Kamelot – Silverthorn
Here I have the pleasure to review “Silverthorn” which is one of the most anticipated albums in the field of melodic metal for entire year 2012; not only because each and every album of Kamelot is met with a lot of attention from their legions of fans but because we are facing here one of the most difficult situations in life of any band – replacing iconic band member and representing the new one in hoping that he will be accepted by fan base. You all probably know the story about departure of Roy S Khan, singer who elevated Kamelot to new heights from his arrival on “The Fourth Legacy” and forward, who left the band after their previous album “Poetry For The Poisoned” citing his lack of interest for metal as main reason.
Band recruited some friends to help them out for the promotional tour and among them was Tommy Karevik from Swedish progressive troop Seventh Wonder who eventually was chosen as new member which I believe was a good choice. Why? First of all, Tommy has really great and powerful voice and for this occasion he adapted his style to resemble of Khan’s as much as possible (we can draw a parallel here with Iced Earth and Stu Block replacing Barlow), second he is still fresh face without the baggage of some well known band dragging him to the ground and last but not least, the man looks very good – we can argue all we want but Khan had that great charisma that appealed to women.
So technically Tommy was fine choice to fill Khan’s shoes but did everything turn out well on “Silverthorn”, did the band sink or swim? Well, my verdict is overtly positive and I think that this album will appeal to majority of Kamelot fans. Let’s start with Tommy: on previous album it was very obvious that Khan’s sections were a bit flat and we could feel that the man was getting less and less interested while on the other hand Karevik does have something to prove here and he delivered the goods in spades – as I have already stated he sounds very much like Khan but he sings more passionate and fiery so the music benefited undoubtfully. While we’re at it, it should be said that Kamelot left their darker leanings that were present on last two albums and they are slightly returning to power prog territory that got them the biggest glory as it is obvious in first single “Sanctimony (Angel of Afterlife)” or anthemic “Ashes to Ashes”.
When it comes to production, nothing was left out so “Silverthorn” sounds just the way we are all used to get from Kamelot – epic, huge and expensive; their old associate Sascha Paeth has done his usual best. And for the end we should mention that “Silverthorn” again features some high profile guest vocals such as Elize Ryd (Amaranthe), Amanda Somerville and Alissa White-Gluz (The Agonist). All in all, “Silverthorn” fulfills all demands we have from Kamelot and represents the logical continuation of their great path, now all that is left to see is how the fans will accept the new singer but judging from first gig reviews and quality of “Silverthorn” that should not be problem at all!
Tracklist:
CD 1
1. Manus Dei (2:12)
2. Sacrimony (Angel Of Afterlife) (4:39)
3. Ashes To Ashes (3:58)
4. Torn (3:51)
5. Song For Jolee (4:33)
6. Veritas (4:34)
7. My Confession (4:33)
8. Silverthorn (4:51)
9. Falling Like The Fahrenheit (5:06)
10. Solitaire (4:56)
11. Part III – The Journey (8:52)
12. Continuum (1:48)
CD 2 (Box Set Edition)
1. Manus Dei (Instrumental) (2:12(
2. Sacrimony (Angel Of Afterlife)(Instrumental) (4:38)
3. Kismet (Instrumental) (1:41)
4. Ashes To Ashes (Instrumental) (3:55)
5. Torn (Instrumental) (3:51)
6. Song For Jolee (Instrumental) (4:32)
7. Veritas (Instrumental) (4:34)
8. My Confession (Instrumental) (4:33)
9. Silverthorn (Instrumental) (4:51)
10. Falling Like The Fahrenheit (Instrumental) (5:06)
11. Solitaire (Instrumental) (4:56)
12. Part III – The Journey (8:52)
13. Continuum (Instrumental) (1:52)
14. Grace (Bonus-Track) (3:24)
Line-up:
* Tommy Karevik – vocals
* Thomas Youngblood – guitars
* Sean Tibbetts – bass guitar
* Oliver Palotai – keyboards
* Casey Grillo – drums
Links:
Originally published on http://www.metal-sound.net
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