Reviews list for Kamelot - Karma (2001)

Power metal has always been the ginger-haired stepchild of metal. It’s cheesy, and full of corny lyrics about mythical lands and beings going on wondrous adventures. Lame, right? But occasionally, a band comes along who does away with the speed-metal roots and wailing vocals of the genre, and releases something with a bit more depth and substance.

Enter Kamelot, with their fifth studio album, 2001’s ‘Karma’, the group have really hit their stride, with a refined sound and more polished song writing, this is where the band truly begin a streak of strong releases that establishes them as one of symphonic metals true champions.

Building upon what they’d started with 1999’s ‘The Forth Legacy’, ‘Karma’ has a very rich sound that gives the band an amazingly fantastical feel. Brimming with lavish orchestrations and exotic musical influences, Kamelot have slowly stepped away from the medieval themes of past albums and gone for a more varied, worldly sound, and it works well with their upbeat and energetic performances. Special mention must go to vocalist Roy Khan, who’s incredible voice works very well with the music and gives it a warm and wholesome sound.

With highlights such as ‘Forever’, ‘Across the Highlands’, ‘Wings of Despair’, all three parts of a trilogy entitled ‘Elizabeth’, and the beautifully emotional ‘Don’t You Cry’, it’s clear that here is a band who, after a few albums tweaking their sound, have finally found their identity and established a style befitting a band named after the home of the legendary King Arthur. Kamelot may not be for everyone’s tastes, but if you’re okay with a bit of fantasy and majesty in your music, then this is definitely worth checking out.

Kamelot's rocky history has practically come to a close with Karma, the album where they master all of the essentials of power metal and create something iconic.  It becomes clear that Kamelot recognized their mistakes from the previous album yet again, despite the fact that there was only one mistake on the brilliant Fourth Legacy: it wasn't very heavy.  Well after the intro, you're just plain blasted with heaviness.  Kamelot improved their technique in that respct, but the music itself is just as brilliant as The Fourth Legacy, if not more so.  And Kahn feels much more comfortable in the music he's singing for, so the lack of metal in his voice is adjust slightly to fit the melody so that he no longer has to struggle to go hand-in-hand with his softer voice in comparison to the vocal giants of metal.  And the rest of Kamelot didn't even have to adjust their playing for that purpose at all, just the heaviness.  Songs like "Wings of Despair" might feel standard, but the instrumentation makes up for that.  The ONE flaw of the album is that the music still feels standard for power metal, and it's noticeable.  But it's not enough to detract from the quality of the album and the noteworthy improvements the band went through.  Kamelot's Karma is a perfect album for power metal bands to draw inspiration from.

Kamelot have been active for around 3 decades now. I've heard of them for over 8 years now, as one of the first ever power metal bands I've listened to and in my personal power metal Big 4 (besides DragonForce, Power Quest, and Dragonland). Their journey began with the underground trio of Eternity, Dominion, and Siege Perilous, which are pretty great but not perfect. It was The Fourth Legacy and this album Karma that brought in the perfection I still love to this day, that continues in Epica and The Black Halo!

The vocals in many of Kamelot's albums are the best I've heard in power metal. Those male clean vocals by Roy Khan are slightly better than Sonata Arctica and Rhapsody of Fire. Khan shines with his great vocal range that stays in key. Also the female vocals that appeared in a couple songs from The Fourth Legacy can be found in this album...

One of the greatest power metal album intros I've heard is "Regalis Apertura", a superb epic overture without going too bombastic. Simple yet excellent! Then comes a personal favorite of mine, the fast "Forever", still remaining a live staple for the band. "Wings of Despair" is another one of the most triumphant songs in power metal, also fast with the guitars leading the way. The chorus really drags me in with its catchy delivery. "The Spell" is enjoyable with spooky keyboards.

The ballad "Don't You Cry" was written in memory of the late father of founding guitarist Thomas Youngblood. The soft music is big on the strings played by a string quartet. It's not weak by any means, but it can take a while to get used to it. The aforementioned female vocals first appear in the title track and sound quite eerie. Nonetheless, it's my ultimate favorite of the album, and one of the best Kamelot songs I still enjoy. "The Light I Shine on You" shows nice guitar crunch and soloing. The guitars in "Temples of Gold" range from acoustic to electric. It's actually a better ballad than the other one here and one of my favorite ballads from the band, though I'm a more "upbeat" listener.

"Across the Highlands" is often confusing and a bit unlike the other songs here. Not really the strongest, but maintaining the album's grandeur. Then the 3-part 12-minute closing epic suite "Elizabeth", based on Elizabeth Bathory, begins with the atmospheric "Mirror Mirror". The female vocals return in the second part "Requiem for the Innocent" which I still enjoy as much as a lot of the album. The catchy final part of the suite and album, "Fall From Grace" ends it all on a fast sinister note.

The album itself ends with nearly 7 minutes of silence in an attempt to round off the band's 5th album's length at exactly 55:55. That pointless aspect aside, Karma keeps up Kamelot's peak streak, though the greatness started with The Fourth Legacy. You can find greatness in the vocals, choruses, and medieval-sounding melodies, all in perfect production. Even the artwork is amazing! Karma remains one of the best power metal albums even after distancing away from the majority of the genre. I would recommend this to fans of Sonata Arctica, Rhapsody of Fire, and Pagan's Mind who like those other bands more than I do. Any metalhead should enjoy this grand offering!

Favorites: "Forever", "Wings of Despair", "The Spell", "Karma", "Temples of Gold", "Elizabeth" (complete suite)