Kamelot

[cramx3]

I really like Charlotte as well and she has such a unique voice.  I can see what you are saying though and I agree a bit, I think he first lines sound a bit odd but once she sings with Tommy, I very much enjoy that.

[Zook]

After a couple more listens, I'm thinking Haven is better than Silverthorn. The songs seem more complete.

[MoraWintersoul]

Haven is pretty damn good.

[cramx3]

After a couple more listens, I'm thinking Haven is better than Silverthorn. The songs seem more complete.

Haven is also more original. Silverthorn while I liked it, was very similar to the Black Halo, Haven has a lot more new sides to Kamelot and allows Tommy to be more like Tommy. I'm really digging this album

[Evermind]

I dunno, I'm still underwhelmed by it. I'm really enjoying Fallen Star - My Therapy run, but starting with End of Innocence this album loses me. Don't get me wrong, it's good, but it's definitely not better than Silverthorn in my book.

[Destiny Of Chaos]

I dunno, I'm still underwhelmed by it. I'm really enjoying Fallen Star - My Therapy run, but starting with End of Innocence this album loses me. Don't get me wrong, it's good, but it's definitely not better than Silverthorn in my book.

This is pretty much where I'm at at this point (3 spins). Underwhemling, but still very good music. Hopefully it will grow on me... but as it stands, currently my least favorite of the Post SP albums.

[Destiny Of Chaos]

And grow on me it has. Favorites at this point are Liar Liar and Citizen Zero, driven by their absolutely incredible choruses.

[cramx3]

And grow on me it has. Favorites at this point are Liar Liar and Citizen Zero, driven by their absolutely incredible choruses.

Agreed on both songs and their choruses.   

[Destiny Of Chaos]

And grow on me it has. Favorites at this point are Liar Liar and Citizen Zero, driven by their absolutely incredible choruses.

Agreed on both songs and their choruses.   

That Hounds of Hell bit is just so fn nasty! 

[cramx3]

And grow on me it has. Favorites at this point are Liar Liar and Citizen Zero, driven by their absolutely incredible choruses.

Agreed on both songs and their choruses.   

That Hounds of Hell bit is just so fn nasty! 

it really is, and its got such a cool feel to it.  My first spin of the album and that chorus really stuck out to me. 

[Destiny Of Chaos]

And grow on me it has. Favorites at this point are Liar Liar and Citizen Zero, driven by their absolutely incredible choruses.

Agreed on both songs and their choruses.   

That Hounds of Hell bit is just so fn nasty! 

it really is, and its got such a cool feel to it.  My first spin of the album and that chorus really stuck out to me.

Of course... today, I finally read the lyrics and see that it's "The Hounds are out..."  oh well.. still bad ass.

[Evermind]

You know, my mediabook is still shipping somewhere and promo files didn't include lyrics booklet, so I thought it was "When the house of all..."

[cramx3]

I thought "when the hounds are all"

[Evermind]

I also struggled to understand the line about sickness. I'm fairly sure now it goes "my sickness is released", but I couldn't hear the "le" syllable on the first listens at all, so I though it was something like "My sickness is Greece" only without "g".

I'm really awful when it comes to making out the lyrics without booklet.

[Mindflux]

Kamelot rocked Austin TX last night. What a great show.

It rained for most of the DragonForce set so me and my buddies hid inside at the bar and then came out just under the ledge to keep dry for Kamelot (which thankfully the rain had subsided by then).

Tommy sounded better this time around than in 2012. I assume it's just because he's now comfortable in his role.

He sure did drop a lot of F bombs between tracks..."raise your f'n hands!" and such...

[ErHaO]

He sure did drop a lot of F bombs between tracks..."raise your f'n hands!" and such...

Yeah, that was bothering me a bit the last time I saw them. Not that I mind swearing, but Kamelot always has a bit of a classical "gentlemans" metal vibe going on and it feels out of place, like it was some hard/punk rock banter in between or something. Which was odd considering he (almost) did not swear the show I saw before it. Otherwise I think his stage presence is great and he interacts a lot with the crowd, so in the end it is a minor complaint.

[Mindflux]

He sure did drop a lot of F bombs between tracks..."raise your f'n hands!" and such...

Yeah, that was bothering me a bit the last time I saw them. Not that I mind swearing, but Kamelot always has a bit of a classical "gentlemans" metal vibe going on and it feels out of place, like it was some hard/punk rock banter in between or something. Which was odd considering he (almost) did not swear the show I saw before it. Otherwise I think his stage presence is great and he interacts a lot with the crowd, so in the end it is a minor complaint.

I don't remember him doing it in 2012 when they opened for Nightwish. 

[cramx3]

He sure did drop a lot of F bombs between tracks..."raise your f'n hands!" and such...

Yeah, that was bothering me a bit the last time I saw them. Not that I mind swearing, but Kamelot always has a bit of a classical "gentlemans" metal vibe going on and it feels out of place, like it was some hard/punk rock banter in between or something. Which was odd considering he (almost) did not swear the show I saw before it. Otherwise I think his stage presence is great and he interacts a lot with the crowd, so in the end it is a minor complaint.

I don't remember him doing it in 2012 when they opened for Nightwish.

I dont remember him talking at all when they opened for Nightwish.  I cant say I care if someone curses during a concert, its fairly normal IMO.

[Mindflux]

He sure did drop a lot of F bombs between tracks..."raise your f'n hands!" and such...

Yeah, that was bothering me a bit the last time I saw them. Not that I mind swearing, but Kamelot always has a bit of a classical "gentlemans" metal vibe going on and it feels out of place, like it was some hard/punk rock banter in between or something. Which was odd considering he (almost) did not swear the show I saw before it. Otherwise I think his stage presence is great and he interacts a lot with the crowd, so in the end it is a minor complaint.

I don't remember him doing it in 2012 when they opened for Nightwish.

I dont remember him talking at all when they opened for Nightwish.  I cant say I care if someone curses during a concert, its fairly normal IMO.

I generally don't either, but as said above Kamelot seems to have a more "gentlmans" metal type thing going for them.. at least in theory I guess. hah

[cramx3]

Im not even sure what that means lol  What makes them gentleman?  I have met Thomas Youngblood before, he seemed very nice.

[Zook]

I always though it was quite normal for band to say things like "you guys fuckin' rule" and stuff. For some reason dropping f-bombs gets the crowd more pumped. Kamelot may not fall into the Cheesy Power Metal category, but I never saw them as more gentlemen like or classier.

[MoraWintersoul]

They care enough to throw on black shirts and comb their hair/trim beards, that's enough to at least look like a distinguished metal gentleman at a show

[Mindflux]

I always though it was quite normal for band to say things like "you guys fuckin' rule" and stuff. For some reason dropping f-bombs gets the crowd more pumped. Kamelot may not fall into the Cheesy Power Metal category, but I never saw them as more gentlemen like or classier.

They just don't seem like the type to throw out curse words. *shrug*

[Zook]

I always though it was quite normal for band to say things like "you guys fuckin' rule" and stuff. For some reason dropping f-bombs gets the crowd more pumped. Kamelot may not fall into the Cheesy Power Metal category, but I never saw them as more gentlemen like or classier.

They just don't seem like the type to throw out curse words. *shrug*

Khan cussed too. It's really not a big deal.

[ErHaO]

It is not the fact that there was swearing, which I do not mind at all really, but that is not what I regard an f-bomb. It was just the frequency and timing thereof, and I was not the only one who noticed. No major problem or anything, but I was a bit surprised (given the almost "clean" show I saw before it within the same tour, maybe because they recorded that?  ).

But hey, f*ck can be a diverse word used for all kinds of communication: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdfwFDZGnUk


Still enjoying the new album btw and it is growing further. With Silverthorn I always kept returning for a few songs in a rotating manner. Thus, I liked about everything but felt listening to it as a whole was a tad repetive. This album paces much better and is more varied. Silverthorn and Haven are not their best albums, but close enough in overall quality to me. Tommy doing "the Khan" sounds natural and great (and since that guy is not even in the industry anymore, I am happy he does this at times). Unlike Stu Block of Iced Earth pulling off Barlow vocals, for example. I actually like Tommy better that Kahn terms of his tone (not talking about the melodies/song quality nor range/technique). Also, in SW I sometimes feel Tommy goes a tad overboard. To me Haven is his most balanced and rounded performance so far.

[cramx3]

Yea, I am still really digging Haven. Fallen Star is such an awesome intro song and a really different way for them to begin an album 

[Evermind]

Yea, I am still really digging Haven. Fallen Star is such an awesome intro song and a really different way for them to begin an album 

I'm still not digging the whole album, but man, I totally agree about Fallen Star. Might be their best song since The Black Halo album (along with Song for Jolee, which is totally amazing too), I just can't get enough of it.

[Zook]

Haven is a great album, but the production completely neuters it. I was listening to the radio today, and Tool's Aenema was playing, and I came to the realization that the production can be best compared to radio quality. There was no punch on Aenema, yet if I put the song on from my phone, it would sound huge and punchy. Another example would be Nevermore's Enemies of Reality album. The original has zero low end, and it sounds like it's from a distance, yet the remix is totally in your face, and has depth. The bass drum is barely there on Haven unless you really turn it up. It's very unfortunate.

[wolfking]

I finally listened to Haven and I gotta say, it's as boring and average as Silverthorn IMO.  Not impressed.  This band simply aren't what they use to be, a shame.

[ErHaO]

So apparently Haven is one of their most succesful albums to date. And their current tour is their biggest European headlining tour to date. That is an impressive feat at this point, good to see the band is actually growing in some aspects. I love Haven, but there is a serious overload of awesome music this year by nearly all of my favourite bands. So I haven't listened to it that much.

Also, their primary plans are to make a new live DVD now. They now have the legal stuff done right, but don't know how, when or where yet (probably next year). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrZhIRf650M

I was hoping they would repeat the never released 013 concert (I think that one was due to legal stuff), since they are hyping the upcoming  013 concert as a "special tour finale" on their FB and earlier this year Youngblood said something that roughly translates to "we want to make it our most epic show to date and it would be great if we could record it". But given the most recent interview (see above), I don't expect them to. Still pissed off about 2013 though, I hope we can still get it as a bonus at one point.

I hope he holds his promise on the "most epic" part, as this will be my first concert after being spoiled by the Human Equation theater performance    They are definitely the right band for that

[cramx3]

I don't put a lot of stock into what Thomas says anymore about "special" shows.  I am excited to see them again in November and really enjoy Haven, but their live show is becoming "same old kamelot" for me.  They don't change up the set lists AT ALL.  They are good and fun live, but I only expect to see one maybe two different songs this time around and that's a shame.

[ErHaO]

I don't put a lot of stock into what Thomas says anymore about "special" shows.  I am excited to see them again in November and really enjoy Haven, but their live show is becoming "same old kamelot" for me.  They don't change up the set lists AT ALL.  They are good and fun live, but I only expect to see one maybe two different songs this time around and that's a shame.

Yeah, that is true. They almost always call a show "exclusive". Though the shows I attended indeed felt like special shows in a way.

For a live DVD, I kind of hope they do a bit more "special" stuff. I hope there will be some additional guest musicians (Simone? Charlotte? Troy from Nightwish?), some rarities and an acoustic session. However, even if they just do their regular thing, I will gladly buy it, since we don't have any pro-shot material since Roy left.

I haven't checked out their current setlists, but do think Haven has a few tunes that feel fresh and will stand out live.

[cramx3]

I don't put a lot of stock into what Thomas says anymore about "special" shows.  I am excited to see them again in November and really enjoy Haven, but their live show is becoming "same old kamelot" for me.  They don't change up the set lists AT ALL.  They are good and fun live, but I only expect to see one maybe two different songs this time around and that's a shame.

Yeah, that is true. They almost always call a show "exclusive". Though the shows I attended indeed felt like special shows in a way.

For a live DVD, I kind of hope they do a bit more "special" stuff. I hope there will be some additional guest musicians (Simone? Charlotte? Troy from Nightwish?), some rarities and an acoustic session. However, even if they just do their regular thing, I will gladly buy it, since we don't have any pro-shot material since Roy left.

I haven't checked out their current setlists, but do think Haven has a few tunes that feel fresh and will stand out live.

They've been playing Liar Liar on this leg and also pulled out Heres to the Fall so those are the two new songs I was referring to.  Hopefully the old songs get changed out before the 2nd N.A. leg.

If they do record a concert, I would imagine they would have the special guests lined up, but I would love to see Elize make it to a DVD with them and not the current back up female vocalist.  She isn't bad, but I see her a notch below the likes of Simone, Elize, or Alyssa and even Charlotte if she ever performs with them.

[ErHaO]

A bit late, but the concert was great!

Stage production was cool, with flames and all.


Tommy was in a truly fantastic shape vocally and his stage presence improved greatly I think. Not that he was bad at that front, far from it, but I think he's gotten a lot better. And regarding the F-bomb discussion here a while back; he actually made a joke about it. He said something along the lines of "I told myself to mind the f-word, but f*ck you guys are great!" So surely more people noticed this last tour, haha. Band was tight and a joy to look at as well. The regular female vocalist (forgot who) did not impress me, however. Apparently the audio guys agreed, since at parts she was kind of drowned in the mix. Elize was good though, nice to have her sing a few songs, though I wondered why they did some parts with tapes, some with Elize and some with the other woman. Felt a bit incohesive compared to their previous shows I attended.

As for the setlist, it was good. A bit more towards the heavy stuff than the previous two shows I attended. Liar Liar and Revolution are great live songs, very epic and powerful. Here's to the Fall was a great performance, but I am just not too impressed with the song itself. Nice to set a mood on the studio album, but as a ballad in a setlist it just doesn't work too well imo. I do think these new songs are quite distinct in their discography and therefore give a fresh feeling to the set. Unlike Veil of Elysium, for example; Good song, but similar to other Kamelot material.

[cramx3]

Thanks for sharing, that concert looked like a lot of fun (I follow Elyze and Kamelot on social media so saw their reactions and pics).  I am very jealous of the European metal scene where Kamelot can play a bigger venue and use special guests and have pyros and what not.  I will be seeing them in November and its a Saturday night which will be so much fun.

I agree that Here's to the Fall is probably not the best live song, I bet Tommy is great on it, but I would prefer a different ballad live.

I also wasn't crazy about the female vocalist, I believe she is the same lady who toured with them last year in the US, he is from Therion I think.  She wasn't bad, just not as good as the past singers who have held that spot.

I still listen to Haven regularly.  I really dig the album and wish they would play more of it live.