earMusic/Edel Music
2010
1. The Great Pandemonium
2. If Tomorrow Came
3. Dear Editor
4. The Zodiac
5. Hunter's Season
6. House on a Hill
7. Necropolis
8. My Train of Thoughts
9. Seal of Woven Years
10. Poetry for the Poisoned, Pt. 1 - Incubus
11. Poetry for the Poisoned, Pt. 2 -So Long
12. Poetry for the Poisoned, Pt. 3 - All Is Over
13. Poetry for the Poisoned, Pt. 4 - Dissection
14. Once upon a Time
There's really no denying Kamelot have become a very different band over the past couple albums. As with any big shake up in a band's sound, some have embraced it and some have hated it. Personally speaking, I loved the change, but that's coming from the perspective of someone who was not much a fan initially. As a fan of darker, gothic music driven by emotion I liked the past couple a great deal and they really made me more of a fan. That being said I've become a follower of a band and was looking forward to what they would do next.
Here's the thing... when a band starts to alter their sound there is usually a balance to be struck. Sometimes a band incorporates a bit of a new sound to their style and it freshens things up, adding new dimensions. Then the band will decide this new sound is great and it will take over with bad results. By this preamble I think you can probably sense where this review is going. Poetry For The Poisoned is a perfect example of taking things too far and forgetting your base.
The beauty of The Black Halo and Ghost Opera imo was the albums played to the band's strengths by really letting Roy Kahn be expressive with his voice while adding more heaviness to balance his somewhat lighter vocals. The thing was that there was still great power metal vocal melodies though and the albums kept a great melodic sense about them. This is, in large part, where Poetry For The Poisoned comes up short.
In their focus on sounding darker things have just gone too far and the results are getting awkward. Also, in their change in focus has come a leaning toward something a bit commercial as the band itself has said they've included some modern rock influences, etc. Lead off single and album starter The Great Pandemonium is a perfect example of why this isn't working taking the music this far to a new direction. Twangy guitars that sound multi-layered lead off the track awkwardly and are accompanied by harsh background vocals that don't seem to gel. Furthermore, when Roy Kahn comes in he starts off trying to sound dark and whispery or something which just sucks frankly. These sorts of vocals totally play Away from his strengths and the more melodic parts don't really make up for lots of harsh or whispery, poorly executed, 'dark' crap. This is pretty much the song that killed my expectations of the album and put me more in line with the reality of it.
The rest of the album more or less follows suit. Maybe not as bad as that first track, which is truly abysmal btw, but things never really recover. Poetry For The Poisoned just lacks songwriting and powerful epic moments. Very little here feels meaningful or particularly memorable. There are reminders of good Kamelot here in bits and pieces, but the songs don't seem to come together. There are also moments of the good orchestration that added to the dark feel of Ghost Opera, but they come in the form of the fairly mediocre, multi-parted title track(s) and end up being a miss. It's like this album tries to be good, but there are road blocks on every track to greater songwriting.
To not be wholly negative, this album does have moments of enjoyability and I actually did not wholly dislike it. For instance, Hunter's Season does recall older Kamelot and feel powerful and melodic. The Zodiac is also worth mentioning as it is a bit down tempo and moody, but works as it seems to have a dramatic touch and is also boosted by some solid Jon Oliva vocals. The problem is that this just feels like a step back or should I say a step too far? Certainly, in terms of songwriting I'd say a step back.
The bottom line here is that Kamelot need to take a moment and reexamine the band. This feels a bit like a commercial play to the darker faux-goth or emo shit on modern/hard rock radio (though not quite going that far). I just get the feeling like flirting with the dark side so to speak and I suppose the band needs to decide with the next one if they will recover for their fans or seek new ones in other crowds. I'd say Poetry For The Poisoned will still be ok by most fans, if not loved, but it is also probably a cause for concern. Certainly, this does not live up to the past couple.
Highlights: The Zodiac, Hunter's Season
Rating - 3.0/5
2. If Tomorrow Came
3. Dear Editor
4. The Zodiac
5. Hunter's Season
6. House on a Hill
7. Necropolis
8. My Train of Thoughts
9. Seal of Woven Years
10. Poetry for the Poisoned, Pt. 1 - Incubus
11. Poetry for the Poisoned, Pt. 2 -So Long
12. Poetry for the Poisoned, Pt. 3 - All Is Over
13. Poetry for the Poisoned, Pt. 4 - Dissection
14. Once upon a Time
There's really no denying Kamelot have become a very different band over the past couple albums. As with any big shake up in a band's sound, some have embraced it and some have hated it. Personally speaking, I loved the change, but that's coming from the perspective of someone who was not much a fan initially. As a fan of darker, gothic music driven by emotion I liked the past couple a great deal and they really made me more of a fan. That being said I've become a follower of a band and was looking forward to what they would do next.
Here's the thing... when a band starts to alter their sound there is usually a balance to be struck. Sometimes a band incorporates a bit of a new sound to their style and it freshens things up, adding new dimensions. Then the band will decide this new sound is great and it will take over with bad results. By this preamble I think you can probably sense where this review is going. Poetry For The Poisoned is a perfect example of taking things too far and forgetting your base.
The beauty of The Black Halo and Ghost Opera imo was the albums played to the band's strengths by really letting Roy Kahn be expressive with his voice while adding more heaviness to balance his somewhat lighter vocals. The thing was that there was still great power metal vocal melodies though and the albums kept a great melodic sense about them. This is, in large part, where Poetry For The Poisoned comes up short.
In their focus on sounding darker things have just gone too far and the results are getting awkward. Also, in their change in focus has come a leaning toward something a bit commercial as the band itself has said they've included some modern rock influences, etc. Lead off single and album starter The Great Pandemonium is a perfect example of why this isn't working taking the music this far to a new direction. Twangy guitars that sound multi-layered lead off the track awkwardly and are accompanied by harsh background vocals that don't seem to gel. Furthermore, when Roy Kahn comes in he starts off trying to sound dark and whispery or something which just sucks frankly. These sorts of vocals totally play Away from his strengths and the more melodic parts don't really make up for lots of harsh or whispery, poorly executed, 'dark' crap. This is pretty much the song that killed my expectations of the album and put me more in line with the reality of it.
The rest of the album more or less follows suit. Maybe not as bad as that first track, which is truly abysmal btw, but things never really recover. Poetry For The Poisoned just lacks songwriting and powerful epic moments. Very little here feels meaningful or particularly memorable. There are reminders of good Kamelot here in bits and pieces, but the songs don't seem to come together. There are also moments of the good orchestration that added to the dark feel of Ghost Opera, but they come in the form of the fairly mediocre, multi-parted title track(s) and end up being a miss. It's like this album tries to be good, but there are road blocks on every track to greater songwriting.
To not be wholly negative, this album does have moments of enjoyability and I actually did not wholly dislike it. For instance, Hunter's Season does recall older Kamelot and feel powerful and melodic. The Zodiac is also worth mentioning as it is a bit down tempo and moody, but works as it seems to have a dramatic touch and is also boosted by some solid Jon Oliva vocals. The problem is that this just feels like a step back or should I say a step too far? Certainly, in terms of songwriting I'd say a step back.
The bottom line here is that Kamelot need to take a moment and reexamine the band. This feels a bit like a commercial play to the darker faux-goth or emo shit on modern/hard rock radio (though not quite going that far). I just get the feeling like flirting with the dark side so to speak and I suppose the band needs to decide with the next one if they will recover for their fans or seek new ones in other crowds. I'd say Poetry For The Poisoned will still be ok by most fans, if not loved, but it is also probably a cause for concern. Certainly, this does not live up to the past couple.
Highlights: The Zodiac, Hunter's Season
Rating - 3.0/5
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