• New Music Reviews
• |
• Archives
• |
• News
• |
• Submissions
• |
• About
• |
• 
• |
• 

April 2024

• War Grave: War Grave EP
• Six By Six: Beyond Shadowland
• Vanden Plas: The Empyrean Equation Of The Long Lost Things
• Praying Mantis: Defiance
• King Zebra: Between The Shadows
• About Us: Take A Piece
• Blue Oyster Cult: Ghost Stories

March 2024

• Cruzh: The Jungle Revolution
• Whom Gods Destroy: Insanium
• The Prog Collective: Dark Encounters
• Lords Of Black: Mechanics Of Predacity
• Lipz: Changing The Melody
• The End Machine: The Quantum Phase
• Stargate: Escaping The Illusion
• Turbulence: Binary Dream
• Sonata Arctica: Clear Cold Beyond
• D'Luna: Monster
• Big Big Train: The Likes Of Us
• Benjamin Croft: We Are Here To Help

February 2024

• Traveler: Prequel To Madness
• Lionheart: The Grace Of A Dragonfly
• Honeymoon Suite: Alive
• Durbin: Screaming Steel
• Smoking Snakes: Danger Zone
• Revolution Saints: Against The Winds
• Striker: Ultrapower
• Show N Tell: The Ritual Has Begun
• Robert Hart: Circus Life

January 2024

• Corvus: Immortals
• Caligula's Horse: Charcoal Grace
• Grand: Second To None
• Neal Morse: The Restoration - Joseph - Part Two
• The Rods: Rattle The Cage
• Gotus: Gotus
• Metalite: Expedition One
• Cobrakill: Serpent's Kiss
• Jack Russell & Tracii Guns: Medusa
• Jim Peterik & World Stage: Roots & Shoots Vol. 1
• The Grandmaster: Black Sun

[ More Music Reviews ]

Kamelot: The Shadow Theory

Melodic/Symphonic/Power Metal

5.0/5.0

Website Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
Naplam Records
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 29.03.2018

Few bands can boast a career as consistent and illustrious as Kamelot. Over 27 years, the band has delivered 12 albums of compelling and entertaining progressive power metal. Additionally they've toured consistently in support of them to delight of fans around the world. Kamelot is indeed worthy of legendary status. They arrive with their latest, and twelfth, studio album, The Shadow Theory. As often as it is with Kamelot, the album is conceptual in nature. Rather than give you my explanation, here's the summary from press material. "Deeply intrigued by analytical psychology, Kamelot spent the past year engineering a groundbreaking album leaning on three pillars: The Shadow Empire (The global mind), The Shadow Key (The Resistance) and The Shadow Wall (The veil that blinds us from the truth), A dystopian glimpse at the complexity of the human mind and its place in an oppressive society - an obvious parallel to all of us, in the here and now." Whoa. That's some heady stuff.

Kamelot

After this, musically, Kamelot needs no introduction. The Shadow Theory is quintessential Kamelot: epic and engaging, melodic and symphonic, progressive power metal. Essentially, if you've liked anything that Kamelot has done in the past, stop reading my ramblings and buy the album forthwith. You will not be disappointed.

But if you want to stick around, here's a bit more detail about The Shadow Theory. Everything you love about Kamelot's music is here. Harmonious guitar riffs and sizzling solos come from founder and guitarist Thomas Youngblood. The song arrangements are swollen with uber-catchy harmony and melody, also from the guitar lines, but also from Tommy Karevik's dramatic voice and vocal arrangements. (As an aside, Karevik is much better heard within this album than the previous Haven.) Then the songs are filled with crafty and infectious melodies and refrains, and then driven by the AOR accessibility of rock groove from the potent rhythm section. All these things are carefully wrapped in synth orchestration for a lush and lavish cinematic feel. But you knew all that, right?

How about a few song highlights then? After a lush symphonic instrumental opening, let the equally symphonic power metal possess you with Phantom Divine. The rush of power metal heaviness returns also within Kevlar Skin, which features both key and guitar solos. Burns To Embrace offers more bombastic power while mixing the pacing, offering a tune turning on the melodic vocal arrangement, and ending with choral children's choir. The soft symphonic ballad Twilight Hours features Karevik in duet with Beyond The Black's Jennifer Haben. A sweet song. Another female voice appears within MindFall Remedy, where Once Human vocalist Lauren Hart lends some moderate death vocals to the arrangement. If I'm not mistaken Karevik may be giving death vocals a go within The Proud And The Broken. Suffice to say, all the songs are terrific, but what else would you expect from Kamelot?

By way of conclusion, I repeat myself. The Shadow Theory is quintessential Kamelot: epic and engaging, melodic and symphonic, progressive power metal. Easily recommended. Get it.

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.

The Shadow Theory is quintessential Kamelot: epic and engaging, melodic and symphonic, progressive power metal. Easily recommended. Get it.

Alphabetical Index

Three years have passed since Sweden's Cruzh dropped their second long-player, Tropical Thunder, also introducing their new singer, Alex Waghorn. Now the band returns with The Jungle Revolution ... [ Read More ]