Kamelot is a great power metal band that I didn't discover until a little while back. This is a review on Epica; a brilliant album released in 2003. You'll notice some tracks don't have ratings, this is because they are lead ups to the next song. To be fair, I won't include them in the overall album rating. Now then, let's do this shit.
Track 1: Prologue
This isn't really a song (making the name fitting), but an intro for the second song on the album, Center of the Universe, so I won't include this in the album's rating.
Track 2: Center of the Universe
Here we go. This is what Kamelot is. First thing you'll notice is, if you listen to the last bit of prologue first and let it lead into this song, the intro will sound a lot better (and it is very good anyway imo). After listening to the first 30 or so seconds the brilliant guitar in great timing with the drums makes you want to carry on listening, and it's well worth it. A riff that won't get boring, with lovely melodical singing. Again, I have to mention, the timing of everything is awesome, and nothing really feels thrown in. I love the lyrics too. And it's impossible not to notice the great solo starting at 3:34. This gets a ten. 10/10
Track 3: Farewell
The beginning of this song starts with your standard mystery-ish tune and some fitting violin fitted in some places. I'm not too big on the lyrics, but I love how Roy Khan sings in this song peticularly. As with Center of the Universe, the solo is great. The song fits together brilliantly. I'll give this a well deserved nine. 9/10
Track 4: Interlude I (Opiate Soul)
Like how prologue led into Center of the Universe, this is another short song with some orchestral singing that leads into another song, The Edge of Paradise. So let's move on.
Track 5: The Edge of Paradise
It has an interlude leading up to it. That says enough about how awesome the intro is. The chorus has some commendable timing with the drums and guitar. Singing is standard Kamelot, the whole song had a mystical feel to me by the way. The singing you heard in Interlude I is in there also. In my opinion the ending of the song should have been longer, it felt empty and sudden. Lyrics are awesome. This gets an 8. So far, so good. Let's get onto the next track. 8/10
Track 6: Wander
I love the melodic singing and violin here. The tune the guitar plays fits very well with the song as well as the new tune starting at 1:55. The lost, loveless, melodic feel mixed in some great electric guitar (another brilliant solo, as you might have expected by now), makes this song feel really
brilliant. Let's not forget the lyrics now...
"Silently we wander
Into this void of consequence
My shade will always haunt her
But she will be my guiding light"
Fucking awesome song imo, I'll go ahead and give this a ten. 10/10
Track 7: Interlude II (Omen)
Again, an intro into another song. The piano is very calming and sets the mood for the next song, Descent of the Archangel.
Track 8: Descent of the Archangel
It starts out well, with nice melodic singing, and goes into a more lively feel with lyrics based on lust. The problem with this song is how boring it gets
after the first few minutes, very unlike Kamelot. It starts to get onto my nerves after a while. A nice solo though. I'll give this a seven. 7/10
Track 9: Interlude III (At the Banquet)
Argh, another interlude. Oh well, it moves nicely into the next song, so I'll stop complaining.
Track 10: A Feast for the Vain
The riff is simply awesome. Good drumming in there, and I love Khan's singing. The solo is just unimaginably awesome. I'm not a big fan of the "huge feast" lyrics, but the singing just sounds so great. Nine for you! 9/10
Track 11: On the Coldest Winter Night
Another calming, melodical song with some good piano in there. Much like Wander, I love the lyrics, which you can guess are based on a cold winter night from, who would've guessed, the track title! The problem here is that it gets boring and there's nothing to make you want to really listen on. Some electric in there could've made a huge difference. In the end, this song feels empty too. It's gets a six from me, but this song in peticular depends on your taste, so don't brush it off instantly. 6/10
Track 12: Lost & Damned
I love this song. The intro is great and leads it slowly in a very lively song with fucking unnoticable electric guitar, and great drumming. I can't listen to this without headbanging. The lyrics are great too, the "I want to save you from the lost and damned!" from the chorus is sung VERY well. I love the riff and as expected of Kamelot, a stunning guitar solo. I can't really find anything bad about this song, even the sudden mood changes from the chorus to the calming verses are pulled off very well. You can find a lot of good melodic singing by Roy Khan in there too. This simply begs for a ten, and gets it. 10/10
Track 13: Helena's Theme
A short, instrumental song with a girl doing some operatic singing. Nothing really in there. I just don't understand the point of this song... The singing and instrumental is very nice however, so I'll give it four. But come on Kamelot, this is a brilliant album, this song dissapointed me. 4/10
Track 14: Interlude IV (Dawn)
Yay, last bloody Interlude. It's a man announcing the death of "Helena" (presumably the girl singing the last song). So let's move onto the actual song, The Mourning After.
Track 15: The Mourning After (Carry On)
I like the singing, lyrics, and guitar in this song very much, but it sounds very poppish and doesn't really fit Kamelot... However, it is a good song, so I won't totally dismiss it like Helena's Theme. You get a seven. 7/10
Track 16: III Ways to Epica
Here we go, the album's namesake, at last! (Although not the final song, heh). The guitar in the intro is fucking awesome and catchy, seriously. The riff is great and you'll want to headbang. The lyrics, based on love and God, are great and go well with the singing. The ending to this song isn't bad either. This 6:17 song gets an eight! 8/10
Track 17: Snow
Last track of the album. Epica goes out with a bang, this song has fucking great guitar and great timing by drummer Casey Grillo. The lyrics are love inspired and the song title comes from a similie of snow inside the lyrics:
"I don't remember how
I felt the night she came
Memories spin around
They flow
Don't want to let her down
Moments disappear like shame...like snow"
I really like the feel of this song. Everything is put together so well. The solo... My god... Well, I'll let you see for yourself! This song gets a nine.
9/10
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So, there we have it, the review of Kamelot - Epica, a truly brilliant album. If you're a fan of Power, Melo, or Progressive Metal, and you haven't checked out Kamelot, get this album. Brilliant melodical singing from Khan, fucking amazing guitar by Thomas Youngblood and some commendable drumming from Casey Grillo. Good job Kamelot.
I give Kamelot - Epica a 9/10.
Track 1: Prologue
This isn't really a song (making the name fitting), but an intro for the second song on the album, Center of the Universe, so I won't include this in the album's rating.
Track 2: Center of the Universe
Here we go. This is what Kamelot is. First thing you'll notice is, if you listen to the last bit of prologue first and let it lead into this song, the intro will sound a lot better (and it is very good anyway imo). After listening to the first 30 or so seconds the brilliant guitar in great timing with the drums makes you want to carry on listening, and it's well worth it. A riff that won't get boring, with lovely melodical singing. Again, I have to mention, the timing of everything is awesome, and nothing really feels thrown in. I love the lyrics too. And it's impossible not to notice the great solo starting at 3:34. This gets a ten. 10/10
Track 3: Farewell
The beginning of this song starts with your standard mystery-ish tune and some fitting violin fitted in some places. I'm not too big on the lyrics, but I love how Roy Khan sings in this song peticularly. As with Center of the Universe, the solo is great. The song fits together brilliantly. I'll give this a well deserved nine. 9/10
Track 4: Interlude I (Opiate Soul)
Like how prologue led into Center of the Universe, this is another short song with some orchestral singing that leads into another song, The Edge of Paradise. So let's move on.
Track 5: The Edge of Paradise
It has an interlude leading up to it. That says enough about how awesome the intro is. The chorus has some commendable timing with the drums and guitar. Singing is standard Kamelot, the whole song had a mystical feel to me by the way. The singing you heard in Interlude I is in there also. In my opinion the ending of the song should have been longer, it felt empty and sudden. Lyrics are awesome. This gets an 8. So far, so good. Let's get onto the next track. 8/10
Track 6: Wander
I love the melodic singing and violin here. The tune the guitar plays fits very well with the song as well as the new tune starting at 1:55. The lost, loveless, melodic feel mixed in some great electric guitar (another brilliant solo, as you might have expected by now), makes this song feel really
brilliant. Let's not forget the lyrics now...
"Silently we wander
Into this void of consequence
My shade will always haunt her
But she will be my guiding light"
Fucking awesome song imo, I'll go ahead and give this a ten. 10/10
Track 7: Interlude II (Omen)
Again, an intro into another song. The piano is very calming and sets the mood for the next song, Descent of the Archangel.
Track 8: Descent of the Archangel
It starts out well, with nice melodic singing, and goes into a more lively feel with lyrics based on lust. The problem with this song is how boring it gets
after the first few minutes, very unlike Kamelot. It starts to get onto my nerves after a while. A nice solo though. I'll give this a seven. 7/10
Track 9: Interlude III (At the Banquet)
Argh, another interlude. Oh well, it moves nicely into the next song, so I'll stop complaining.
Track 10: A Feast for the Vain
The riff is simply awesome. Good drumming in there, and I love Khan's singing. The solo is just unimaginably awesome. I'm not a big fan of the "huge feast" lyrics, but the singing just sounds so great. Nine for you! 9/10
Track 11: On the Coldest Winter Night
Another calming, melodical song with some good piano in there. Much like Wander, I love the lyrics, which you can guess are based on a cold winter night from, who would've guessed, the track title! The problem here is that it gets boring and there's nothing to make you want to really listen on. Some electric in there could've made a huge difference. In the end, this song feels empty too. It's gets a six from me, but this song in peticular depends on your taste, so don't brush it off instantly. 6/10
Track 12: Lost & Damned
I love this song. The intro is great and leads it slowly in a very lively song with fucking unnoticable electric guitar, and great drumming. I can't listen to this without headbanging. The lyrics are great too, the "I want to save you from the lost and damned!" from the chorus is sung VERY well. I love the riff and as expected of Kamelot, a stunning guitar solo. I can't really find anything bad about this song, even the sudden mood changes from the chorus to the calming verses are pulled off very well. You can find a lot of good melodic singing by Roy Khan in there too. This simply begs for a ten, and gets it. 10/10
Track 13: Helena's Theme
A short, instrumental song with a girl doing some operatic singing. Nothing really in there. I just don't understand the point of this song... The singing and instrumental is very nice however, so I'll give it four. But come on Kamelot, this is a brilliant album, this song dissapointed me. 4/10
Track 14: Interlude IV (Dawn)
Yay, last bloody Interlude. It's a man announcing the death of "Helena" (presumably the girl singing the last song). So let's move onto the actual song, The Mourning After.
Track 15: The Mourning After (Carry On)
I like the singing, lyrics, and guitar in this song very much, but it sounds very poppish and doesn't really fit Kamelot... However, it is a good song, so I won't totally dismiss it like Helena's Theme. You get a seven. 7/10
Track 16: III Ways to Epica
Here we go, the album's namesake, at last! (Although not the final song, heh). The guitar in the intro is fucking awesome and catchy, seriously. The riff is great and you'll want to headbang. The lyrics, based on love and God, are great and go well with the singing. The ending to this song isn't bad either. This 6:17 song gets an eight! 8/10
Track 17: Snow
Last track of the album. Epica goes out with a bang, this song has fucking great guitar and great timing by drummer Casey Grillo. The lyrics are love inspired and the song title comes from a similie of snow inside the lyrics:
"I don't remember how
I felt the night she came
Memories spin around
They flow
Don't want to let her down
Moments disappear like shame...like snow"
I really like the feel of this song. Everything is put together so well. The solo... My god... Well, I'll let you see for yourself! This song gets a nine.
9/10
--------------------
So, there we have it, the review of Kamelot - Epica, a truly brilliant album. If you're a fan of Power, Melo, or Progressive Metal, and you haven't checked out Kamelot, get this album. Brilliant melodical singing from Khan, fucking amazing guitar by Thomas Youngblood and some commendable drumming from Casey Grillo. Good job Kamelot.
I give Kamelot - Epica a 9/10.
