Poetry for the Poisoned

For tonight's album, I thought hard about bands that I think should be more popular in America. One quickly came to mind that I've barely touched on: Kamelot! They're a fantastic, interesting, brilliant, and beautiful metal band, and unlike most such bands, they're American! (Well, their vocalist is a Norwegian opera singer, but so much the better for them) I can't decide which of their last three albums is my favorite so I'm just going to cover Poetry for the Poisoned, their latest release. But it's pretty much all fantastic (at least, all their albums since they got Khan).

Poetry for the Poisoned is somewhat darker than Kamelot's other albums, lyrically and musically. Not a menacing or evil kind of darkness, but the whole album has a melancholy genius to it that draws you in and rewards multiple listens. Guitarist and co-songwriter Thomas Youngblood explores the genre of metal from just about every conceivable angle, producing an extremely varied set of memorable, beautiful songs.

Except for the bizarre atmospheric track "Dear Editor", every song on the album is excellent and enjoyable for the ears and the head. "If Tomorrow Came" starts off with an eccentric guitar riff and double-bass drumming, but slows down considerably for the verses and showcases Khan's vocal flexibility. (The auto-tune is used purely for artistic effect) And the chorus is hard not to headbang along with. Songs like "My Train of Thoughts", "Necropolis", and "Poetry for the Poisoned Pt. 1: Incubus" exemplify how the album combines symphonic keyboards with relatively slow guitars to create music that is at least as atmospheric as it is visceral. The latter is the first of the four-part title suite, which is pretty much the epitome of the album's style. "Once Upon a Time" is possibly the most lighthearted track of the album, a fast-paced throwback to Kamelot's more carefree days that brings the album to a satisfying conclusion as "Serenade" did for The Black Halo. Unless you have the redundantly titled bonus track "Thespian Drama", which is best described as a classical composition for guitar and is basically the band proving they don't need Khan's voice to be awesome.

But I've been neglecting the incredible amount of guest talent put into Poetry. Opening track "The Great Pandemonium" has Björn "Speed" Strid contributing death grunts quite a bit more powerful than anything I've been hearing from Soilwork lately. "Hunter's Season" has Greek guitar virtuoso Gus G. contribute a solo beyond the band's usual scope, and "House on a Hill" and two parts of the title suite benefit from Simone Simons' soprano vocals. Jon Oliva's sheer brilliance "The Zodiac" has to be heard to be believed. Why is he so good at playing crazy people? None of these songs rely on their guest stars to be good, but they benefit considerably from the outside talent.

Kamelot has made it their business combining the depth and beauty of classical music with the power and bombast of metal, and Poetry for the Poisoned is possibly their biggest success yet. Less epic than their last two albums, but moodier and more nuanced. No matter the day of the week, this is real music. Do yourself a favor and give it a listen.