Kamelot - Poetry For The Poisoned review
| Band: | Kamelot |
| Album: | Poetry For The Poisoned |
| Style: | Symphonic power metal |
| Release date: | September 2010 |
Disc I
01. The Great Pandemonium [feat. Björn "Speed" Strid]
02. If Tomorrow Came
03. Dear Editor
04. The Zodiac [feat. Jon Oliva]
05. Hunter's Season
06. House On A Hill [feat. Simone Simons]
07. Necropolis
08. My Train Of Thoughts
09. Seal Of Woven Years
10. Poetry For The Poisoned
1 - Part I: Incubus
2 - Part II: So Long
3 - Part III: All Is Over
4 - Part IV: Dissection
11. Once Upon A Time
12. Where The Wild Roses Grow [bonus] [Nick Cave cover]
13. Thespian Drama [Japanese bonus]
Disc II [Live from Wacken 2010]
01. The Great Pandemonium
02. Human Stain
03. Center Of The Universe
04. Pendulous Fall
05. Hunter's Season
06. Karma
07. Forever
08. March Of Mephisto
[Super Limited Collector's Edition Bonus 7" Vinyl]
01. Rule The World [Live - Wacken]
02. Thespian Drama
Brilliant. This cd will probably be totally misinterpreted by many, but after listening to it enough it finally dawned on me that Poetry for the Poisoned is just an evolutionary step of Kamelot's musical genius. It's nice to see this band evolving and growing from their power metal roots into something which appeals more to the musically inclined as opposed to serving up the same driving beats and power chords cd after cd. Welcome to the world of progressive metal.
Something changed for Kamelot with the advent of The Black Halo, which is this reviewer's favorite cd from the band. With The Black Halo we saw Kamelot toying with darker themes and toning down the driving power metal riffs which had become their hallmark in favor of more melodic, thoughtful passages. These subtle changes in Kamelot's musical philosophy were signs that the band was maturing and exploring the music more. Each cd since has been a representation of their musical prowess and determination to do something different each time. Fans of such offerings as Siege Perilous and The Fourth Legacy might be a little disappointed by Poetry for the Poisoned, however, fans of the progressive rock and metal communities should be delighted.
Poetry for the Poisoned is a musical journey from beginning to end that still retains some of Kamelot's signature riffing and driving beats whilst exploring new avenues which are more ambient and moody. There are a lot of beautiful and well thought out female backing vocals providing harmony and feeling to Roy Khan's behemoth genius of a voice. Roy Khantatat is simply a god amongst mortals.
Overall Poetry for the Poisoned is a brilliant offering from a band that continues to grow and change with every cd, while still managing to remain true to their power metal roots. There's plenty of metal here. Between Thomas Youngblood's masterful riffing and solos to Casey Grillo's driving beats, I don't think we'll ever have to worry about the band selling out. Once again, fans looking for simpler, more straightforward power metal may not like this offering since it explores a more ambient, progressive style. The more musically inclined will probably embrace this one wholeheartedly.
Rating:
5.9
5.9
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Rating: 5.9 |
Kamelot, at least in my eyes, has always been a band that sought their own path through the world of metal. The most fitting description of their sound is, no matter how I hate to admit it, power metal. Not the cheesiest, happiest German type, but power metal nevertheless. What made it more distinguished than most of the other power bands were Thomas Youngblood's distinctive guitar style, clever use of keyboards and orchestrations, and, above everything else, Roy Khan's vocals - so unlike any other metal singer, so non-metal so to speak. These three essential elements carried Kamelot's music through almost 20 years of their career, which has been on the rise all that time. Being quite a prolific band, they managed to deliver 9 full length releases, whose quality was constantly satisfactory, with occasional hints at excellence (Epica, Ghost Opera). Some progressive and symphonic elements crept into Kamelot's music in the meantime, making it richer, more textured and ambitious. Read more ›› |
Rating:
8.2
8.2
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Rating: 8.2 |
Three long years fans had to wait for an all new full-length studio album, and here it finally is. So what's the deal on Poetry For The Poisoned? In a word - great, although not as great as expected. Kamelot is one of those bands that kept improving from album to album until they reached their zenith with the incredible The Black Halo. The following release was a letdown for many fans, because of new influences on the band's sound. If you are one of those fans, then better pass on this record, since it's one step further along the same road. If you however, like me, loved Ghost Opera, definately give this one a try. Read more ›› |
Rating:
8.8
8.8
|
Rating: 8.8 |
It's been 5 years since Poetry For The Poisoned was released. Five long years in which illustrious Kamelot and Conception vocalist decided to bid farewell to the music industry as a whole, for a higher cause, and it was the first studio appearance of original bassist Sean Tibbetts, after long-time bassist Glenn Berry had left the band. Read more ›› |
Comments
| Susan Smeghead Posts: 6941 From: USA  |
Thanks for providing an alternative point of view of this album. I find it brilliant as well. Kamelot is one of the few bands who honestly enjoys exploring music with every album and never fails to bring us something interesting and exciting. I love The Fourth Legacy for its classic power metal feel (though even it's far from typical), and I love The Ghost Opera and Poetry for the Poisoned for their dark, highly energized prog power goodness. What a ride this is. Power metal album of the year, by far.
---- "A life all mine Is what I choose At the end of my days" --The Gathering "A Life All Mine" from Souvenirs
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| Papa_Ray Posts: 46 From: USA |
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| farfaramir Posts: 128 From: Chile  |
Uuuum, it's not a bad album, but 9?... Besides "The Great Pandemonium" and "Poetry For the Poisoned", there is not a single memorable song in the album, maybe "Hunter Season". From "House on the Hill" until "Sea of Wolven Years", there are the most boring composition of Kamelot. I find Ghost Opera better than this one, the songs have no energy (and not talking about beign "power metal" or something like that, there is not feeling in the songs...). However, it's a good thing that someone did a review to show another point of view.
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| Papa_Ray Posts: 46 From: USA |
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| WorpeX Made of Metal Posts: 1347 From: USA  |
So now we have two super bias reviews for this album. haha. Now we just need one which is completely unbias and we have all major arguing points. Personally, though, i'm not much of a fan of this album. I've always loved the faster and more upbeet songs of Kamelot, but this album doesn't really have too many. There are some good songs here, but I only enjoy half of the album, which is a shame because before this there wasn't a single Kamelot song I didn't like.
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| Jason W. Razorbliss Posts: 3523 From: USA  |
Well, this review gave me another reason to try out this disc again, after a few months of letting it sit on the shelf. My initial feelings about Khan's vocals haven't changed; I still think they are the unnerving flaw in the album, as they are just touched up in a way I don't like many times. I still think the opening track is very good, but the "House On The Hill" ballad is just disappointing. However, the title track and its four parts is much better than I recall, and Simone sounds great in it, many times outdoing Khan in the song. This really doesn't change my middling feel of the album itself though, even if I still feel the band is evolving and hopefully getting somewhere I'll love again. (I mean, I love the idea of progressive and symphonic additions to their music, it's really ideal for Khan's style). Maybe if I'd had that chance to see them live when they had to cancel their tour here, I'd have a more advanced opinion, or maybe not. Nice to see this review, though.
---- "After silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." - Aldous Huxley
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| Milena gloom cookie Posts: 4603 From: Norway  |
Written by Susan on 12.12.2010 at 19:37 *agrees* I thought that nothing else could be said in melodic power metal after Kamelot issued The Fourth Legacy and Karma, and after Sonata Arctica issued Winterheart's Guild and Silence. It's interesting to see how both bands are exploring dark waters now; the typical power metal fans will be scared off, but, frankly, I've always enjoyed those two because they were smarter than the bunch of other power metal bands out there. The lyrics were always a lot smarter, playing more interesting and singing godlike.
---- 7.0 means the album is good
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| evoola Posts: 16 From: Vatican |
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| Wes Posts: 423 From: Japan  |
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| Epictemptation Posts: 45 From: USA  |
A good review, I was going to write a review for this but you said it all:) People got to get use to the album and realize this is an awesome album and sadly Roy's last.....for now
---- 
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| Susan Smeghead Posts: 6941 From: USA |
I never actually understood the dislike of this album. I'm completely baffled as to why most fans don't consider it their best. It's not like they drastically changed their style and abandoned anyone, which is why most fans rebel. No, they just played their usual stuff, a little darker and slightly more interesting, and better than usual. What are people actually upset about? Fucking brilliant.
---- "A life all mine Is what I choose At the end of my days" --The Gathering "A Life All Mine" from Souvenirs
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| R'Vannith ghedengi Posts: 3099 From: Australia  |
Written by Susan on 31.10.2012 at 00:43 For me it's a matter of staying power mostly, really forgettable songwriting with a hollow kind of sound and overall pretty messy. I actually thought they deviated a fair bit from their usual style, the previous album was much more cohesive and, at times, "samey."
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| Daniell _爱情_ Posts: 6059 From: Poland  |
Written by Susan on 31.10.2012 at 00:43 Let me start with a quote from my post in the other review: Since Kamelot have just released a new album, I went back to Poetry for the Poisoned to see how it stands now, after 2 years. I'd rate it even lower, with a full round 5 now, if I were to write this review again. The band tried to expand their sound and they failed in my opinion. In their case, incorporating more prog influences was a bad idea, or at least a badly implemented one. It seems that they had the same thoughts, because Silverthorn is less adventurous, but much better. Sometimes it's better to stick to a proven formula it seems.
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| Susan Smeghead Posts: 6941 From: USA |
Written by Daniell on 31.10.2012 at 10:37 Ok now that makes some sense. I crave adventurous music whereas many people probably do not.
---- "A life all mine Is what I choose At the end of my days" --The Gathering "A Life All Mine" from Souvenirs
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| Daniell _爱情_ Posts: 6059 From: Poland |
Written by Susan on 31.10.2012 at 13:53 I do too dear, but not every adventurous album is good. This one isn't 
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| Susan Smeghead Posts: 6941 From: USA |
Written by Daniell on 31.10.2012 at 15:16 I think Byfrost is the only thing you and I will ever agree on.
---- "A life all mine Is what I choose At the end of my days" --The Gathering "A Life All Mine" from Souvenirs
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| Patrick. Posts: 249 From: Norway  |
Written by Susan on 31.10.2012 at 00:43 Susan, I agree with you! I love this album! Although, I'm not sure I'd stretch it as far as you in the sense that it's their best ever (as it would be very hard for me to choose a personal favorite). Still, I agree, I think people are venturing too far with complaints about this being so removed from their usual realm. To the critics (Just my two cents, and with utmost respect): A slightly bigger sense of Prog-and-Gothic, with stronger presence of macabre mood and more premanent darkness overall, is probably the biggest difference in comparison to previous works. Actually when we think about it, half a decade earlier, The Black Halo pretty much brought the same kind of changes to the table as a follow-up to its predecessors. Complaints have also been uttered towards Khan on this album. The album is darker and his voice is darker. Sure, his range might not have been fully realised as in previous albums. However, he more than makes up for it with added depth and all the playful things he does with his voice. IMO he's never sounded as insane, mysterious and morbid as he does in this album. A masterful and theatrical performance. The melodies, while not being perhaps as "far-reaching" or uplifting as they once were are still very well-developed and are IMO sounding more "sophisticated" than ever. Plus, this gels rather well with the darker atmosphere and Khan's performance. Then there have been shouts about not being nearly enough speedy/fast/upbeat moments and so forth contained on this album. Well, check out "The Great Pandemonium", "If Tomorrow Came", "Hunter's Season", "My Train Of Thoughts", "Seal Of Woven Years", "Once Upon A Time" and also even big chunks of the title-track as well. In theory there should be enough to go around here for the Symphonic Power Metal fan (given there's also an interest geared towards Prog and Gothic as well perhaps). This is just my opinion of the album, as I love it to bits just like everything Kamelot has done since Karma. I am of course respectful when it comes to differing tastes and the fact that it's all subjective. I just feel the same way as Susan. This album has a bit of an unfair reputation going for it. However, we all have our own opinions and it was not meant as a thorn in anyone's side at all.  
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