The Black Halo

Artist: Kamelot
Label: King Japan
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Format: Limited Edition
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1
EAN: 4988003305659
ASIN: B0006SLDW0

Release Date: 2005-02-03

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Tracks:

March Of Mephisto
When The Lights Are Down
Haunting
Soul Society
Interlude I Dei Gratia
Abandoned
This Pain
Moonlight
Interlude Ii Un Assasino Molto Silenzioso
Black Halo
Nothing Ever Dies
Memento Mori
Interlude Iii Midnight - Twelve Tells For A New Day
Serenade
Epilogue (Bonus Track)
Soul Society (Radio Edit Version) (Bonus Track)

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Customer Reviews:

Absolutely astounding!.......2005-02-28

Kamelot, one of today's leading melodic metal bands, never cease to amaze me. I more or less knew The Black Halo was going to be a splendid album, but I honestly did not believe it could top Epica, which is what I consider to be more or less a perfect album. Well my friends, I must say it - they have topped Epica! Is it believable? Not until you hear the album. ;-)

Starting off with March Of Mephisto, we're taken into new territory. From the overall strong Eastern feel to the impressive orchestrations, this song is quite a treat. Granted, Kamelot have certainly produced Eastern-influenced melodies and orchestrations before, but never have they done so to the level that they are present here.

To spare you, the reader, I am not about to go into a song-by-song review, as it would be more like a novella than a review. What I would like to say, however, is that this is what I would consider to be Kamelot's strongest effort yet. The songs are just flawless, truly. I admit, as a reviewer, I sometimes use words like "flawless" and "perfect" a bit too liberally, however, I really mean it this time around. I cannot find fault here. Every song is strong enough to stand on its two feet, which is a rare find. The subtle, yet impressive, instrumentation adds an entire new dimension to the songs that simply could not be delivered by any other band outside of Kamelot. I am also glad to say that Kamelot still are very-culture friendly. Taking and utilizing influences from a variety of cultures, such as the Japanese flare in Moonlight to the wonderful prelude to the title-track, we hear a great variety here, to say the least.

Being fortunate enough to have the Japanese version, I'd like to point out the Japanese bonus track, Epilogue. While the other bonus track, a radio edit version of Soul Society is enjoyable, and features a different take on the song, the bonus track Epilogue really is a treat. Despite that Epilogue is labeled with the degrading "bonus track" stamp, I personally feel that this piece of music completes the album. Although the band has stated that it was specifically written for the Japanese version, and has no significance to the story, it really ties the album together. If you've got the means, I'd definitely recommend the Japanese for this beautiful song.

What else can I say? This is going to be one of my favorites albums of 2005, and rightfully so. It is rare that an album comes out with this level of beauty and power, but here it is. If you're a new listener of Kamelot, this is a great place to start, although Epica may be a better introduction, at least for the sake of the story as The Black Halo is a sequel to Epica. For those that are Kamelot fans, you will NOT be disappointed! Cheers!

Kamelot returns stronger and more diverse than ever!.......2005-01-31

Kamelot
"The Black Halo"

Their bio says Kamelot is a band you can rely on. That could be taken to mean that the band stays with the same formulas time after time. With Kamelot you can rely on the fact that they will not copy old formulas and will challenge themselves plus the listener, time after time. Enter "The Black Halo"!

The Black Halo is the continuation of the Epica saga, loosely based on German writer Wolfgang Goethe's Faust masterpiece. Much like Faust Part II, The Black Halo touches the darker side of the main character Ariel. The devil (Mephisto) is ever present in this modern day conceptual masterpiece. Masterpiece I said...

The album starts off with what I imagine is a huge rally that Mephisto is leading to drum up the troops of the dark side. The voice of Mephisto is none other than Shagrath of the very popular black metal band Dimmu Borgir. His voice fits the atmosphere perfectly and I must say it was a stroke of genius to mix these two genres in the classy way that Kamelot has a knack for. This leads into the heart of "March of Mephisto", maybe Kamelot's heaviest but still very melodic song. I was expecting the usual double bass fast song that so many melodic bands do these days. March of Mephisto is a mid tempo power song that finally breaks the cookie cutter trend. (A great and refreshing move in my opinion) The keyboard solo features Jens Johansson of Stratovarius fame and ex-Malmsteen. He does a fantastic job as what seems like the devil stroking a violin from hell!

The second song "When the lights are Down" kicks in with a very fast double bass tune that is classic Kamelot mixed with some modern elements. The chorus is a winner that will stick in your brain immediately. There is an incredible solo tradeoff this time with guitarist Thomas Youngblood and Jens Johansson.

"The Haunting" follows with a fresh and beautiful approach that in my ears could bring Kamelot a much larger audience. The song has all the Kamelot sound with a more concise and "commercial" approach. They manage to do this without sounding like anyone else. Mezzo Soprano vocalist Simone Simons from Holland is also on the track and brings and gorgeous element to the song. The band is shooting a video for this track which makes total sense to me since it will have some appeal to broader audiences.

The title track "The Black Halo" is one of Kamelot trademark 5/4 songs that incorporates some progressive influences that Kamelot has a keen sense to use subtlety under their power/melodic metal skin. It follows an incredibly beautiful Italian piece that is sung by Cinzia Rizzo. Cinzia also appeared on Kamelot's Fourth Legacy album.

The 8 minute journey "Memento Mori" is Kamelot's longest and maybe most epic song to date. A mixture of many styles and speeds that will be a classic for the fans. It is the climax to the storyline of the three main characters in the saga.

These are only five of 14 tracks that have absolutely no fillers. It would take me hours to finish this review if I commented on every incredible song. I must leave the rest to you to discover, explore and ponder the lyrical meanings within this gem. This album is a must buy for all fans of any music!
My only criticism is that Kamelot didn't release this album earlier, but I understand the wait considering the amount of work that must have gone into writing and producing 2005's equivalent of Mindcrime!
Production from Sascha Paeth and Miro is once again great and in my mind a little heavier than previous productions from the Wolfsburg duo. Something I missed on the Epica release.

Music CD:

Music CD

Music CD

Music CD

Haneirot Halalu: A Home Celebration Of Chanukah ~ Various Artists

The Unforgiven II ~ Metallica

Choice Cuts ~ Carcass

Mystic Infancy ~ Jean Pierre Zanella

Rock de Chambre ~ Jean-Phillipe Goude

Bom Astral ~ So Pra Contrariar

Future Noir ~ Hanin Elias

Last Of The Dogmen (1995 Film) ~ David Arnold

Angelique: Sacrea of Light & Darkness ~ Original Game Soundtrack

Sing and Learn Spanish ~ Global Village Kids