Embedded Files
KAMELOT “Dark Asylum”
KAMELOT “Dark Asylum”
By Colonel Angus
I first heard KAMELOT in the mid-90s but I really got into them when Roy Khan joined for the excellent “Siége Perilous”. I was always a fan of his vocals in CCONCEPTION so it was a no-brainer for me to get into KAMELOT. When he left, I was a little disappointed with “Silverthorn” as I had become so used to hearing the familiar vocals of Khan but in reality, I was just sulking like a teenage girl and in the end, Tommy Karevik has won me over. Since he took over, the band have released five studio efforts (counting this one) over the course of fourteen, all of which have some great material. But along with that, there are moments where I don’t quite get what the band was going after.
Let me start off by saying that the band seems to have fallen into a groove and you basically know what you are going to get from these guys which isn’t a bad thing by any stretch. I like their sound and presentation so, for me, the consistency feels like a warm blanket on a cold day. Just like the two previous releases, this one starts off with the intro “Sanctorium”. It isn’t until you get the first real track “Ashen World” that things really start to get interesting. It is just what you would expect (in a good way) by bringing together all the best elements of KAMELOT. You get power meets symphonic metal, combining soaring vocals, sweeping keyboards, and masterful riffing into a dramatic, epic composition. And things continue throughout the disk.
There are many highpoints on “Dark Asylum” with the aforementioned track along with “Sanctuary”, “One Last Masquerade”, “Cassandra’s Disease”, and the title cut. What makes them goo is that the band plays to their strengths and enlists other musos to help with their storytelling. Miss World Chile, Ignacia Fernández, lends her death metal growls to “Ashen World” and “Sanctuary” which really adds depth to their material. Tobias Sammet (AVANTASIA) adds some good vocal interplay with Karevik on “One Last Masquerade” making it one of the standouts on “Dark Asylum”.
There are a couple of missteps as well with “Enigma (Think of Me)” being kinda forgettable. All the performances are good but it somehow misses the mark which is a shame because KAMELOT are usually able to elevate a ballad into something much more. The other tune that I feel is not needed is “Beneath the Moon (Tunglio)” as it is basically a Nordic ballad sung in another language so I don’t know what the reasoning was to include that here. Aside from that, this is a solid release from Thomas Youngblood and company.
My only other slight quibble is the production. Youngblood is a fantastic guitarist and I feel that his guitars are always buried in the mix when I feel they should be in the forefront. Not only would it make for a heavier release, us listeners would be able to properly hear the great guitar work that is playing in the background. As with many of KAMELOT’s release, Oliver Palotai is the musical star. His epic playing brings an almost cinematic auditory experience with each song telling a different story. “Dark Asylum” is going to appeal to long-time fans like me and it is quite a good record, minus the two tracks mentioned previously.
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