It must be daunting to try and top or at least sustain the quality of your band after a watershed release such as "The Black Halo". There are very few bands out there that have released an album that had the emotional depth, musical intricacies, tightly wound song structures and catchy hooks such as contained in that "Halo" release.
Kamelot however has attempted the impossible but not quite achieved it with
"Ghost Opera". "Halo" was big and bombastic, a pompously symphonic cd that ran through emotions like red stop signs at midnight. It was blaze on through without looking back.
Their latest continues the impeccable quality and paints it black. This is an album that is dense, often dark, and always dynamic. A slight goth influence has been applied to the finishing sheen which makes it pop out from the rest of their eight cd catalogue. It's entirely
Kamelot, but that little knife twist in the musical gut allows it to bleed unique. There's enough alien influences here that it makes the cd bleed anything but red, such as waltzy bits, an Asian angle, theatrics on par with Andrew Lloyd Webber's stage productions.
The cd is anything but shy or timid. It boldly steps out from the typical shadows of power metal cliches and embraces a multitude of directions with finesse, style and masterful execution. In the hands of lessers, these songs would come off as being trite and bordering on ridiculous, but
Kamelot is able to weave these slight touches from otherworlds into their music with a deft, experienced hand. The result is a seamless introduction of new sounds and fresh musical landscapes. There are few instances where you get the deja vu feeling that you've heard it all before. Like the previous album, this one is also deeply progressive, leaving a labyrinth of layers to untangle, but perhaps tending a bit more to the straightforward, allowing the different influences to be digested more easily. It relies on instant hooks, a plethora of keyboards and the expressive vocals of Kahn to carry it through the more daring sections.
"Solitaire" is a typical ambient opener, electronic bass jazzed up with a violin going it solo (hence the title) and
"Rule the World" following it, comes roaring as an aftershock. Khan lashes out in a furious rage, the pacing is frantic yet rhythmic and matches the desperation and lashing torment of the vocals. The title track is a perfect example of
Kamelot at the height of their creative peak. It positively soars with majesty, roars with passion and thunders along at a dizzying clip all the while blending in an ethereal female backing voice to enrich the experience even further. There are some experimentations but the overall feeling is huge, music interwoven so tightly its almost impossible to separate where one instrument ends and the other begins. So smooth, fluid and absolutely irresistible.
"Love You to Death" is slick, theatrical and wrought with wrestling emotions. It's bleak, its forlorn, it throws you into the fire and douses you cold, leaving you shivering and covered in goosebumps at the raw feeling that bleeds through each performance. A love song that shimmers with emotional power thanks to both Khan and his female counterpart dueting and playing off of each other so perfectly here.
"The Human Stain" is desolate yet still powerful, contrasting the stark, lonely vocal over pianos with the multilayered brilliance of the piece later on down the line, as it builds from the slow shifting opening to end on a finale that's simply royally majestic. The bass stands out here, rattling the rafters with its thumping sound that overtakes the song and crushes the breath from your chest. The Gregorian chants send shivers up the spine for the spook haunted
"Mourning Star" and further playing with a wide field of ideas sees
"Silence of the Darkness" feeding off of a past track ("When the Lights Go Down") to offer a sequel, both in spirit, lyrically and musically. Things like this excite the ones that have previous knowledge of their music, and also hint at further depth and discovery beyond what the casual listener will garner from simply skimming the surface. This one is also closest to the sound from "Halo" and works as a bridge to tie the two releases together.
"Anthem" is truly the anthem to life. It is uplifting, and terrifying in some aspects. It sweeps through with a vengeance and builds to the near breaking point, reminiscent of some grandeur orchestral piece off of a movie soundtrack, yet bound in the chains of the metallic as well. The lull in the middle is deceptive, for it is only a breather so you can gather your thoughts and brace yourself for the onslaught that reigns down after it. Absolutely brilliant.
"EdenEcho" has magnificant mystique, a mesmerizing track that is intense, moody and bursting in its release of pent up power. Youngblood's guitar ends the album on a fantastic riff ride.
Creative, intellegent and as slick as anything else out there,
"Ghost Opera" is a fitting followup to "The Black Halo" in every way.
Kamelot keeps the basic recipe of their sound but adds so many new ingredients that the overall taste is familiar yet unique. An aromatic album that lingers long after you have pressed the stop button, its the kind of album that chases you in your dreams and follows you like a ghostly shadow days after it has last been heard. Memorable is the word, and
Kamelot has successfully managed to change with the times and deliver an album that is uniquely all its own, just enough so that it will most assuredly not get lost in the wake of the one and only "The Black Halo". Kudos to the band for not only meeting expectations but also surpassing them in many ways. I tremble in anticipation to see what they create next time.
Written by
Alanna Monday, July 9, 2007
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