Kamelot - Poetry for the Poisoned
Earmusic
Power Metal
14 songs (50:00)
Release year: 2010
Kamelot
Reviewed by Thomas
Major event

I'm approaching Poetry for the Poisoned with very mixed feelings. Surely, Kamelot , if any, are definitely my favourite power metal band out there. However, I haven't taken a serious glance at the genre since, well, since Ghost Opera which is over three years ago. Kamelot have always brought a heartfelt touch of darkness and speculative joy for non-power metal-fans to dwell in. The despairing emotions channelled through Youngblood's riffing, and not the least Khan's voice, always grabs you in a way the Sonata Arcticas and Stratovarius' of the universe never did. Strictly speaking though, my interest for them peaked when Karma came out, rose with the brilliant Epica until they completely dazzled the entire metal universe with the amazing The Black Halo. They contained something different, Roy Khan ripped through flesh with his devilish falsettos, and the fucking brilliant song-writing created the best tunes I had heard in years. The progressive details turned most nay-sayers, and the stunning aura of every single piece made it unforgettable. Then came Ghost Opera, which surely didn't live up to its predecessor, but still stands as a great album even though everyone else will try to convince you otherwise. The haters will continue to hate for unknown reasons, there will be Edguy-fanboys claiming there's nothing special about this band, or power metal-fans who can't get over the fact that they won't top The Black Halo or Epica any time soon.

The Great Pandemonium starts of in familiar fashion, sounding like a mix of the black atmosphere of March of Mephisto and a bit faster version of Rule the World. Despite the annoying whispers, Khan delivers perfectly well, backed by somewhat blasting drums,and excellent guitar-work from Mr. Youngblood. The Floridian axe-chief has finally let himself go solo-wise, and even though his solo on the opener isn't the best I've heard, it's a relief to hear him go nuts with his skills, something he hasn't done too much of earlier, and rather left to guest artists. Anyway, If Tomorrow Came starts of rather speedy, which should please the ones who demanded it especially from Ghost Opera. Despite the grandiose and positive opening duo, they manage to screw the first impression up quite a bit with the terrible interlude Dear Editor which leads into the only decent The Zodiac. The tune itself isn't too bad to be honest, as a few nifty guitar-details saves it from the gutter.

Four songs in, and you'll have mixed feelings. Some parts, like guitar-work, vocals and nice symphonic elements will hit the spot, while stupid interludes, kind of iffy and unorthodox song-writing will cause the raising of eyebrows. However, there are much more to come, and some of it is downright mind-blowing.

Hunter's Season may be one of the strongest, catchiest, and most melodic pieces the band has done since The Edge of Paradise, and while not as proggy, it contains a serious load of drive, throat-grabbing hooks, and an insanely cool guitar solo provided by Gus G. From here on out, the highlights comes crashing, and the beautiful ballad, House on a Hill contributes a stunning duet from Khan and mandatory guest artist Simone Simmons who also appears on the Poetry for the Poisoned-saga which contains some of the best stuff this band have done in a long while. (If you listen to the four songs chronologically that is).

The bottom line here is that there's something for everyone on Kamelot's new piece. If you like their grandiose gothic style, you'll get that, and if you like them speedy and spicy, you'll get plenty of that as well. This is very much a natural progression from their earlier albums, and it's better than Ghost Opera in many ways I'd say. Some of which you have to look for yourself, and some, like the improved guitar-work, drumming, orchestration and brilliant vocals is pretty easy to spot. The production is clear as freshly melted ice-water, and you'll hear every single detail if you pay attention. If you don't like this the first time you spin it, then spin it again. It'll take a couple to grow properly on you, but in the end, this is clearly Kamelot, no more, no less, just pure fucking quality power metal, that very few, if any bands stand a chance against.

Killing Songs :
All except Dear Editor and The Zodiac
Thomas quoted 86 / 100
Vrechek quoted 82 / 100
Other albums by Kamelot that we have reviewed:
Kamelot - Siege Perilous reviewed by Ben and quoted 75 / 100
Kamelot - Dominion reviewed by Ben and quoted 66 / 100
Kamelot - Eternity reviewed by Ben and quoted 50 / 100
Kamelot - Haven reviewed by Joel and quoted 93 / 100
Kamelot - Silverthorn reviewed by Cory and quoted 84 / 100
To see all 13 reviews click here
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