siege Perilous : 6.5/10
Fourth Legacy : 7.5/10
Expedition : 7/10
Karma : 8/10
Epica : 6.5/10

Written by Brian
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Show all reviews by Brian

Ratings

Brian: 666/10

Members: No members have rated this album yet.


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RevelationZ Comments


Comment by Steen (Staff) - Tuesday, June 26, 2007
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Comments: 518
Dominion is an old favorite of mine. A specific atmosphere rules this album and songs like Song of Roland, We're Not Separate, Heaven, Rise again, One Day I'll Win and Birth of a Hero all have something special.

Posted by Steen (Staff)
Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Comment by Alanna (Staff) - Tuesday, June 26, 2007
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Comments: 245
I agree with Steen here. I remember picking up Dominion and Eternity back in the days where almost anything on Noise Records was a safe bet. The atmosphere that prevails is very much like Crimson Glory from what I remember (have not heard these discs in probably something like 8 years) but they were frequently and fondly listened to.
Siege Perilous bored me to death. After listening to excessive amounts of Conception, Khan's move to Kamelot was disappointing. It was a boring, plodding disc that grated oon the nerves.
And then there was The Fourth Legacy!! Good LORD did I ever adore that album. For the time it was *everything*. I nearly worshipped it. "Lunar Sanctum" was all the marvelous mystery and smooth progression of Conception ressurrected all over again.... wow, what a record.
I miss that cd so much! It was one of my favs but was lost a few years ago. Or soomeone stole it, not sure what happened there.

Posted by Alanna (Staff)
Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Comment by AOR REPLICA (Anonymous) - Saturday, June 30, 2007
The Fourth Legacy, was one of the first neo classical cd I ever brought, and still one of my favourites. This began me listening to this style, which lead me to enjoy Sonata Arctica, Edguy etc . It also contains the excellent track 'Glory', which if released by any pop artist would be an instant hit. Storming track.

Khan's version of 'We are not Separate', is worth the price of the cd just on its own.

I still play 'We Three Kings' on xmas day!!!


Comment by verdalack (Anonymous) - Monday, July 23, 2007
Khan is great but the first singer had a good voice that fit the band also. I thought he sounded perfect on 'Call of the Sea', 'Black Tower' and the others. I would even pick ETERNITY over FORTH LEGACY which had only two outstanding songs-Silent Goddess & Until Kingdom Come. Oh well, to each his own











Review by Brian

Released by
Noise Records / Sanctuary - 2007

Tracklisting
ETERNITY
01 - Eternity
02 - Black Tower
03 - Call Of The Sea
04 - Proud Nomad
05 - Red Sands
06 - One Of The Hunted
07 - Fire Within
08 - Warbird
09 - What About Me
10 - Etude Jongleur
11 - The Gleeman

DOMINION
01 - Ascension
02 - Heaven
03 - Rise Again
04 - One Day I'll Win
05 - We Are Not Separate
06 - Birth Of A Hero
07 - Creation
08 - Sin
09 - Song Of Roland
10 - Crossing Two Rivers
11 - Troubled Mind

SIEGE PERILOUS
01 - Providence
02 - Millennium
03 - King's Eyes
04 - Expedition
05 - Where I Reign
06 - Parting Visions
07 - Once A Dream
08 - Rhydin
09 - Irea
10 - Siege

THE FOURTH LEGACY
01 - New Allegiance
02 - The Fourth Legacy
03 - Silent Goddess
04 - Desert Reign
05 - Nights Of Arabia
06 - The Shadow Of Uther
07 - A Sailorman's Hymn
08 - Alexandria
09 - The Inquisitor
10 - Glory
11 - Until Kingdom Come
12 - Lunar Sanctum

EXPEDITION
01 - Until Kingdom Come
02 - Expedition
03 - The Shadow Of Uther
04 - Millennium
05 - A Sailorman's Hymn
06 - The Fourth Legacy
07 - Call Of The Sea
08 - Desert Reign / Nights Of Arabia
09 - We Three Kings
10 - One Day
11 - We Are Not Separate

KARMA
Regalis Apertura
Forever
Wings Of Despair
The Spell
Don't You Cry
Karma
The Light I Shine On You
Temples Of Gold
Across The Highlands
Elizabeth: Mirror Mirror
Elizabeth: Requiem For The Innocent
Elizabeth: Fall From Grace

EPICA
Prologue
Center Of The Universe
Farewell
Interlude I (Opiate Soul)
The Edge Of Paradise
Wander
Interlude II (Omen)
Descent Of The Archangel
Interlude III (At the Banquet)
A Feast For The Vain
On The Coldest Winter Night
Lost & Damned
Helena's Theme
Interlude IV (Dawn)
The Mourning After (Carry On)
III Ways to Epica
Snow


Style
Power / Symphonic metal

Related links
Visit the band page

Kamelot - Official Website

Other articles
Karma - (Tommy)

Epica - (Tommy)

Interview With Thom Youngblood - (Tommy)

The Black Halo - (Steen)

The Black Halo - (Paul)

One Cold Winter´s Night - (Brian)

One Cold Winter´s Night - (Alanna)

Ghost Opera - (Alanna)

Dominion - (Steen)

Poetry for the Poisoned - (Alanna)



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