Judging a book....(part 2)

[TribunalRecords]

so what happened to the "power metal" band KAMELOT?

i laughed a little bit at this picture. what's next tour with Disturbed and Five Finger Death Punch? i like Kamelot so don't take this the wrong way, it's just another take on a previous thread.

 

[zedowns]

My friends and I always say that lately Kamelot is being marketed in a way to get 14 year old goth chicks to think Roy Khan is sex icon.

What happened to the good ole days?

 

[AngraRULES]

Kamelot could wear bunny suits on stage if they wanted to. The band would still kick ass.

 

[ICEDEARTHFAN]

Kamelot could wear bunny suits on stage if they wanted to. The band would still kick ass.

I would gladly wave my carrot in the air to.......

 

[AngraRULES]

I would gladly wave my carrot in the air to.......

At that point, I'd say Farewell and leave, scarred Forever...

 

[J-Man]

My friends and I always say that lately Kamelot is being marketed in a way to get 14 year old goth chicks to think Roy Khan is sex icon.

What happened to the good ole days?

By the way, that is CONCEPTION, not Kamelot

 

[skyrefuge]

I was disappointed that Zod's first question in his Kamelot interview didn't end like I was expecting. But I guess it wasn't a Jim Raggi interview. I thought the question was going to be:

"Greg: I see that you have a number of guest musicians on the new disc. How much of that is because you think these people actually contribute something of musical value, and how much is it just a coldly calculating business decision to move more product? 10%/90%? 0%/100%?"

Not that there's anything wrong with that!

Neil

 

[Metal_Camden]

so what happened to the "power metal" band KAMELOT?

i laughed a little bit at this picture. what's next tour with Disturbed and Five Finger Death Punch? i like Kamelot so don't take this the wrong way, it's just another take on a previous thread.

I would totally go see a tour with Disturbed and Kamelot..

 

[Apocalypse Emu]

Personally, if a group still puts out music that I enjoy, if they still write their own stuff, and if they still care about their fans in any respect, I don't give a crap what they look like, who they tour with, or how they promote their music. For me, it's never been about staying true to a specific genre in either music or appearance, it's about the quality and appeal of the music. Trying to keep any artist in the box they originally seemed to fit in seems a little closed minded. Again, this is all just my opinion.

 

[mel_progson]

Does Khan ever actually take that jacket off? My buddy and I saw him play in Mesa Arizona in the middle of summer. It was like 110 degrees and Khan wouldn't allow the air conditioner be on in the venue. Nor did he take that jacket off for the whole set. Thats hardcore.

 

[Apocalypse Emu]

Does Khan ever actually take that jacket off? My buddy and I saw him play in Mesa Arizona in the middle of summer. It was like 110 degrees and Khan wouldn't allow the air conditioner be on in the venue. Nor did he take that jacket off for the whole set. Thats hardcore.

DAMN. I've seen reptiles that require less heat.

... I bet his dry-cleaning bill is outrageous.

 

[nomisofsiman]

so what happened to the "power metal" band KAMELOT?

i laughed a little bit at this picture. what's next tour with Disturbed and Five Finger Death Punch? i like Kamelot so don't take this the wrong way, it's just another take on a previous thread.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't see the big deal here. They don't really look that different than most bands. I certainly wouldn't put them in the Disturbed camp. Either way though, I could care less what their look is.

 

[General Zod]

I was disappointed that Zod's first question in his Kamelot interview didn't end like I was expecting. But I guess it wasn't a Jim Raggi interview. I thought the question was going to be:

"Greg: I see that you have a number of guest musicians on the new disc. How much of that is because you think these people actually contribute something of musical value, and how much is it just a coldly calculating business decision to move more product? 10%/90%? 0%/100%?"

Not that there's anything wrong with that!

LOL. Raggi I am not. I'll leave those questions to Jim.

In all seriousness, do you think that's why these guest musicians appear on their albums? I don't think sales has much to do with it. After all, how many people are buying a Kamelot CD because Jon Oliva or Gus G. is on it for 30 seconds? I'm a huge Barlow fan, but I'm not buying a disc simply because he does a 30 second guest vocal on it. And for the most part, the artists who appear on the new disc are a lesser draw than Kamelot. Even with Oliva, do his new projects sell more than Kamelot's?

As for the whole book/cover argument, this is an interesting one. I think bands who evolve slowly, can get away with more than those who take huge leaps.

Later in the interview, Thomas was quite candid about his desire to grow Kamelot.

 

[Jibrille]

Maybe it's just me, but I don't see the big deal here. They don't really look that different than most bands. I certainly wouldn't put them in the Disturbed camp. Either way though, I could care less what their look is.

I'd say the only thing really out of place are the braids on Sean.

 

[Justin G]

This reminds me of the new (nu?) look In Flames and Lacuna Coil sported just before their Ozzfest runs. Maybe Kamelot has set their sights on that fest.

Not that it matters if the music is still good, but still...

 

[drmetal8]

Doesn't Khan have full-sleeve tattoos on each arm?

 

[AngraRULES]

Does Khan ever actually take that jacket off? My buddy and I saw him play in Mesa Arizona in the middle of summer. It was like 110 degrees and Khan wouldn't allow the air conditioner be on in the venue. Nor did he take that jacket off for the whole set. Thats hardcore.

It probably smells like ass...

 

[J-Man]

Who really cares what an established band like Kamelot looks like, as long as the music is good. Kasey has been wearing his hair like that for years and has had the piercings for as long as I can remember. Does it change the way he plays? No it doesn't. Does changing your look change who you are or your music? No as long as stay true to what has gotten you where you are.

 

[skyrefuge]

In all seriousness, do you think that's why these guest musicians appear on their albums?

Surely there are cases where it's a collaboration for the sake of the music, but yeah, my default assumption is that it's a marketing gimmick suggested/arranged/forced by the label (or band leader acting like label manager, in the case of Kamelot).

Labels certainly think such collaborations are financially important, because they're always prominently crowing about them in their press kits. Just see any Blabbermouth posting: ""Poetry for the Poisoned" features guest appearances by Simone Simons (EPICA), Gus G. (OZZY OSBOURNE, FIREWIND), Björn "Speed" Strid (SOILWORK) and Jon Oliva (SAVATAGE, JON OLIVA'S PAIN)."

If the label can't manage to swing an actual performer, then they'll go with the producer. "Produced by Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, ARCH ENEMY, STUCK MOJO)"

And failing even that, then they really dig for the bottom of the barrel: "Cover Art by Travis Smith (OPETH, NEVERMORE, SKINLAB)"

They might give half as many words to describing the actual music.

Note that in the mainstream world, the guest appearance is the bread and butter of the industry. The charts are dominated by songs such as:

SOME R&B SINGER: Some Song (feat. SOME RAPPER)
SOME RAPPER: Some Song (feat. SOME R&B SINGER)

I know this is a different world than that mainstream world, but you don't think that label mangers take ideas from that world? Any little trick that will get someone to listen to a band for the first time is something that any smart label manager will jump at.

I haven't followed Kamelot too closely lately, but they just don't strike me as a band really tied into the music scene for the music's sake. They aren't putting out split EPs with their favorite bands, doing odd little side projects, or running a boutique label with a roster filled by their musical friends.

And the collaborators don't necessarily have to be bigger than the main artist, they just have to draw in fans from different circles. Which Shagrath and Strid do perfectly. And I'm pretty sure "Ozzy's guitarist!!!" is bigger than Kamelot anyhow.

Later in the interview, Thomas was quite candid about his desire to grow Kamelot.

Yeah, so it all kind of fits together in my mind. And again, not that there's anything wrong with that. Kudos to him for trying to make a living while simultaneously putting out un-shitty music.

Neil

 

[General Zod]

They might give half as many words to describing the actual music.

I know they believe it helps market the disc, I just wonder if it does. As I said, who's buying the disc because of a 30 second contribution from an artist they enjoy?

With respect to this disc specifically, Kamelot and Epica have toured a lot together, which would explain their use of Simone. Kamelot and Epica also draw from the same well, so I don't think there are too many Epica fans who aren't already Kamelot fans. Gus G. and Thomas are very good friends. In my interview, Thomas talks about how he almost became a member of Kamelot years ago. As for Jon, Thomas is from Florida and is a Savatage fan. Ultimately, you may be right, but I'm just not seeing it on this one.

Note that in the mainstream world, the guest appearance is the bread and butter of the industry. The charts are dominated by songs such as:

SOME R&B SINGER: Some Song (feat. SOME RAPPER)
SOME RAPPER: Some Song (feat. SOME R&B SINGER)

I know this is a different world than that mainstream world, but you don't think that label mangers take ideas from that world? Any little trick that will get someone to listen to a band for the first time is something that any smart label manager will jump at.

I know this is done often in the mainstream world, and I have no doubt these ideas filter down. However, where I think it's different, is many of these tracks are released as single, and available on iTunes as a single song purchase. And I think the mainstream world is a world where many people only buy singles.

I haven't followed Kamelot too closely lately, but they just don't strike me as a band really tied into the music scene for the music's sake. They aren't putting out split EPs with their favorite bands, doing odd little side projects, or running a boutique label with a roster filled by their musical friends.

Split EPs? When's the last time a Power Metal band did a split EP? Who are they, Enslaved?

I do think Kamelot is very into their music, and put a ton of time into crafting it. Obviously, that's just my opinion.

And I'm pretty sure "Ozzy's guitarist!!!" is bigger than Kamelot anyhow.

As if anyone on the planet, outside these boards, knows/cares that Gus G. is Ozzy's new guitarist. Most Ozzy fans, if they were to ever actually hold that Kamelot disc in their hand and read that description would likely think it was a misprint.