THE BLACK HALO

Kamelot play competent symphonic metal, a kind of music that is usually not my cup of tea due to being too formulaic, cheesy and commercial. But this band's competence at composition and execution and especially Khan's exceptional vocals lift this to a higher level. In a field of music usually occupied by vocalists that confuse high pitch with emotion, his warm intensity and versatility is a real relief.

The opener March of Mephisto is a delightful stomp of power metal, melodic, dramatic powerful and anthemic. This sits right next to Rainbow's best moments. Other tracks like When The Lights are Down are skilled but way too predictable and overtly commercial. The Haunting is better again and manages to suppress the AOR tendencies that plagued the previous tracks. The quality keeps going up and down between disturbing syrupy bits in songs like Abandoned, Black Halo, Nothing Ever Dies and Serenade and the more tasteful melodic metal of This Pain, Moonlight and Memento Mori.

With 30 minutes of proficient material, the album can easily be awarded with 3.5 stars. Depending on your taste, both 4 or 3 stars seem appropriate. Given the uneven quality and little relevance of this band I'll round down, but let that not scare you.