THE BLACK HALO

This is another one of those friend-recommended albums that didn't really work for me. In this case it was two friends who are into Power Metal which is very popular up here in Scandinavia. Upon recommending this particular release they made a mistake of making it sound as if this was a Progressive Metal album.

Some people might argue that there isn't much difference between the two genres and the difference is definitely much more apparent when comparing Stratovarius to Dream Theater than when it comes to Kamelot. I'm by no means a hater of Power Metal and do enjoy certain releases by Sonata Arctica and Gamma Ray but I see no point of disguising the music by adding some minor Progressive Metal elements to it.

I did manage to enjoy a few songs off The Black Halo like the March Of Mephisto which is actually one of those rare instances where the band makes a real anthem of a composition, but most of the other tracks feel a bit stereotypical and fail to amuse me.

It's not like the material is bad or poorly performed. On the contrary, everything works well on The Black Halo. The problem is that the band lacks a memorable edge and in the long run I just get tired of the blandness. I can only recommend this to fans of powerful and melodic metal compositions.

**** star songs: March Of Mephisto (5:29) This Pain (3:59)

*** star songs: When The Lights Are Down (3:41) The Haunting (Somewhere In Time) (5:48) Soul Society (4:17) Interlude I: Dei Gratia (0:57) Abandoned (4:07) Moonlight (5:10) Interlude II: Un Assassinio Molto Silenzioso (0:40) The Black Halo (3:43) Nothing Ever Dies (4:45) Memento Mori (8:54) Interlude III: Midnight - Twelve Tolls For A New Day (1:21) Serenade (4:32)