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Poetry for the Poisoned is easily one of the most anticipated full-length Kamelot albums, as well as one of the most anxiously awaited albums of 2010, mostly due to the success of the group's previous effort, Ghost Opera. For the band's ninth studio full-length release, Kamelot continues to expand on their signature sound a little more, but in the same sense taking their more Progressive approach to the music in a slightly different direction that finds the music to be a little more upbeat then on previous albums. However, though the music is a little more upbeat then before, among other things, Poetry for the Poisoned still retains the many positive aspects of the band's sound, captivates the listener's imaginations, but sadly presents a few issues that manage to hold this album back. "The Great Pandemonium" kicks off the album, and is a very catchy song, though the female operatic vocals that are performed in the background sound a little off key with the music, and appear through the song, mostly during the chorus, not just at the start of the track. Of course, during the actual chorus, it sounds really nice and fits the song well. This track also features some really deep and harsh vocals, performed by Bkorn Strid of Soilwork. For as infectious as this song winds up being, coming off as a clear cornerstone for the album, it's one of the very few actual heavy songs on the song, as the rest of the album is a little more toned down in comparison, and often comes off feeling a bit more mainstream then on some other efforts. This can be a little frustrating as there are other well developed songs on here, but sometimes they just wind up being a little weak in comparison, such as the following track "If Tomorrow Came", which is actually a solid song that focuses more on speed and harmonies then on heaviness. Typically, this would be great, but sometimes the music comes across a liittle weaker then it should, which happens mostly during the chorus, leaving it to sound as if it were recorded without a sort of bass setting put into the mix. The chorus also features a distortion that makes the vocals sound a little more distant and mechanical, which is absolutely pointless and winds up only aiding in making the chorus sound a little more open then it should be. There is also an odd vocal distortion Outside of the guest performance by Bjord Strid, there's a few other appearances on this release that really stand out and give the album that little extra kick. Jon Oliva of Savatage and Jon Oliva's Pain fame makes an appearance on the song "The Zodiac", a conceptual piece about the serial killer known as the Zodiac Killer, which also features an interlude track prior to it called "Dear Editor", which is a spoken word piece that features sound effects from a rainy, busy s treet to build up the atmosphere of the song. This track winds up being one of the most powerful off the release, however, due to it's rather dark musical atmosphere, and the fantastic vocal performance by Jon Oliva that encaptures the spirit of the track's concept in a fantastic, yet rather creepy, manner. Another guest contributor is Gus G., who is known for his time in Ozzy Osbourne, as well as a hundful of other acts, who contributes some guitar work to the track "Hunter's Season". The problem is that this really isn't the most entertaining track on here, as it just doesn't really feature anything that stands out and sounds rather generic at times. There are two female guest appearances that really dominate the album. Simone Simons, of Epica fame, handles most of the female duet duties for the release, appearing on the songs "House on a Hill", which, like "The Zodiac", is a powerful song, but takes a more lighter approach to the music then a darker one, as well as on the songs "Poetry for the Poisoned, Pt II: - So Long" and "Poetry for the Poisoned, Pt. III - All is Over". The last guest musician is Amanda Somerville, who many in the metal world don't quite know due to only really having put time in through appearances in Avantasia, as well as having worked with the lesser known/liked conceptual Orchestral Metal act Aina. She appears on "The Zodiac" along side Jon Oliva, but at the same time doesn't really stand out much in the actual recording due to the small performance given, and how well it blends in with the higher pitched male vocals at the start at the song. Given the many guest appearances on this release, there actually aren't that many straight forward Kamelot-only songs on Poetry for the Poisoned, which is one of the bigger let downs. While these guest performances sound great in many ways, this leaves very little time for the signature vocals that typically adorn this recording, a very simple approach that actually brings a soothing approach to the music among the more Progressive and Melodic musical performance. Another problem here is that some of the straight forward Kamelot tracks on here don't necessarily contain the same unique sound that the group has been known for recently. In fact, some of the songs here, such as "Hunter's Season" and "Necropolis", come off as just traditional Heavy Metal to begin with. And, though it winds up being a powerful duet, "House on a Hill" actually sounds like Kamelot applying their signature sound to a kind of Nightwish template. Luckily, there are still a few tracks here that shine, such as the aforementioned "If Tomorrow Came" if you can look past soem of the hollow aspects, as well as the highly enjoyable "Seal of Woven Years", which captures the signature Kamelot sound perfectly, though also features the same kind of vocal distortion used on "If Tomorrow Came", but luckily has strong enough music to back it up to prevent the song from sounding empty. But, of all the tracks on this release, the real stand out point is the four song mini-series "Poetry for the Poisoned". While it sometimes can be a little cloudy lyrically, it features a fantastic performance all around from the band, and a strong vocal performance from the band's main singer, as well as guest vocalist, really picking up pace around "Pt II: So Long", though the vocal effect utilized near the end of the song on the female vocals sounds cheap and tacked on. These effects really hurt the album as a whole, but perhaps here it does the most damage because of those factors, and simply because of how powerful the song already is in the first place, leading to the inclusion of this not only to feel tacked on, but also to question why someone even thought it would be a good idea. As a whole, Poetry for the Poisoned is going to be an album that achieves a high status due to how anticipated it was, but one listen to this album after the hype dies down, and it'll be clear that this is not really quality Kamelot. Outside of a few tracks, the vocal performance seems rather bland, perhaps having to do with the sickness that shortly befell Roy after the release of this album. The music here shows some more Progressive traits, but it wanders away greatly from the band's signature sound, and even recycles old riffs, such as the keyboard introduction to "Once Upon a Time", one of the albums last stronger songs, sounding remarkably like the guitars to "Forever" off the group's 1991 album Karma. This release also really seems to rely on guest vocals, which only hurts the vocal performance on this album more, as, though the guest performances and guitarwork by Gus G. work well, the only real performances that are memorable are Jon Oliva's on "The Zodiac" and Simone Simons on "Poetry for the Poisoned, Pt II" and "Poetry for the Poisoned, Pt III". In the end, it's just not that great an album, lacking much of the elements that make Kamelot both a moving band, as well as an original and inspirational act in the Power Metal scene. While not completely horrible and still worth checking out, the effort as a whole only has enough sparkle to last a short while before being retired to one's CD collection. |
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