Kamelot - 2007 Ghost Opera
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MilenaG
February 15 2014
- 2007 Articles
- 792 Reads 2 Comments
ARTIST: Kamelot
ALBUM: Ghost Opera
LABEL: SPV/Steamhammer
SERIAL: SPV 95902 CD
YEAR: 2007
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
LINEUP: Roy Khan - vocals, occasional keyboards * Thomas Youngblood - guitar * Glenn Barry - bass * Casey Grillo - drums * Oliver Palotai - keyboards
TRACK LISTING: 01 Solitaire * 02 Rule The World * 03 Ghost Opera * 04 The Human Stain * 05 Blucher * 06 Love You To Death * 07 Up Through The Ashes * 08 Mourning Star * 09 Silence Of The Darkness * 10 Edenecho
RATING:
WEBLINKS: www.kamelot.com
Background
After concluding their famous concept pair of albums, 'Epica' and 'The Black Halo', Kamelot have decided to go where 'The Black Halo' had unexpectedly taken them - towards big, ballsy symphonic arrangements and penetrating darkness.
The Songs
Separating a one minute intro from the first track may not have been so profound, as they are rather alike, but this is quite a minute thing to complain about when you're having a listen of the full CD, as I always am - and 'Rule The World' is a great song, with or without 'Solitaire' merged with it. Featuring some clever use of the Eastern motifs and colours, it's rather sexy, if a metal song was ever sexy, that is. 'Ghost Opera' fits its name like a glove - female operatic vocals (lovely work of Amanda Somerville) aiding the chorus, a big symphonic sound and a rather dusty, Victorian atmosphere permeates it. In a fit of genius (or a fit of poor comparison making, who can tell?), I dubbed it 'daguerreotype metal' and I'm pretty sure that's the best description I could possibly come up with. 'The Human Stain' and 'Blucher' have some rather entertaining industrial features, and 'Love You To Death' is, surprisingly, the breakaway hit off this album. I am the last person to slag off teenagers' music taste (seeing how I was one mere three years ago), but I've never met anyone over the age of 18 that adores this song. The next three songs are an exercise in darkening what seems to me like old Kamelot material, with mixed results, dragging the album down slightly, but 'Anthem' and 'EdenEcho' bring the album to a satisfying close, the first a heartfelt lullaby of Roy Khan to his newborn son, the second a true power metal hit in pure Kamelot style and a mainstay on their setlists.
In Summary
An experiment that ended successfully, and one dear to me through many, perhaps pointless, emotional associations - they shot three videos for it a few kilometers away from where I live, and it was the latest Kamelot album when I got into them.
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