KARMA

I have a soft spot in my heart for the title song off of this album- hearing that song come up on Pandora radio,and then purchasing this album to hear more, was what introduced me to Prog Metal, and then from there the entire monstrosity that is Prog (and by extension, this site). It sent chills down my spine- the sense of "epicness" I heard in that song, and this album as a whole, has shaped my musical tastes from then on out.

Now, the fact that this was the first metal I heard that approached progressiveness twists my perception- however, that was four years of voracious consumption ago, and I think I have enough perspective to give a slightly unbiased review. Karma marks the tipping point where Kamelot crossed from the fairly derivative power metal style of earlier albums into the full-blown symphonic dramafest that is the later albums. Karma is still rooted in power metal- they won't fully move into the latter for another two albums- but the symphonic feel has become a significant part of the music, rather than occasionally glimpsed.

I can't justify giving this more than three stars because of that rooting in power metal- although the style captivated me when I first heard it, and I came to prog through power metal, the style grew old to my ears very rapidly. However, I still recommend this album to any fans of their later work who want to see where (I think) their later style really took form

Recommended songs: Karma, Regalis Apertura, Mirror Mirror