THE BLACK HALO

I have always been a 70's Prog Rock and jazz/rock Fusion fan.... but I love The Black Halo by Kamelot. I have no other Power Metal CDs in my collection. The only thing I have remotely like Kamelot is Dream Theater or Symphony X (which is almost too metal for me). But Kamelot is not trying to be like those bands. They are very polished. The songs on this CD are a variety of tempos and moods. Their is a long list of guests on The Black Halo, so although they are listed as a quartet - the music they have created is very layered. But even with a large studio ensemble, everything seems very deliberate and purposely done. The CD clocks in at about an hour, but I could not find 5 minutes to trim out of it. The core of the band (guitar, bass and drums) is obviously talented, but they are not after showing off... instead of a Malsteem-ish lead, they will do more of a full-band interlude that had lead guitar in it (I hope that makes sense). The vocals are sung with an incredible amount of conviction.... without being melodramatic at all. Without going into the story behind the lyrics, this CD is kind of a Part 2 - continuing the story line from their last CD called Epica. I don't know about the earlier recordings from Kamelot - they seem like they have gotten allot better recently. The Black Halo is definately a well thought out, polished and tasteful CD. I suggest it as a great way to have some representation of Power Metal in your prog collection, and to enjoy some brand new music from an American band. Also, www.kamelot.com has a couple videos & MP3s.