Oblivion - A Review of Kamelot's The Awakening

Kamelot is a band that should certainly please me on paper. The international group plays power metal with at times progressive songwriting and symphonic arrangements that often flirt with gothic stylistics. However, the band's discography had numerous significant ups and downs in my opinion. Even the group's performances in concert have been underwhelming as the group has been outclassed by opening act Sonata Arctica and even matched by infamous pop rock band Battle Beast regarding crowd participation. I regret to inform you that here we go again since The Awakening is a significant regression in comparison to versatile predecessor The Shadow Theory that managed to grow with every spin.

The main issue is that the material on The Awakening reminds listeners too many times of previous Kamelot tunes that have been performed with much more conviction, creativity and energy. This starts with the usual bombastic, cinematic and exaggerated instrumental opener, continues with short and concise single candidates caught between tame power metal riffs and overwhelming symphonic arrangements, goes further with the occasional darkly romantic ballad that could also come from Evanescence and wouldn't sound out of place on a Twilight soundtrack and ends with a few more epic tunes that lack structure, focus and coherence to truly impress. The latter category is still the most tolerable one since Kamelot didn't go overboard here and ''Opus of the Night (Ghost Requiem)'' might therefore qualify as this output's greatest song.

If you are new to Kamelot, this album might not sound all that bad to you and you could justifiably disagree with me. The symphonic arrangements and choirs have been performed with genuine professionalism and keyboardist Oliver Palotai certainly is an outstanding musician and songwriter. The versatile guitar work by Thomas Youngblood has been consistent for decades and varies between emotional and melodic passages on one side and fast and gripping sections on the other side. Tommy Karevik is a good singer who particularly shines in the lower registers in the more atmospheric epics and calmer ballads.

The main problem is that Kamelot has been performing in this exact style for decades and while some records managed to stand out with a few creative songwriting twists and some astonishing guest performances, The Awakeinng offers songwriting by the numbers and few guests who then fail to leave a lasting impression. Even after several spins, no song on this album will stay on your mind as this release is severely lacking courage, creativity and inspiration.

At the end of the day, Kamelot's The Awakening is only interesting for faithful fans of old date who have listened to every single release by this group or complete newcomers who might now discover this group five years after its last studio album. Occasional and even regular fans of the band can however skip The Awakening without any regrets and should rather purchase the much more imaginative predecessor The Shadow Theory to appreciate the group's current style to its fullest.

Final Grade: 55%