It's been 5 years since we were able to put between our ears a new album by the Americans of 'Kamelot', one of the spearheads of a melodic metal combining gothic, power and symphonic, since their last opus 'The Shadow Theory' dated of 2018. In the meantime, we were still spoiled by the very beautiful live 'I Am The Empire - Live From The 013' with a host of guests but this last album 'The Awakening' was eagerly awaited by all the fans and, once again , 'Tommy Karevik' does not disappoint us by delivering new compositions with melodies that we appropriate very quickly and which once again shows this diversity of metal styles always bringing a great variety to the whole.
On the menu of 'The Awakening', 13 titles for a little over fifty minutes of listening and, at the outset, it is the symphonic side that is highlighted in the epic and orchestral introduction 'Overture - Intro', the album also ending in the same atmosphere with the very beautiful 'Ephemera – Outro' and its grandiose choirs. 'The Great Divide' opens the proceedings with a powerful melodic hit that mixes all the mentioned aspects of metal, with a raging rhythm section specific to power metal, a heady chorus to be taken up in choirs, opulent keyboards bringing the symphonic side and, of course, a masterful interpretation of 'Tommy Karevik' who is still as moving especially since this title benefits from a nice break in the second part of the title. We continue in the same way with 'Eventide' which adds a layer in a radiant atmosphere, then, 'One More Flag In The Ground' (see the video above), on a more moderate rhythm which drives the point home with a new fiery metal whose chorus should be chanted by the public during concerts. Follows 'Opus Of The Night (Ghost Requiem)' which shows the theatrical side that we knew in 'Kamelot' with a whole orchestral arsenal (with the distinguished guest 'Tina Guo') and vocal, 'Tommy Karevik' being like a fish in water in this kind of compositions (magnificent refined final), then, 'Midsummer's Eve' comes at the right time to offer us a well-deserved break in the form of a very beautiful ballad which is to be added to the best ballads of metal and in which we find again 'Tina Guo' and her magic violin. And here we go again for four other compositions, each as melodic as the other with 'Bloodmoon' and a new catchy chorus, 'Nightsky' with its rich rhythm section and generous choirs, the energetic 'The Looking Glass' with its remarkable guitar solo (I would have liked to take a few more measures) and the epic 'New Babylon' which flirts with 'Epica' featuring singer 'Melissa Bonny' from'Ad Infinitum'. Another well-deserved break with 'Willow', a refined ballad which raises the emotional cursor a few notches thanks to the interpretation of 'Tommy Karevik', then 'My Pantheon (Forevermore)' concludes the electric part with a composition summarizing well the album, the energy of the rhythm section showing a power side with the use of the double pedal, a generous orchestration highlighting an epic symphonic metal, breaks bringing rupture of admirable intensities making 'Tommy Karevik' shine once again, the whole benefiting again and again from catchy melodic lines.
In summary, after 5 long years of absence, 'Kamelot', still led by its charismatic leader 'Tommy Karevik', returns to the forefront of the symphonic and melodic metal scene with an album full of quality compositions and melodies that could all be part of a concert set list and 'The Awakening' should undoubtedly, beyond the fans, satisfy an entire audience navigating between symphonic metal, power metal and melodic metal... | |
