Kamelot - Karma
Noise Records - 2001
By Rodrigo
/images/covers/Kamelot.jpg
The overall appeal of Kamelot is an enigma that confuses me. The people that like them simply just go head over heels over them and I really dont understand that. Their early albums were a cheap imitation of Crimson Glory. Just listen to the singing of Mark Vanderbilt and tell me he is not a dead ringer for Midnight. Their last album, The Fourth Legacy, was good at first but after subsequent listens it just began to bore me. So with these preconceived opinions on Kamelot I received their latest release Karma and just dreaded the worst. However, something strange and unexpected actually happened as I kept on listening to it, I began to like it. Karma had the exact opposite effect from The Fourth Legacy. Instead of getting more annoyed after each listen, I got to enjoy this album more.
After the unoriginal opening instrumental "Regalis Apertura" (when will bands just stop trying to make classical and symphonic intro pieces and just start right away with the first full song), the excellent "Forever" gets off. I find it very similar to "The Fourth Legacy". It is a fast up-tempo song with excellent guitars by Thomas Youngblood , there is a really fast lead in the beginning, and the singing by Khan is perfect, especially in the anthem-like chorus. "Wings of Despair" is next and is another excellent fast musical journey. The opening riff reminds me of another song but I just have not been able to place it. The drumming of Casey Grillo is really solid throughout the song and the instrumental part features the always-enjoyable galloping pace. "Karma" picks up where these songs left off and I love the beginning with the driving guitars and the subtle keyboards in the background. Luckily this is repeated during the chorus and it is frankly a very subtle but effective piece of music. "The Light Shine on You" is another good song but I do wish that the song had kept the fast pace of the chorus, where Khan just belts out some amazing vocal melodies. These are the sort of songs that I wish Kamelot would focus more on.
The main negatives I have with Karma are the slower mid-tempo songs and ballads. "The Spell" really has an annoying pace, it is almost as if the band does not know whether they want to speed it up or just stay at a mid tempo flow. "Dont You Cry" is a ballad dedicated to Thomass father and while I am probably going to sound like a thoughtless individual, I just dont like it. It has heart felt lyrics and it is very emotional but it just doesnt strike a chord with me. However, the US version of this album contains the bonus track, "Ne Pleure Pas" , an acoustic French version of "Dont You Cry" and for whatever reason I think it sounds better this way, more emotional. "Temples of Gold" is another slow moving ballad piece that I also find annoying.
Karma ends with the "Elizabeth" trilogy and it based on the life of Elizabeth Bathori, who killed more than 600 people in hope of gaining eternal youth from the victims blood. The first song of the trilogy is where I find myself once again not liking another ballad, "Mirror Mirror". "Requiem for the Innocent" starts slowly but it soon builds up the pace and it is quite an enjoyable song. "Fall From Grace" starts off with some really heavy guitars and pounding drumming and you just can resist the urge to sing along throughout the song. At over 11 minutes it is the longest song of the album but dont let that fool you. From about 4 minutes to the very end there is nothing but silence. Many people criticized Shadow Gallery for doing something similar during "First Light" but for some reason Kamelot has escaped these complaints.
Karma didnt end up being the horrible musical torture I expected. It also didnt end up being something that I would listen in a regular basis. It is however a very solid and enjoyable album, one which fans of Kamelot and of symphonic power metal bands will probably enjoy a lot more than me.
Noise Records - 2001
By Rodrigo
/images/covers/Kamelot.jpg
The overall appeal of Kamelot is an enigma that confuses me. The people that like them simply just go head over heels over them and I really dont understand that. Their early albums were a cheap imitation of Crimson Glory. Just listen to the singing of Mark Vanderbilt and tell me he is not a dead ringer for Midnight. Their last album, The Fourth Legacy, was good at first but after subsequent listens it just began to bore me. So with these preconceived opinions on Kamelot I received their latest release Karma and just dreaded the worst. However, something strange and unexpected actually happened as I kept on listening to it, I began to like it. Karma had the exact opposite effect from The Fourth Legacy. Instead of getting more annoyed after each listen, I got to enjoy this album more.
After the unoriginal opening instrumental "Regalis Apertura" (when will bands just stop trying to make classical and symphonic intro pieces and just start right away with the first full song), the excellent "Forever" gets off. I find it very similar to "The Fourth Legacy". It is a fast up-tempo song with excellent guitars by Thomas Youngblood , there is a really fast lead in the beginning, and the singing by Khan is perfect, especially in the anthem-like chorus. "Wings of Despair" is next and is another excellent fast musical journey. The opening riff reminds me of another song but I just have not been able to place it. The drumming of Casey Grillo is really solid throughout the song and the instrumental part features the always-enjoyable galloping pace. "Karma" picks up where these songs left off and I love the beginning with the driving guitars and the subtle keyboards in the background. Luckily this is repeated during the chorus and it is frankly a very subtle but effective piece of music. "The Light Shine on You" is another good song but I do wish that the song had kept the fast pace of the chorus, where Khan just belts out some amazing vocal melodies. These are the sort of songs that I wish Kamelot would focus more on.
The main negatives I have with Karma are the slower mid-tempo songs and ballads. "The Spell" really has an annoying pace, it is almost as if the band does not know whether they want to speed it up or just stay at a mid tempo flow. "Dont You Cry" is a ballad dedicated to Thomass father and while I am probably going to sound like a thoughtless individual, I just dont like it. It has heart felt lyrics and it is very emotional but it just doesnt strike a chord with me. However, the US version of this album contains the bonus track, "Ne Pleure Pas" , an acoustic French version of "Dont You Cry" and for whatever reason I think it sounds better this way, more emotional. "Temples of Gold" is another slow moving ballad piece that I also find annoying.
Karma ends with the "Elizabeth" trilogy and it based on the life of Elizabeth Bathori, who killed more than 600 people in hope of gaining eternal youth from the victims blood. The first song of the trilogy is where I find myself once again not liking another ballad, "Mirror Mirror". "Requiem for the Innocent" starts slowly but it soon builds up the pace and it is quite an enjoyable song. "Fall From Grace" starts off with some really heavy guitars and pounding drumming and you just can resist the urge to sing along throughout the song. At over 11 minutes it is the longest song of the album but dont let that fool you. From about 4 minutes to the very end there is nothing but silence. Many people criticized Shadow Gallery for doing something similar during "First Light" but for some reason Kamelot has escaped these complaints.
Karma didnt end up being the horrible musical torture I expected. It also didnt end up being something that I would listen in a regular basis. It is however a very solid and enjoyable album, one which fans of Kamelot and of symphonic power metal bands will probably enjoy a lot more than me.
