Kamelot - Poetry For The Poisoned review
| Band: | Kamelot |
| Album: | Poetry For The Poisoned |
| Style: | Symphonic power metal |
| Release date: | September 2010 |
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
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.
The album starts off strong with "The Great Pandemonium". It is a prime example of how new elements can really enrich the way Kamelot sounds. The occasional whispering combined with guest singer Björn "Speed" Strid's strong growls and just the overall heaviness makes up for a brilliant experience. Unfortunately, every other track on the album fails to reach that brilliance.
Some of them come close though. "If Tomorrow Came" is catchy as heck, as is the even stronger "Hunter's Season". We have other great material such as "Once Upon A Time", which kicks in with some amazing guitars and powerful drums, and that, in my opinion, is the most traditional sounding Kamelot track on the record. At the end, there is of course the nine minutes long title track. It features - despite its weird lyrical theme - many great elements, such as some of Simone Simon's best vocals, that almost outshine the supposed frontman's performance. These are the tracks that will remind you that Kamelot knows how to make good music.
Unfortunately however, there are just as many songs that aren't really outstanding in neither a good or a bad way, songs like "The Zodiac" or "Necropolis". Generic sounding, they are filler material more than anything else. Even crowning those less entertaining parts of the album is the ballad "House On A Hill". Slow songs have often been a little on the weak side with Kamelot in my opinion. Some of them are quite good and emotional, but overall they feel just far too cheesy, and this one is no exception. Even "Anthem" (Ghost Opera) sounds like the most brutal death metal in comparison.
Like I said in the beginning, Poetry For The Poisoned is a hit or miss thing. Kamelot have added more and more progressive and industrial elements to their songs over time. Ironically, I find that those influences sounded a little more mellow on the previous album, but you will still find pleasure in this one, if you ejoyed Ghost Opera.
Best Songs: "The Great Pandemonium", "Hunter's Season", "Poetry For The Poisoned"
Rating:
5.9
5.9
|
Rating: 5.9 |
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. Read more ›› |
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:
8.8
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
| WorpeX Made of Metal Posts: 1347 From: USA  |
Haha, I love how I said in the other review that we need an unbias one... and than we get one only a day later. Great review, and it expresses exactly how I feel about the album (although I do like The Zodiac... likely only cause im a massive Jon Oliva fan).
Loading...
|
| farfaramir Posts: 128 From: Chile  |
This review was the one I was specting... The balance within the other two. 
Loading...
|
| Wes Posts: 423 From: Japan  |
I like "My Train of Thoughts", "If Tomorrow Came" "Seal of Woven Years" "Necropolis" and "Zodiac". But yeah not the best album.
Loading...
|
Hits total: 4817 | This month: 8