Search - Kamelot :: Black Halo

Black Halo, Heavenly Music...

P. Zeller | Vincent, OH | 04/07/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I discovered Kamelot through the Ghost Opera (2nd coming) disc. As a direct result of Memento Mori (the live version on 2nd coming), I decided to try Black Halo. I continue to be impressed with the band in all aspects of their music making!



I continue to be lost in the revery of finding the type of music that I only dreamed of 20 years ago; an amazing blend of metal, prog, symphonic, and melodic music blended with intelligent lyrics and story lines. The Black Halo is the musical equal of Ghost Opera (or perhaps I should say that the other way around). Now, instead of having one of the best albums in my entire collection, I have two!



My desire is to describe every last note, every last word, every last harmony on this album. However, I will spare you that description. The musicianship of EVERY memeber of this band is amazing, technically comparable to any one else in the music industry, yet respectfully restrained to within the message and the music of the song and the album.



The basis of this album is the second half of a story tightly linked to the classic poem of Faust by the 19th century German author Goethe. The album picks up with the primary character (Ariel - Faust in the original poem) morning the loss, due to his own pride, of his true love and unborn child. The story carries through, in a very emotive fashion, through to his realization that his prideful desire for knowledge has led him to disaster, only to be rescued from eternal damnation in the end. Only, Kamalot adds the twist of revealing that this whole story, begun on the Epica album, had been a play, with us being the audience. The music and lyrics are so involving, that I decided to go check out the original epic poem from the library to compare the two.



The album contains several brilliant pieces. My favorite remains Memento Mori, fast becoming a personal favorite. However, there is not a weak song on this album. Add to that the fact that all the songs on this album flow to support the story line and each other amazing well, and you have an amazing concept album.



Of course, this album is part two in the tail. When I received this disc, I had still not heard Epica (part I of this story line). Even minus the first half of the story line, the album is so good, it stands entirely on its own merit. Based on 1) how intreging this album is, and 2) how enjoyable Kamalot as a band is, I have decided to purchase Epica as well. OK, so I am doing this backwords. It seems to be working so far! If you haven't got it yet, this album, along with Ghost Opera, is an absolute must!"

Best Kamelot Album

Zenlatin | Chicago, Illinois | 07/16/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The title says it all, this is Kamelot's best work. If you are looking for an album to start your collection of this band, start here. "Ghost Opera" is really good and "Epica" is stunning, but here is the peak of their music. And do yourself a favor and grab the live "One Cold Winter's Night", an awesome live album and DVD."