So, I'm a total Kamelot n00b. I had never heard them until this last ProgPower with Mike singing. They are like one of my new favorites now after Poetry. BEFORE I realized that Jon Oliva was on the album and that they were from Florida, I was noticing that they have that same vibe that I get from Savatage. Songs that sound deceptively simple but are completely filled with nuance, top-to-bottom. I couldn't believe my ears when Jon comes in on Zodiac (my daughter was in the car, and now she keeps asking for the 'broken neck' song).
Anyway...
1) Great Pandemonium: Totally rippin'. Great for singing along in the car (and looking like a fool in rush hour).
2) If Tomorrow Came: The whole depeche-mode sound of this song kicks my nuts in. Anyone that thinks this is JUST PowerMetal is totally missing the point of this one. That crazy harmonized bridge in thirds sounds killer as well.
3) Dear Editor: Cracks my shit up, I have no idea why. Remind's me of the movie Sev7n.
4) Zodiac: Um, yeah, buy the album just for this, if nothing else. The guitar solo being this strat-y blues thing (Neal Schon-ish) is unexpected and awesome.
5) Hunter's Season: I was expecting a great guitar solo. The frenzied pentatonic-lick thing just doesn't do it for me. It kind of kills the song for me.
6) House on A Hill: Great duet! I gather from other comments that Simone rocks out the duets on other albums! Can't wait to hear more like this..
7) Necropolis: Has moments that remind of DT (the good parts, not the wanker parts). That can only be a good thing!
8) My Train of Thought: The insistent 16th-note pulse that carries the song really does give a constant-running train sound to the groove. The chorus is great, anyone with a lame voice wouldn't be able to pull it off.
9) Seal of Woven Years: Sorry about being a theory geek, but, the use of Dorian and minor interchangeably in the riff and chorus is so hip. Even if you don't realize what they are doing, it's really fucking smooth and just makes them sound badass.
10) Poetry: the suite kicks ass. I'm sure the straight-ahead powermetal is their bread and butter, but they pull off off-beat proggy/savatage-ish rock really well and this mini-journey of a tune proves it. The vocal line right into the guitar solo on So Long gives me chills, and the octave-harmonized vocals in the outro are just epic. I get why Shreddy digs Simone now so much!
11) Once Upon a Time: I'll just say that this is totally formulaic power metal.... and I wouldn't have it any other way. This song kicks my ass. Except the beginning with the keyboard solo, because my first thought is... 'you lucky bastard, dating Simone'. But then I forget all about it when the chorus starts.
And as has been mentioned before, Casey Grillo is a total powerhouse drummer. The drums on the production sound fat as hell. He isn't quite as 'detailed' a drummer as Jason Rullo, as rigid as Portnoy, or as organic as say Gavin Harrison, but, he's just really effective.