Three years is too long to wait for a new Kamelot album. Yet, when it's as good as their latest release, Poetry for the Poisoned, it is certainly worth the wait. After holing up in a cabin in Norway for three weeks, and then venturing to a German studio, Kamelot has produced a remarkable album that fuses the progressive power metal, for which they are known, with subtle moments of modern rock. But this description hardly defines the breadth and depth of Poetry for the Poisoned. This work is ingenious and creative as it is entertaining and satisfying.
The thing that I have always found compelling about Kamelot was their singular ability to combine adventurous complexity and dexterity with entertaining accessibility. Their keen sense of composition combined with melodic sensibility makes the music wholly intriguing and delightful to the ear. Even those that feign from melodic power or progressive metal can find themselves subtly swept away by Kamelot's versatile inventions. This is certainly possible when listening to The Great Pandemonium, the quite catchy If Tomorrow Came, the intoxicating House on the Hill, and the deceptively short, but sweeping, Poetry for the Poisoned suite.
Of course, Kamelot also knows how hold on to a good thing by weaving contributions by significant guest players. Gus G (Firewind, Ozzy) and Jon Oliva guest on two tracks. Simone Simons (Epica) returns as well, performing on House on a Hill, a song much more fitting for her then The Haunting from The Black Halo. Later in the Poetry for Poisoned she collaborates with another remarkable gal, Amanda Somerville. (Watch for her partnership with Michael Kiske (Helloween) later this month.)
Forgetting that the roots of Kamelot are in power metal, Poetry for the Poisoned proves that Kamelot both merges and transcends genres for a truly progressive musical experience. Poetry for the Poisoned has to be their best work to date, that is, until the next one. Strongly recommended!
Review written by Craig Hartranft for
www.dangerdog.com 
