Kamelot - Poetry For The Poisoned review
| Band: | Kamelot |
| Album: | Poetry For The Poisoned |
| Style: | Symphonic power metal |
| Release date: | September 10, 2010 |
| A review by: | Daniell |
Disc I
01. The Great Pandemonium [feat. Björn "Speed" Strid]
02. If Tomorrow Came
03. Dear Editor
04. The Zodiac [feat. Jon Oliva]
05. Hunter's Season
06. House On A Hill [feat. Simone Simons]
07. Necropolis
08. My Train Of Thoughts
09. Seal Of Woven Years
10. Poetry For The Poisoned
1 - Part I: Incubus
2 - Part II: So Long
3 - Part III: All Is Over
4 - Part IV: Dissection
11. Once Upon A Time
12. Where The Wild Roses Grow [bonus] [Nick Cave cover]
13. Thespian Drama [Japanese bonus]
Disc II [Live from Wacken 2010]
01. The Great Pandemonium
02. Human Stain
03. Center Of The Universe
04. Pendulous Fall
05. Hunter's Season
06. Karma
07. Forever
08. March Of Mephisto
[Super Limited Collector's Edition Bonus 7" Vinyl]
01. Rule The World [Live - Wacken]
02. Thespian Drama
Kamelot, at least in my eyes, has always been a band that sought their own path through the world of metal. The most fitting description of their sound is, no matter how I hate to admit it, power metal. Not the cheesiest, happiest German type, but power metal nevertheless. What made it more distinguished than most of the other power bands were Thomas Youngblood's distinctive guitar style, clever use of keyboards and orchestrations, and, above everything else, Roy Khan's vocals - so unlike any other metal singer, so non-metal so to speak. These three essential elements carried Kamelot's music through almost 20 years of their career, which has been on the rise all that time. Being quite a prolific band, they managed to deliver 9 full length releases, whose quality was constantly satisfactory, with occasional hints at excellence (Epica, Ghost Opera). Some progressive and symphonic elements crept into Kamelot's music in the meantime, making it richer, more textured and ambitious.
Alas my friends, not anymore. Poetry for the Poisoned is a letdown. The courage that Kamelot had to implement new elements into the fossilized body of power metal was enough for one brave, enjoyable song, "The Great Pandemonium." Electronic beginning, growling in the background, dense drumming that almost turns into blastbeats at the end. If it wasn't for the vocalist, it'd be hard to recognize Kamelot. The song is tight, to the point, and it genuinely hooked me up for the rest of the album. Bravo gentlemen, you're expanding your sound!
Too bad you don't know which direction you want to take your expansion. "If Tomorrow Came" is a typical power metal number, "The Zodiac" is a boring, theatrical exercise in role-playing, "Necropolis" balances on the edge of some kind of shy, half-hearted industrial rock. An honorable mention should be made about the terrible "House On A Hill." A few more songs like this and Kamelot will become new kings of sickeningly sweet cheese called power metal ballad. When I heard the verse "Cry me a river," I literally fell off my couch. Seriously, Michael Bolton meets Whitney Houston. It's scarier than "The Shining"! The title track, an ambitious four-part opus, doesn't save the day. It seems to go nowhere and everywhere at the same time. As a result, my finger hits the "STOP" button.
I can understand why the band wants to play a bit differently after 19 years of existence. But I was kind of hoping that they would figure it out during those 3 years that passed since their previous release. Apparently they had so many ideas for the new album that they couldn't make up their minds, so they crammed every idea they had into those 11 songs. The result is dubious. It'll probably scare off many old fans (like me) and won't bring too many new ones. Fanboys will be delighted, I'm sure, but they'd be delighted even if Khan started to fart in a melodic way. No offense, but this is just one inch over crap.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 8 |
| Songwriting: | 6 |
| Originality: | 7 |
| Production: | 7 |
 | Written on 18.09.2010 by Writes overly honest and totally subjective reviews when fancy strikes him. Which is not often. Which is probably good, all things considered. |
Rating:
9.0
9.0
|
Rating: 9.0 |
Brilliant. This cd will probably be totally misinterpreted by many, but after listening to it enough it finally dawned on me that Poetry for the Poisoned is just an evolutionary step of Kamelot's musical genius. It's nice to see this band evolving and growing from their power metal roots into something which appeals more to the musically inclined as opposed to serving up the same driving beats and power chords cd after cd. Welcome to the world of progressive metal. Read more ›› |
Rating:
8.2
8.2
|
Rating: 8.2 |
Three long years fans had to wait for an all new full-length studio album, and here it finally is. So what's the deal on Poetry For The Poisoned? In a word - great, although not as great as expected. Kamelot is one of those bands that kept improving from album to album until they reached their zenith with the incredible The Black Halo. The following release was a letdown for many fans, because of new influences on the band's sound. If you are one of those fans, then better pass on this record, since it's one step further along the same road. If you however, like me, loved Ghost Opera, definately give this one a try. Read more ›› |
Rating:
8.8
8.8
|
Rating: 8.8 |
It's been 5 years since Poetry For The Poisoned was released. Five long years in which illustrious Kamelot and Conception vocalist decided to bid farewell to the music industry as a whole, for a higher cause, and it was the first studio appearance of original bassist Sean Tibbetts, after long-time bassist Glenn Berry had left the band. Read more ›› |
Comments page 4 / 5
| Jason W. Razorbliss Staff Posts: 3523  |
My expectations were only average, since I didn't like Ghost Opera so much, but I think my uncertainy about this new album is regarding Khan's performance. There's something flat, maybe a bit touched up in the studio, who knows, but it's just like he's past his peak somehow. He's still better than the majority of power metal singers, but I can only hear that greatness on the opening track, unfortunately. Still decent though for me, so I'd rate it higher than your review, maybe 7ish. I'm a bit surprised about the comments about ballads by Kamelot - they've had them for awhile, and I've never liked many of them as they've always seemed cheesy; this album is no different for me. But, nice production, and some innovative ideas are hinted at that I hope the band explores - and finds stronger focus with 
---- "After silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." - Aldous Huxley
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| Daniell _爱情_ Elite Posts: 6099  |
Written by Rui Correia on 22.09.2010 at 00:10 You're assuming that the final rating is based on those 4. you're wrong. In my opinion, songwriting is THE most important.
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| Rui Correia Posts: 6 |
Written by Daniell on 22.09.2010 at 09:31 yes, it is fair, but even the worst score (songwriting) is larger than the final score ... It seems inappropriate ...
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071  |
Written by Rui Correia on 22.09.2010 at 14:09  5.9 = 6
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
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| Daniell _爱情_ Elite Posts: 6099 |
It's the closest round number, isn't it? When a reviewer rates an album, he has the general rating, which is from 2.0 to 10.0, making 5.9 possible. The 4 detailed elements can only be rated in round numbers. Let me also elaborate on these marks a bit: Performance 8 - the band is very adept at their instruments, guitar solos are good, the vocalist is very good. Songwriting 6 - its biggest fault is its discrepancy - too many ideas that don't go well together. The songs don't "flow" one after another, the listening experience is spoiled. Originality 7 - the relatively high mark is for band's courage to juxtapose songs that differ so much. the mark isn't higher, because the juxtaposition isn't entirely successful. Production 7 - it's adequate, but lacks depth and good guitar sound. Overall, it's 5.9, because it isn't complete crap, but it's very disappointing.
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374  |
Written by Irritable Ted on 21.09.2010 at 20:58 Sometimes a review is just a review man, you're overthinking a little bit. I completely disagree with what you wrote because I doubt that daniell_p is such an asshole that believes that one can make a name for yourself here. He's just writing his opinion. ____ I also want to point out how sensitive people are here when it comes to A FUCKING NUMBER. This album is not shit, it's just average as the review explains. Damn, now I understand why Jupitreas don't use numbers anymore.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| BlankFile Posts: 705 |
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| Rui Correia Posts: 6 |
Yeah!!!  Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 22.09.2010 at 14:33
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| Daniell _爱情_ Elite Posts: 6099 |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 22.09.2010 at 16:15 Exactly  However, I'm not afraid of stating my opinion, no matter how unpopular it'll turn out to be. Also, I don't give a shit about shit thrown at me by those who can't accept my ratings. It only put them in a bad light, not me.
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| ErnilEnNaur Account deleted |
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| Itoc Trønder Posts: 70  |
Let's just enjoy the music? Hey, it's entertainment! Let's not behead anyone.
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| Vikcen Metálico Posts: 971  |
Written by WorpeX on 22.09.2010 at 05:40 Listen "My Train Of Thoughts" and "So Long", are good (and of course you've said, the last song: "Once Upon a Time").
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| WorpeX Made of Metal Posts: 1352  |
Written by Vikcen on 24.09.2010 at 03:15 'So Long' is one of my least favorites. The minute the girl opens her mouth I change the song. Her voice is so annoying. The only PftP song I don't mind is Incubus and thats only for the first half. My Train of Thoughts is growing on me. Very, very slowly. Its so cheesy, even for Kamelot standards, that I have trouble really getting into it. Not to mention its boring, uninspired and not catchy at all. Once Upon a Time is very enjoyable, I just can't shake the feeling that i've heard the song before. It sounds a lot like a Sonata Arctica song fused with A Feast for the Vain.
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| Vikcen Metálico Posts: 971 |
Written by WorpeX on 24.09.2010 at 08:22 Or maybe to other Kamelot's song =) .
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| MeTalRea|istiK Posts: 170  |
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| Enissa Posts: 816  |
Written by Irritable Ted on 21.09.2010 at 20:58 My exact thoughts, Conception's Parallel Dreams and In your Multitude are very awesome albums....
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| pisymbol Posts: 193  |
Written by MeTalRea|istiK on 24.09.2010 at 16:41 That's my problem with it right now. I still need more listens but not one song has my head banging. Other than the first track which IS cool there is no real killer on this album. I agree with the original review, they definitely lacked focus on this album. They are all over the place from song to song.
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| vezzy Stallmanite Posts: 3493  |
Hm, seems like a fairly standard approach when a review is in a really positive spectrum. So there's a review that praises the album, big deal.
---- Licensed under the GPLv3. Relinquish proprietary software for a greater GNU/America.
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| vezzy Stallmanite Posts: 3493 |
Written by Irritable Ted on 26.09.2010 at 18:30 Yeah, simply voicing your own opinion with your own words would suffice well enough, rather than cooking up some copypasta. This review judges the album for what it is and it is stated that the reviewer liked previous efforts by the band, the other simply delves into it like the album is paradise. Why not wait the three months to pass and write a review of your own? Then there would be a fine contrast.
---- Licensed under the GPLv3. Relinquish proprietary software for a greater GNU/America.
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| Opethian Posts: 1757  |
Written by ponderer on 20.09.2010 at 19:09 LOL thanks!
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| Daniell _爱情_ Elite Posts: 6099 |
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| Shadowcross The Summoner Posts: 481  |
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| Itoc Trønder Posts: 70 |
My biggest concern about PftP compared to all the other releases is a certain "Kamelot sound" - a certain sound/instrument to be specific which is absent. It's a certain "whistle"/"folk-ish tune" (keys I believe) which you find in many Kam songs: "A Sailorman's Hymn", "Center of the Universe" (the calm part), "Moonlight" (also the calm part), "Abandoned", "Anthem" to mention a few. THIS particular "Kamelot sound" appears ONCE in PftP: "Poetry for the Poisoned: So Long" at 00:31 - 00:35 which has THREE (3) bloody notes in the whole album. I don't think many fans are aware of this particular sound, because it blends so well into the music. But yeah, that is one particular thing I was missing. In other words, I wouldn't have recognized this as "Kamelot" if it wasn't for Khan on vocals.
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| <O>!<O> Account deleted |
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| WorpeX Made of Metal Posts: 1352 |
Thespian Drama is awesome btw. Just heard it on youtube. Wish it had come on my album!
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| Asmara Posts: 11  |
This is a great review! nicely done! also agree with most of the arguments. such a pity!
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| Susan Smeghead Elite Posts: 6941  |
I really don't understand the hate for this album. I've been reading the comments and it seems pretty universally panned here. At first I didn't really dig it either, but it grew on me FAST and now I see its good qualities. A bit more proggy than Kamelot's previous few albums, maybe a bit darker, but honestly I don't hear a huge difference. Lots of people talk about how they changed but I seriously don't hear it. A nice (slight) evolution in the direction from Ghost Opera. There is some really beautiful metal music here.
---- "A life all mine Is what I choose At the end of my days" --The Gathering "A Life All Mine" from Souvenirs
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| Cathaldus Posts: 6 |
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| Matheus Posts: 2 |
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| R'Vannith ghedengi Elite Posts: 3099  |
Written by Matheus on 20.03.2011 at 18:21 I agree with you in that Kamelot have always offered a new flavor of Power Metal that is quite unique in the genre, even developing their sound to incorporate entirely new elements or strengthened/altered already existing elements to keep their music interesting. But what do you mean by 'Power metal in its pure form'? Personally, I didn't enjoy the album, needless to say though that they have added to their already interesting sound. Unfortunate though that that doesn't necessarily mean that the album is good.
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definitely one to listen to on MySpace first...
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