THE FOURTH LEGACY

Power Metal is certainly not my preferred type of music but Kamelot is not your regular Power Metal band, at least not on The Fourth Legacy. This wonderful album presents an interesting form of symphonic Power Metal infused with Folk, World-Music and Prog- influences without coming across as overblow or bombastic. The music of Kamelot has indeed little to do with that of the often cheesy European Power Metal bands. The Fourth Legacy is a dark, serious and quite eclectic affair which shows a band not afraid to branch out into unknown territory but at the same time confident in their chosen direction. The powerful yet passionate vocals of Roy Khan help give Kamelot their own musical identity.

The album opens with a short, expressive instrumental called New Allegiance that leads into The Fourth Legacy in which the line "new allegiance" features in the chorus. The title track is a rather conventional melodic Metal number. Silent Goddess is a bit heavier and also introduces some new sounds into the picture like piano and female(-ish?) backing vocals. Dessert Reign is another short instrumental that introduces the superb Nights Of Arabia. Here the World-Music influence is at its strongest with the predominant far-eastern sounds giving this section of the album a highly appealing oriental sound and feel. The wall of sound is impressive with a high attention to detail without ever coming across as cluttered.

The Shadow Of Uther is another excellent song. The Uther in question is, of course, Uther Pendragon, famous from the legend of King Arthur that has inspired countless of bands and artists on this site including Rick Wakeman, Kayak, Fairport Convention and - at least as far as their band name goes - Pendragon. To go along with the theme of the song there is more of a Celtic/Folk feel to this one with fiddle playing a part - very effective! After this Metal onslaught the time is perfect for a folky, acoustic ballad and this is exactly what we get next with A Sailorman's Hymn. Not many Metal bands can create such delicate ballads and the presence of this lovely piece contributes greatly to making The Fourth Legacy a varied and diverse album. Glory is another exquisite acoustic ballad with a medieval feel that could have been a Blackmore's Night song with the acoustic guitars reminding me of Ritchie Blackmore's playing. Slight Celtic touches return again on other songs, particularly on Until Kingdom Come which features some nice instrumental breaks. The album closes with Lunar Sanctum which is one of the more progressive and less Metal tracks on the album. It constitutes a fine ending to a great and interesting album.

I originally gave four stars to this album, but after having heard all of the other albums by Kamelot, The Fourth Legacy remains my favourite by the band and deserving of that final star.

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