Kamelot: Epica and the Black Halo

I tend to be very album-oriented in my music listening; currently the software I use to sync music to my Walkman only lets me listen to albums, not playlists (because I don't feel like changing it) so albums are how I listen at work, and hence in most of my life. This is, of course, contrary to the increasingly single-oriented music culture that online MP3 stores have made possible (to drive the point home, I prefer CDs). All this is to say that I probably enjoy concept albums more than most people. Whether they're about nuclear weapons and modern social issues, Swedish military history, or extradimensional reptilian demigods taking over the world through deceit and conspiracy, a storyline or unifying theme helps tie an album together and make it more than the sum of its parts. And yet, I have thus far ignored my favorite concept album(s) of all. (Better than The Scarecrow)

Epica and The Black Halo (by Kamelot) are two parts of one story about a man on a search for truth, the meaning of life, and heaven; the love story he leaves unwritten; and his fateful deal with a fallen angel that changes everything. Both musically and lyrically, these albums are of the finest craftsmanship, arguably the high point of Kamelot's career and their turning point from straight power metal to an increasingly subtle and progressive style as lately seen on Poetry for the Poisoned. Though the ultimate moral of the story is rather unsatisfyingly humanistic, it's still a good one, masterfully told through Khan's (and others') voice, Thomas Youngblood's guitarmanship, and both of their songwriting.

Epica in particular is pretty much the height of Kamelot's "classic" power metal style, while also hinting at their more progressive future. Musically it's mostly a mix of fast-paced European-style power metal and shorter interlude tracks; lyrically, it's the more literal of the two albums, introducing most of the characters and establishing the tensions that The Black Halo resolves.

After a prelude track ("Prologue"), we launch main keyboard-and-guitar riff of "Center of the Universe", which introduces us to our man Ariel and his ever-inquisitive mind, searching for answers about humanity, the nature of the divine, the purpose of life, and an elusive paradise. Convinced that these answers are not to be found here, he says goodbye to those he loves, including his dear Helena, and sets sail on a journey of discovery. ("Farewell")

As years go by ("Interlude I: Opiate Soul"), he gradually becomes discouraged on his quest, turning to narcotics for the answer in an unsuccessful attempt to eased his troubled mind. In his dreamlike state, he gets a glimpse of "demon eyes and wings unfurled". ("The Edge of Paradise") Still unsatisfied, he forlornly remembers everything he left behind, especially missing Helena. ("Wander")

In the middle of his darkest hour ("Interlude II: Omen"), the fallen angel Mephisto appears to Ariel disguised as an archangel clad in divine splendor, offering him all the desires of his heart and the answers for his questioning mind in exchange for his soul at the moment of his death. To demonstrate his power, he transports Ariel to his castle ("Interlude III: At the Banquet") for a joyous night of feasting and revelry. Dazzled and overtaken by the sights, Ariel accepts Mephisto's offer with one modification: only if he comes to a point where he wants to remain forever in his current state of mind will his soul be Mephisto's. ("A Feast for the Vain")

Following this, he unexpectedly runs into Helena again and they spend the night together. ("On the Coldest Winter Night") However, the next morning Ariel vows to leave her again the next day, choosing Mephisto and his search for truth over her love and not wanting to bring her down the dark path he's following. ("Lost and Damned") Distraught but still in love with Ariel, Helena drowns herself; her innocent soul ascends to heaven along with--it is revealed--the soul of the unborn child she and Ariel conceived. ("Helena's Theme")

The next morning, Ariel learns of the suicide and is devastated, shocked that she had also been with child. But he resolves to carry on his quest so that she didn't die for nothing. ("The Mourning After (Carry On)") Mephisto warns him that he should expect such hardships as a cost of "playing with fire" and searching for ultimate meaning. Even as Ariel is overtaken with guilt and feeling of being beyond redemption for his role in Helena's death, she encourages him from heaven and urges him to turn to the light. Mephisto reminds him of their deal and asks for his continued trust, warning him about following his destructive human passions. ("III Ways to Epica")

Musically, this album is some truly excellent European-style power metal that only looks dull next to the sequel. "Center of the Universe" and "Farewell" are both rapid-fire anthems with double-bass drumming and prominent guitar riffs supplemented by keyboards; "Center of the Universe" also has a piano bridge with a duet between Khan and Thomas Youngblood's wife (also the voice of Helena) just before one of the better guitar solos. "Edge of Paradise" has more of a plodding, raucous sound with dreamy, meandering vocals to help suggest Ariel's narcotic-influenced state.

"Wander" is a relative break, a quiet song initially centered around the piano and strings in the chorus before building into a full-fledged ballad that doesn't seem sappy at all due to its role in the story. "Descent of the Archangel" starts with a saxophone-like solo before building to a stair-like tremolo-picked riff to suggest Mephisto's radiant first appearance; the whole song sounds polished, majestic, and epic like his attempts to impress Ariel. "A Feast for the Vain" starts with a similar mood, but the chorus (suggested to be sung by everyone at the feast) perfectly captures the ecstatic but fleeting pleasure with is joyously happy major-key sound.

The end of the album gets a bit more progressive. "On the Coldest Winter Night" and "Helena's Theme" are two more quiet songs; "Lost and Damned" is much faster and more intense with one of the catchier choruses, but with verses that seem to be heavily inspired by tango music(!?). "The Mourning After" is a slow, lumbering giant of a song with generous amounts of soloing, and "III Ways to Epica" is fully progressive metal, with an excellent main riff and multiple instrumental sections that get strung together and repeated.

"Epica" meets the mark of a great concept album; that is, it's tremendously fun to listen to as a whole for both the music and the story, but it also has plenty of enjoyable standalone songs. Khan is pretty much at the top of his game on this album, Thomas Youngblood writes and plays riffs like a mad genius, and the incomparable Miro guest stars in keyboards. It's a very balanced album; in my opinion Kamelot is strongest with the faster, pure power metal songs, but they certainly don't rely on these to sell the album, throwing in plenty of variety. It has power metal's appeal to one's sense of good, valor, and beauty, some of prog metal's appeal to the head, and a good story for those who like to listen to lyrics. But despite all of this, it's only a pale shadow of its successor...

The Black Halo resolves the story of Epica and is in general much more abstract in its lyrics than its predecessor, focusing mostly on Ariel's thoughts as he moves to confront his one-time benefactor Mephisto and attains the object of his searching. Musically, it's noticeably more dark and progressive, beginning the band's current musical trajectory. Except for the short transition tracks, it feels much less like a concept album than its predecessor, with each song easily standing on its own but contributing to the conclusion of the tale.

Following the death of Helena, a grieving Ariel's dependence on Mephisto has never been stronger. The demon reminds Ariel of this fact and pretends to comfort him while urging him onward. ("March of Mephisto") He crosses Ariel's path with that of Marguerite, a woman who looks and sounds very similar to Helena. Unable or unwilling to tell the difference in the darkness, Ariel sleeps with her. ("When the Lights are Down") Upon realizing Mephisto's deception, Ariel tries to explain himself to Marguerite before they part ways; he resolves to be reunited with Helena somehow even though it seems impossible. ("The Haunting (Somewhere in Time")

Ariel reflects on the fate awaiting him, the question of his guilt for his morally ambiguous role in the death of Helena, and his continued yearning for a higher place. ("Soul Society") He feels regret for all the trouble his search for truth has caused and cries out to God, yearning for Helena and the simpler life he had with her. ("Abandoned") He crosses the river and sets out toward Mephisto's palace to confront the demon. He thinks about Helena and Marguerite, the two women he loved but abandoned, reasoning that this is the cause of his pain. ("This Pain") He feels he is beyond repenting for all that he has done, and this feeling of having nothing to lose strengthens his resolve to see Mephisto. ("Moonlight")

He reaches Mephisto's castle, denounces the demon for his betrayal and shows no fear for what will happen to him, faithful that he will be vindicated. ("The Black Halo") Even at the climax, he still has time to reflect on the fact that everyone is on the same existential search for life and truth that he is, and feels united with the rest of humanity by this. He realizes that love is the truth he has been searching for all along ("Nothing Ever Dies"), and that he created this truth himself by his love for Helena. As all his questions fall into place, his search for truth comes to end and he is perfectly at peace, triggering the condition of his deal with Mephisto. However, because of his faith and love he ascends to heaven as he dies while Mephisto is cast into hell. ("Memento Mori") After this, we learn the whole story has been a play put on at a New Year's festival before an epilogue track about life and death, joy and tragedy. ("Serenade")

Okay, Kamelot is really at the top of their game on this album. Khan is really at his best here, Thomas is endlessly technical and musically flexible, and the production values are truly excellent; songs like "The Black Halo" and "Memento Mori" have some of my favorite guitar sounds ever. Miro returns on keyboards and brings with him Sascha Paeth for additional guitars. And besides them, Mephisto is now voiced by Shagrath of Dimmu Borgir, who not only doesn't sound like Khan but does an amazing job doing death grunts in Latin. Marguerite is voiced by Simone Simons of Epica, which named itself after Kamelot's previous album. But all that talent aside, this album has some seriously great songwriting going. The songs are more abstract, which means they stand better on their own but also makes it a bit harder to follow the continuing narrative. Aside from the transition tracks, there isn't a single remotely weak song on the album.

Those who prefer Epica to The Black Halo will find plenty of amazing power metal goodness on this album, albeit influenced by Kamelot's rapidly darkening sound. "When the Lights Are Down" is one of thee most epic and intense songs in their catalog, with the kind of synchronized strumming and double-bass drumming the gets me every time. "Soul Society" is another strong track in the vein of "Center of the Universe" and "Farewell". "Nothing Ever Dies" sounds like Thomas demonstrating how good he is at strumming complicated riffs in rapid 3-time, and "The Black Halo" (again, with amazing, booming guitars that would make Dream Evil jealous) tweaks the formula with a riff and drumbeat that rarely stay constant but come in bursts. "Serenade" is a much lighter song with a rapid 3-time riff in the chorus that still thrills me to listen to after years.

And those are the more normal songs. "March of Mephisto", as its name might suggest, has a strong, steady, martial rhythm with lower-register vocals (again, darker sound). "The Haunting" again has a slower tempo, but is light and airy where "March" is dark and earthy, with Khan exhibiting much more of his upper range. "Abandoned" is the towering monolith of ballad-y goodness that casts the shadow of "Wander". Khan goes from quiet musings to heartbroken cries with the music similarly building under him.

And then, there is the inimitable epic finale "Memento Mori", easily the most impressive piece Kamelot has ever made. Starting off simply as Khan singing over a keyboard, the rest of the band comes in at around 1:30 with the jaw-droppingly huge main riff beginning at 2:15 and continuing wordlessly for half a minute because why not. With its enormous-sounding guitar chugging, airy keyboard accents, and rolling tom drumming, I would be okay if the whole song were just nine minutes of it. Mephisto's ultimate defeat is preceded by a point-counterpoint (in Latin) between him and Helena and signified by a long, wailing death grunt/scream just before the song launches into the solo on top of the main riff. Finally, it fades back into the same piano riff as the intro, with a lovely oboe solo to send us off. Words cannot do this song justice.

When people ask me what kind of music I listen to, my answer is usually along the lines of "European metal", but it might almost be more expedient to say "Kamelot" (despite the irony of their not being European). Pensieve, fiery, and gloriously epic, these albums are like surveys of everything I've come to love about non-extreme metal. If you want to listen to some music that makes me tick or just discover some amazing concept albums, give either of these (especially The Black Halo) a listen sometime.