Kamelot In General > Reviews (1)

Members
Thomas Youngblood - Guitars (Founding member)
Casey Grillo - Drums (Joined in 1997)
Oliver Palotai - Keyboards (Joined in 2005)
Sean Tibbetts - Bass guitar (Joined in 1991, left the following year and returned in 2009)

Former members
Roy Khan - Lead vocals (Joined in 1998 and left in 2011)
Glenn Barry - Bass (Joined in 1992 and left in 2009)
David Pavlicko - Keyboards (joined in 1991 and left in 1998)
Mark Vanderbilt - Vocals (Joined in 1991, left in 1997)
Richard Warner - Drums (Founding member, left in 1997)

Kamelot are a metal band from Florida that was founded in 1991 by Thomas Youngblood and Richard Warner. Twenty years on the group have released nine studio albums, two live albums and worked with a huge variety of guest musicians. They are a power metal band with influences from Symphonic metal. The atmosphere of their music is very dark with consistently catchy choruses.

They're currently at the most crucial part of the band's history: to find their third vocalist. If they get it right, they can continue their legacy and hold on for another ten years, but if they get it wrong they can risk being the laughing stock. on the 21st April, Roy Khan released a statement on Myspace announcing that he had officially left the band for good. I had a feeling this was coming because he announced that he had called off sick and didn't tour with the group.

To many fans it is still a shock in the system. Roy Khan's voice had become a crucial part of the bands identity and made them more distinctive and had given them critical acclaim. A lot of people have only known Roy's voice as an essential part of Kamelot have already declared the group dead. He may not have been an original member, but he have a great impact on the fans. I honestly can't think of anyone who sounds just like or similar to Roy. His deep voice was smooth, but had a shaky edge. The new vocalist will be stepping in some big shoes. I'm happy to hear that he separated from the group on a high note.

The first two albums didn't impress me as much because I found the songs to be generic but Mark's vocals had an eccentric tone which is an acquired taste, but I liked it. I had the impression that they where Iron Maiden clones, but their music was still farily decent. My favourite track from the Vanderbilt era is Black Tower. It's nasally and silly at best, but I thought it was very amusing. A huge contrast to Roy's vocals that are much more easier to take seriously.

What draw me into the group in 2010 was some positive reviews on their latest album, Poetry For The Poisoned, having listened and taking a liking to the album, eventually downloaded the rest of their albums. I liked the gloomy atmosphere they had, and how it didn't sound too cheesy. Another thing I liked was their medieval vibes in their music which had a fantastic effect on their album, The Black Halo, especially on the track Moonlight. I was also pretty impressed with the raw poetic style of the lyrics, which I think is perfect for music like this.

My favourite albums from the band so far are Black Halo and Poetry For The Poisoned. Both albums include wonderfully written lyrics and solid productions that let Roy's voice soar at his peak. I'm also very fond of Ghost Opera and Epica. If I had to pick their absolute best, I would go with Black Halo which contains brilliant power metal all round. Their live albums are also a highlight to their career where Roy's delicate vocals sound more polished and the music has much more impact compared to the studio versions.

I haven't decided which song is a favourite because each of their tracks have their own little quirks about it. I would say that The Great Pandemonium is the most catchiest. Their energetic tracks can be just as emotional as their ballads, perhaps they go overboard on ballads such as Anthem but it works great on a lot of their rockier tracks such as Edenecho, Somewhere In Time and When The Lights Are Down.

I like this group a lot and would recommend their music because of the energetic pace and thought provoking lyrics. I think that either Black Halo or Epica may be the best place. You might like them if you're into Iron Maiden, Nightwish, Within Temptation and Rhapsody of Fire. I'm more of a fan of the Khan era, however I intend to remain optimistic new era of Kamelot.