Kamelot
Karma

Defining Kamelot as "just" a band devoted to power metal is limiting. Limiting if, like most people, you believe that power metal is only about double bass drums, perpetual solos, siren-like high-pitched vocals, sugary melodies with some nice riffs, and song structures that are always the same or almost so.

Kamelot is an atypical power band, similar to Angra, because, lo and behold, they evolve. In their first three albums (Eternity, Dominion, and Siege Perilous), they were indeed devoted to a genre closer to the progressive with complex and non-linear tracks, while with the release of The Fourth Legacy (and continuing with Karma and Epica) they embarked on a more melodic sound journey, in some ways easy, and successful.  In 2005 with The Black Halo and now with the blazing The Ghost Opera, Kamelot has started to explore darker, gothic shores with less direct and more cinematic sounds (many pieces indeed seem written for a film).

In short, what I mean to say is that if you contemptuously define Kamelot as one of the many mediocre power metal bands saturating the market by always proposing the same old clichés of the Keepers Of The Seven Keys, with all due respect, I tell you that you understand absolutely nothing about music.

Now, let's review Karma. The fifth offspring of their discography represents, without a doubt, one of the highest points of melodic power metal. The band has finally found the right balance and Roy Khan's intriguing and often melancholic voice offers its best alongside Youngblood's guitar work. The production, entrusted to two masters like Paeth/Miro, is extremely meticulous, as is the heterogeneous track list of the album.

The sound, as widely mentioned, is generally attributable to power, in the sense that more emphasis is placed on the melodic side. This doesn't deny that every song is filled with sad atmospheres, rhythm changes, breaks that elevate the songs' level. The track "Karma" is a clear example. The band manages to blend oriental and futuristic sounds in a track featuring a wonderful crescendo. "Forever" is another heavy punch, which is consistently performed live for its refrain, known for its atypical vocal lines in which Khan shines.

In my opinion, two other moments are the dizzying highlights of the album that deserve to be described: the wonderful suite "Elizabeth" and the ballad "Don't You Cry". The former is divided into three parts (for a total of about a dozen minutes) of pure ecstasy and enjoyment. We are first lulled in the sad, melancholic, and passionate "Mirror Mirror"; shortly after, we are catapulted without force into a heavy-thrash called "Fall From Grace". Class! "Don't You Cry" is an acoustic ballad that the guitarist dedicates to his recently departed father. Khan's spine-chilling performance is simply unmissable.

Karma is a wonderful CD, the pinnacle of one of the most underrated bands in the field. Albums like these need to be purchased and promoted, all the rest is useless chatter.