┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │■ ■│ │ .-/ .-. │ │ _.-~ / ___ | ~-._ │ │ \:/ -~| / __/| .\:/ │ │ / || (:/:| \ │ │ / /\/| |:\___\| |\ \ │ │ / /:::|.::/:::/:.|:\ \ │ │ / /:::/ \\/:::/::/:::\ \ │ │ / .::\ \-~~~~-/\/:.. \ │ │ /..:::::\ /:::::..\ │ │ /::::::::- -::::::::\ │ │ \:::::-~ ~-:::::/ │ │ \:-~ ~-:/ │ │ METAL CLASSICS ARCHIVE │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ P R E S E N T S │ │ │ │ │ │ + Kamelot - The Shadow Theory-(NPR 777 DP) + │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Information ║ │ │╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Release Date.Apr-23-2018 Encoder......L3.98.4 -V0 --lowpas ║ │ │║ Genre........Metal Graber.......EAC ║ │ │║ Year.........2018 Khz/Bitrate..44,1/ Br ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Ripper.......anthem Songs........cd1: 13 cd2: 7 ║ │ │║ Covers.......Yes Url... www.kamelot.com ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Notes ║ │ │╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Artist : Kamelot Rating : You Decide! ║ │ │║ Album : The Shadow Theory-(NPR 777 DP)Label : Napalm ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Description : ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ As someone who listens to a large amount of ║ │ │║ music every year, IÆve piled up a ton of ║ │ │║ favorite bands, some of which IÆd say I can ║ │ │║ always rely on to produce an excellent album, ║ │ │║ while others fall into more of a long shot ║ │ │║ category, where sometimes theyÆll disappoint me, ║ │ │║ but other times theyÆll pull through and blow me ║ │ │║ away. One of the main bands I place into that ║ │ │║ category is American band Kamelot, one of the ║ │ │║ most well known and prolific power metal bands ║ │ │║ in all of North America. TheyÆve released three ║ │ │║ of my all-time favorite albums over the years in ║ │ │║ Epica, The Black Halo, and Silverthorn, but ║ │ │║ theyÆve also released some disappointments like ║ │ │║ Ghost Opera and the total snooze fest, Poetry ║ │ │║ for the Poisoned. TheyÆre one of those bands ║ │ │║ where every time I start to either lean towards ║ │ │║ loving them for all their great works or being a ║ │ │║ bit hard on them for their disappointments, they ║ │ │║ always manage to turn things around on me fairly ║ │ │║ quickly. So itÆs no real surprise that after ║ │ │║ their last release Haven ended up letting me ║ │ │║ down a bit after the masterful comeback album ║ │ │║ Silverhorn, to the point where I started ║ │ │║ doubting the band again, their upcoming 12th ║ │ │║ full-length release The Shadow Theory has yet ║ │ │║ again managed to pull me back in. ItÆs not quite ║ │ │║ on the level of some of their all-time best ║ │ │║ works, but itÆs a more consistent, more ║ │ │║ cohesive, yet somehow more varied and ║ │ │║ interesting album than Haven, which in some ways ║ │ │║ pushes their sound forward a bit, while also ║ │ │║ celebrating everything theyÆve been in the past. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ For a while itÆs felt like Kamelot hasnÆt quite ║ │ │║ known what to do with their sound, with the ║ │ │║ likes of Ghost Opera and Poetry for the Poisoned ║ │ │║ experimenting with melodic heavy metal and ║ │ │║ progressive metal respectively, neither of which ║ │ │║ quite worked for the band, while Silverthorn ║ │ │║ represented the return of their classic power ║ │ │║ metal sound in all its glory, paired with an ║ │ │║ increased focus on symphonic arrangements. At ║ │ │║ the time, I was expecting future albums to ║ │ │║ continue with that direction, but somehow Haven ║ │ │║ pushed the power metal elements into the ║ │ │║ background, while keeping the symphonic elements ║ │ │║ as the main focus, and so it ended up feeling ║ │ │║ like a slightly better version of the two ║ │ │║ aforementioned weaker albums, while still ║ │ │║ ultimately falling short of my expectations. ║ │ │║ Obviously, I had no clue what to expect from The ║ │ │║ Shadow Theory, but in the end, it has proven ║ │ │║ itself to be their most varied release in quite ║ │ │║ some time, possibly ever, combining elements ║ │ │║ from all their past releases, while also ║ │ │║ including some new elements at times. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Most notably, the keyboards seem to be a greater ║ │ │║ focus than ever before. Obviously, they were ║ │ │║ always there on past albums, but this time ║ │ │║ around they become the main focus a bit more ║ │ │║ often, along with the symphonic elements, of ║ │ │║ course. While they sound more typical on some ║ │ │║ tracks, others like ôRavenlightö and ôAmnesiacö ║ │ │║ have a much more modern sound to them, almost ║ │ │║ giving the music a slight trance metal feel, ║ │ │║ which has never been there before. The guitar ║ │ │║ work is also a bit heavier and more modern ║ │ │║ sounding on some tracks, especially on ôPhantom ║ │ │║ Divineö and ôKevlar Skinö. At the same time this ║ │ │║ is a Kamelot album, and so thereÆs still a ton ║ │ │║ of great melodies here as well, with some ║ │ │║ excellent melodic guitar leads, great guitar ║ │ │║ solos, epic symphonic arrangements, and huge ║ │ │║ vocal melodies and choruses. In fact, this album ║ │ │║ has some of their best melodies in quite some ║ │ │║ time, especially on some of the speedier, more ║ │ │║ power focused tracks, but even a slower, darker ║ │ │║ track like ôBurns to Embraceö has an incredible ║ │ │║ chorus. As far as the songwriting goes, thereÆs ║ │ │║ a little something for everyone here, with fans ║ │ │║ of their classic power metal being given quite a ║ │ │║ few great tracks to look forward to, while fans ║ │ │║ of their slower, darker and more melodic tracks ║ │ │║ have quite a few songs to look forward to, and ║ │ │║ of course thereÆs a couple more progressive ║ │ │║ tracks as well as two ballads. Most importantly, ║ │ │║ though, where Haven had a couple tracks that ║ │ │║ bored me, this time around every song is ║ │ │║ consistently engaging. The musicianship is of ║ │ │║ course top notch as always and the production is ║ │ │║ absolutely perfect, as fans would expect. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ The one element of Kamelot thatÆs consistently ║ │ │║ been excellent is the vocals, and of course, The ║ │ │║ Shadow Theory is no exception there. IÆve always ║ │ │║ loved Tommy KarevicÆs vocals, and while I ║ │ │║ personally prefer his more emotional, higher ║ │ │║ ranged vocals he uses with his other band, ║ │ │║ Seventh Wonder, heÆs done an excellent job of ║ │ │║ fitting in with KamelotÆs sound over these past ║ │ │║ three albums, and each time he sounds more and ║ │ │║ more comfortable. At this point, he feels like ║ │ │║ he seamlessly blends in with the band, doing an ║ │ │║ equally great job on the speedier, more upbeat ║ │ │║ sections and on the slower, darker sections. ║ │ │║ Perhaps the one thing I miss is some of the more ║ │ │║ dynamic vocal performances he gives with Seventh ║ │ │║ Wonder, as he seems to be more and more focused ║ │ │║ on channeling Roy Khan here, singing lower and ║ │ │║ darker than normal, which he, of course, does a ║ │ │║ great job of, but it does feel like some of his ║ │ │║ talents are largely being left untapped. Make no ║ │ │║ mistake about it, though, he does an excellent ║ │ │║ job on this album, and if anything my criticisms ║ │ │║ are more due to personal taste than anything ║ │ │║ else. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Of course, the biggest concern for any Kamelot ║ │ │║ album is whether or not the songwriting holds ║ │ │║ up. Thankfully, this time around the band has ║ │ │║ produced a collection of excellent tracks, which ║ │ │║ cover all aspects of their sound and it feels ║ │ │║ like they did their best job of giving everyone ║ │ │║ a little something to enjoy. Unsurprisingly, ║ │ │║ thereÆs both an orchestral intro and outro, both ║ │ │║ of which are quite nice, and in between those ║ │ │║ are 11 songs of varying sound, but each of them ║ │ │║ is memorable in different ways. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Fans of speedy power metal are in for a treat ║ │ │║ right away with ôPhantom Divine (Shadow ║ │ │║ Empire)ö, which has a brief keyboard intro ║ │ │║ before the orchestra and guitars kick in and it ║ │ │║ quickly speeds up, before slowing down for the ║ │ │║ slow but heavy verses. Once the chorus hits, ║ │ │║ though, it goes full speed ahead, with an ║ │ │║ excellent, speedy power metal chorus that fans ║ │ │║ of the band will instantly fall in love with, as ║ │ │║ Tommy delivers some epic vocals that bring Khan ║ │ │║ to mind in the best way possible, and from there ║ │ │║ the song keeps getting heavier and more intense ║ │ │║ as it goes on, with the second half of the track ║ │ │║ featuring the first of two appearances from Once ║ │ │║ Human vocalist Lauren Hart, who provides some ║ │ │║ pretty epic death growls. Overall, itÆs an ║ │ │║ excellent track, which kicks things off in ║ │ │║ style. Next is ôRavenlightö, the first song ║ │ │║ released and it kind of represents a middle ║ │ │║ ground, largely being more of a darker, mid- ║ │ │║ paced track with some pretty heavy riffs and ║ │ │║ nice modern sounding keys, but it speeds up ║ │ │║ dramatically towards the end, for its most ║ │ │║ impressive section. Overall, I find the track to ║ │ │║ be solid, but it doesnÆt fully grab my attention ║ │ │║ as the melodies are nice but not fantastic, and ║ │ │║ the main riff isnÆt especially memorable. ║ │ │║ However, the final 45 seconds, when the song ║ │ │║ fully speeds up, are absolutely fantastic and ║ │ │║ help take it to the next level. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Other speedier tracks include the oddball ║ │ │║ ôAmnesiacö, a fun and upbeat track which doesnÆt ║ │ │║ quite reach full power metal speed, but it does ║ │ │║ move at a nice pace, especially during its ║ │ │║ chorus. It starts off with some very heavy ║ │ │║ guitar work, before giving way to some very ║ │ │║ trance-like keys, which lead the way through ║ │ │║ much of the track, especially the chorus, which ║ │ │║ is upbeat and very fun. ItÆs a bit of weird ║ │ │║ track, being a bit lighter and more keyboard ║ │ │║ driven than normal, but itÆs actually very ║ │ │║ effective and feels fresh and new, while still ║ │ │║ having just enough of the classic Kamelot sound ║ │ │║ to fit in with the rest of the album. A more ║ │ │║ traditional power metal track is the hard hitter ║ │ │║ ôKevlar Skinö, which charges out of the gate and ║ │ │║ delivers some of the heaviest guitar work on the ║ │ │║ album, only slowing down a bit for the verses, ║ │ │║ before really speeding up during the intense and ║ │ │║ super addictive chorus. The guitar work only ║ │ │║ gets heavier as the track goes on, and the ║ │ │║ instrumental section is pretty damn intense and ║ │ │║ awesome. My favorite of all is ôVespertine (My ║ │ │║ Crimson Bride)ö, the most classic symphonic ║ │ │║ power metal sounding track here, as itÆs a track ║ │ │║ that constantly rolls along at a fast-paced, ║ │ │║ mixing heavy riffs with epic orchestral ║ │ │║ arrangements, and it has an absolutely ║ │ │║ incredible, super melodic chorus, where Tommy ║ │ │║ delivers some of his best-soaring power metal ║ │ │║ vocals. Even the one slower section in the ║ │ │║ second half stands out due to how dark and heavy ║ │ │║ it gets, and it makes for a great contrast with ║ │ │║ the rest of the track, while the instrumental ║ │ │║ section that follows goes back to being speedy ║ │ │║ and super melodic. Definitely my favorite song ║ │ │║ here and one IÆd proudly put up there with some ║ │ │║ of the bandÆs all-time best. After that is the ║ │ │║ last full song here and also the longest and ║ │ │║ most progressive, ôThe Proud and the Brokenö. ║ │ │║ ItÆs a more complex song, which starts off with ║ │ │║ a nice piano section before quickly speeding up. ║ │ │║ It goes through many transitions throughout, ║ │ │║ largely being a progressive power metal track, ║ │ │║ but itÆs a bit lighter and more melodic than one ║ │ │║ would expect from the band, and it has some very ║ │ │║ nice softer sections, as well an excellent ║ │ │║ chorus, as usual. ItÆs definitely the most ║ │ │║ progressive track here and is another one of my ║ │ │║ favorites. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ On the slower side, the first big stand out is ║ │ │║ ôBurns to Embraceö, one of the bandÆs darker, ║ │ │║ more atmospheric tracks, but where I found the ║ │ │║ tracks like this on Haven to be a bit forced, ║ │ │║ this one actually works much better, pairing ║ │ │║ dark and heavy verses with a huge and epic ║ │ │║ chorus, and the track builds up tension nicely ║ │ │║ as it goes along, starting off calm and soft ║ │ │║ during its first verse, before picking up during ║ │ │║ the chorus and then finally going all out during ║ │ │║ the second verse. ItÆs a song that gets better ║ │ │║ as it goes along, with the instrumental section ║ │ │║ being great and then at the end the band brings ║ │ │║ in a childrenÆs choir for the last two runs ║ │ │║ through the chorus, which is something I usually ║ │ │║ donÆt like on a metal album, but here their ║ │ │║ voices combine with the lyrics to give the song ║ │ │║ a chilling and powerful effect that really ║ │ │║ elevates the track from being solid to being one ║ │ │║ of absolute best on the album. Unsurprisingly, ║ │ │║ things calm down with the next track, ôIn ║ │ │║ Twilight Hoursö, a nice ballad which has some ║ │ │║ great vocal melodies, as well as some excellent ║ │ │║ guest vocals from Beyond the Black singer ║ │ │║ Jennifer Haben, who works very well with Tommy ║ │ │║ and helps to elevate an otherwise decent but ║ │ │║ forgettable track. She especially excels during ║ │ │║ the final run through the chorus, which is the ║ │ │║ best part of the song. The other ballad on the ║ │ │║ album is ôStories Unheardö, a largely acoustic ║ │ │║ track which has some very soft and excellent ║ │ │║ vocals from Tommy, as well as another excellent ║ │ │║ chorus. I find it to be a better written and ║ │ │║ more engaging track than ôIn Twilight Hoursö ║ │ │║ overall, though both are pretty nice. Also on ║ │ │║ the softer side is ôStaticö, a track which ║ │ │║ starts off with some nice piano melodies and ║ │ │║ symphonic elements before getting slightly ║ │ │║ heavier during the opening verse. ItÆs a fairly ║ │ │║ light and calm track, with just a slight metal ║ │ │║ edge to it, and it has some nice vocal melodies, ║ │ │║ as well as another great chorus. It feels like ║ │ │║ the kind of thing they were trying to do on ║ │ │║ Poetry for the Poisoned and parts of Haven, ║ │ │║ except here itÆs much better executed and more ║ │ │║ enjoyable. Also similar to much of Haven is ║ │ │║ ôMindfall Remedyö, a more mid-paced but very ║ │ │║ heavy track, with some great riffs and modern ║ │ │║ keys. It has a very fun chorus, as well as some ║ │ │║ more growls from Lauren Hart, and again it feels ║ │ │║ like they took the sound they had on much of ║ │ │║ Haven, except here the riffs hit just a bit ║ │ │║ harder and the melodies are just a bit more ║ │ │║ engaging, so the track ends up being much better ║ │ │║ than most of that album. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Overall, The Shadow Theory is an excellent ║ │ │║ album, which has a bit of everything for all ║ │ │║ Kamelot fans to enjoy. It once again brings back ║ │ │║ some of the bandÆs classic speedy power metal, ║ │ │║ as well as features some of their heaviest ║ │ │║ tracks, while also featuring some very modern ║ │ │║ keyboards and some darker, slower paced tracks, ║ │ │║ as well as some more relaxed and more melodic ║ │ │║ tracks. ItÆs definitely one of their most varied ║ │ │║ releases to date, while also feeling fresh in ║ │ │║ spots, and after Haven let me down, this one ║ │ │║ managed to win me over once again. I wouldnÆt ║ │ │║ place it up there with their all-time best, but ║ │ │║ IÆd certainly take it over anything else theyÆve ║ │ │║ done since 2005, aside from Silverthorn. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Review written by Travis Green for ║ │ │║ www.myglobalmind.com ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Tommy Karevik - Vocals ║ │ │║ Thomas Youngblood - Guitars ║ │ │║ Oliver Palotai - Keyboards, Orchestrations ║ │ │║ Johan Nunez - Drums ║ │ │║ Sean Tibbetts - Bass ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Tracklist ║ │ │╚═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════ │ │ │ │ - CD1 [ ] │ │ - [ ] │ │ 01 - The Mission [01:31] │ │ 02 - Phantom Divine (Shadow Empire) [04:06] │ │ 03 - Ravenlight [03:38] │ │ 04 - Amnesiac [03:41] │ │ 05 - Burns To Embrace [05:54] │ │ 06 - In Twilight Hours [04:16] │ │ 07 - Kevlar Skin [04:06] │ │ 08 - Static [03:59] │ │ 09 - Mindfall Remedy [03:23] │ │ 10 - Stories Unheard [04:25] │ │ 11 - Vespertine (My Crimson Bride) [03:58] │ │ 12 - The Proud And The Broken [06:24] │ │ 13 - Ministrium (Shadow Key) [03:03] │ │ - [ ] │ │ - CD2 [ ] │ │ - [ ] │ │ 01 - Phantom Divine (Shadow Empire) (Instrument [04:07] │ │ 02 - Ravenlight (Instrumental Version) [03:39] │ │ 03 - Amnesiac (Instrumental Version) [03:39] │ │ 04 - Burns To Embrace (Instrumental Version) [05:54] │ │ 05 - Kevlar Skin (Instrumental Version) [04:06] │ │ 06 - The Proud And The Broken (Instrumental Ver [06:26] │ │ 07 - The Last Day Of Sunlight (Bonus Track) [04:21] │ │ │ │ Total Length : [84:36 minn │ │ │ │ │ │ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ╔═════════════════════╗ │ │ ║ Greetings To: ║ │ │ ╚═════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ Too all people who contributes to make this │ │ archive of good music in a exceptional conditions │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │■ ■│ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘