KARMA

The first Kamelot album I got was "The Fourth Legacy", and the only reason I got it was because I listened to the music downloads here multiple times and never got tired of the band. So I decided to start with the first of the highly rated albums. I was very impressed with "The Fourth Legacy", but while the music was definitely good stuff, it did not vary enough to keep my attention as long as I had hoped. So when I got "Karma" as a Christmas present, I was expecting similar results. I ended up being both right and wrong at the same time.

Karma kicks off with the traditional short instrumental of Power Metal albums. "Regalis Apertura" is a very solid track, which suprised me since I wasn't very keen on "New Allegiance" of "The Fourth Legacy". However, "Regalis Apertura" does a great job of keeping things interesting all throughout the short but sweet instrumental. It also builds up excellently into the next track, which is in fact quite a doozy.

"Forever" is in my opinion one of Kamelot's finest tracks overall. While I don't own "Epica" or "The Black Halo", I have heard substantial pieces of each and have a decent idea of what they are like. That said, "Forever" is one of the best tracks I've heard from Kamelot. This is arguably the best track on the album thanks to the great vocal work by Khan and driving force of Casey Grillo's frenzied bass drumming as well as Thomas Youngblood's equally driving guitar lines. The vocals of this song are incredibly catchy and the lyrics are nice as well. The overall sound of this song is very full and intense, and it is a great way to start an album.

"Wings of Despair" is quite similar to "Forever" in both musical style as well as lyrical theme. The main theme of this album is gloomy, depressing events and feelings that the "character" wants to relieve in many different manners. The "character" being Khan since he's singing and there's no real storyline connection between songs except for the epic at the end. Anyways, this song is also very catchy and has great guitar and drum works as well. Not quite at catchy as "Forever", but still one of the album highlights.

Kamelot changes things up with "The Spell", which is a slower and more haunting sounding piece than the previous tracks. The drum work is not as good as on previous tracks, which backs up my opinion that Casey Grillo is only entertaining on the fast songs. That aside, the singing is top-notch once again and Youngblood shows off his slower style with some nice stuff including a cool solo. Great song, but not up to par with the previous two.

Keeping with the slower theme but getting more into a ballad theme this time, "Don't You Cry" is a very powerful song that is really made great by the vocal and guitar combo. The song is fairly repetitive, but it is so enjoyable that it doesn't really matter. Khan's vocals are smooth and emotional, fitting the mood of the song very well. Youngblood does great things with the acoustic setting, including a nice solo to top off a peaceful riff. This could also be arguably the best song on the album.

The next song is the title track, "Karma", which is my personal favorite on the album. Tempo and volume get pumped up once again, and Grillo gets back in the goove. Khan has wonderful vocal lines once again (what else is new), but this song sticks out in my mind as one of his best. The combination of that factor and the inclusion of piano in key situations makes this track a real winner. The soft area in the middle of the song is one of those that just evokes a ton of emotion when you hear it. Khan and the piano take centerstage, and then to top it off it is followed by a great solo by Youngblood. This is truly a great track, and of course arguably the best on the album (there are a lot of those aren't there?).

"The Light I Shine on You" is a pretty good followup to the wonderous "Karma". It kicks off with an eerie synth and guitar melody followed by a "cool-down" area that lets the piano really get back into the picture. My only problem with this song is that right after that piano area, the guitar's prominent riff is slow and heavy, but in the background you can hear a speed riff that really doesn't fit the song at all. The buildup to the chorus and the chorus itself are good. The piano is one of the biggest parts of this song, being used in pretty much the entire time with the exception of Youngblood's guitar solo (which is ruined by the stupid speed riff in the background). Khan does a good job on this song, but his parts are too repetitive.

"Temples of Gold" is a ballad featuring acoustic guitar with soft synths as well as great Khan vocals. Casey Grillo gets hats off for doing a fairly good job on a slow song, and his drums actually help set the mood which is always a plus. A nice and peaceful song, but not one of the highlights of the album.

"Across the Highlands" is a nice contrast of "Temples of Gold" thanks to a return to the upbeat style that suits Kamelot so well. If you couldn't already guess, Khan does a good job vocally on this song. Youngblood uses some cool fills to energize a pretty cookie-cutter riff. His solo is decent, but nothing special. The song is tied for the shortest on the album, but that's not too bad because if it were any longer it would be too repetitive.

And with that we have reached the "Elizabeth Trilogy". Kicking off with "Mirror Mirror" is a great way to start this wonderful epic. "Mirror Mirror" is a tremendous ballad that utilizes bells, piano, clean guitar, and many other nice touches to create a great mood. Khan's vocals are top-notch and really make this song. The trilogy is about the life and works of the crazed and disturbing Elizabeth Bathori. Mirror Mirror is a great track that could probably stand to be a litte longer, but it definitely works well as it is.

"Requiem for the Innocent" is the next movement in the series, and it is a great followup to the haunting ballad "Mirror Mirror". This song is hard, but not really all that fast. It continues the story of Elizabeth and her dastardly attempts at immortality. All she really accomplished was immorality though. The most catchy vocal phrase is of course the words of Elizabeth "don't you want to die?" which is phrased by Khan to sound almost sarcastic. When I hear it, I get this picture of her replying to a subject begging for mercy with a cold "well don't you WANT to die? I mean this is a process that I need to preserve my wonderful body." Kind of like the stereotypical snob-ruler retort. I dunno, maybe that's just me. Khan does a great job with the quote though. Powerful song and a great middle-section of the trilogy.

The final movement of the "Elizabeth Trilogy" kicks off with a cool guitar riff and keyboard solo. The song then moves to Khan doing his best Elizabeth interpretation with the help of voice distortion (or so it seems). The chorus is very powerful and has a great melody. Very catchy. Even though the song clocks in at 11:05, it is really around 4 minutes and something. Several minutes of silence follow the grand finale of the album, which is kind of annoying but whatever. The album is good enough to put up with it.

Certain versions of the CD also have a bonus track which is "Don't You Cry" in what I assume to be French. The track is entitled "Ne Pleure Pas", and it sounds exactly like "Don't You Cry" except in a different language of course. Kind of a pointless addition but oh well.

"Karma" definitely improves upon "The Fourth Legacy" in that the music is more complex and a lot closer to actual prog. As you can see from the information provided on this album, there are a lot of guest musicians that really help create a fuller sound in the songs. My only real disappointment is the song length, which is way too short in my opinion. 12 tracks clocking in at around 49 minutes if you take away the multiple minutes of silence at the end. That's really the only thing I'd change if I were in control of the music. Otherwise, Khan really accentuates the music with phenomenal performances, Youngblood and Grillo provide a powerful style and mood, and Glenn Barry does a great job of not being heard. If you asked me how any bassline went on this entire album, I wouldn't be able to answer. I haven't to my knowledge heard him once on this album. Maybe hitting a few whole notes in a quiet section, but never else. I'd like to hear more of him in the future. Overall, this is a great album that only gets 4 stars because it is not a prog masterpiece since it isn't exactly prog. If this were "Metal Archives" however, it'd get 5 stars easily. Highly reccomended for any fan of metal or anyone who just wants to hear an amazing singer do his thing.