Style: Symphonic power metal
Primary Emotions/Themes: Dark fantasy
Thoughts: This is it, the final Khan album. With very few exceptions this is the last truly great Kamelot album.
I was a bit let down by Ghost Opera (outside of the title track). I felt like it was too one dimensional, with a vast majority of the songs being middling in pace. By themselves they were ok, but as a whole the album started to drag.
Poetry for the Poisoned corrects this mistake almost immediately. The Great Pandemonium starts off the album and it's a good one. The song switches between a brooding gallop and a full out double bass barrage for the drums. The riffs have a middle eastern feel to them with the note/chord progressions chosen, and the vocals switch between Khan and Speed (from Soilwork) creating a clean/harsh vocal dynamic that Kamelot has done well in the past (like March of Mephisto).
The album's main strong point though is the pacing. The songs vary between slow, fast, and everything in between. Dear Editor acts as an intro for the sinister The Zodiac which focuses on a serial killer. Hunter's Season combines Kamelot's quicker pace with Khan's excellent softer vocals to create one of the more memorable chorus' on the album. House on the Hill fills the obligatory ballad spot for the album. Finally, the album is tail ended by an epic, multipart title track that nears 9 minutes in total. The album is absolutely filled to the brim with compelling songs.
This is not an elite album, but it is a solid one. It's a strong rebound from Kamelot's previous album and gave me a hope for the future. Alas, Khan left after this album released and with his departure the band took a massive hit in quality. The only album that has matched this in quality with Tommy on vocals is Haven. Even then it still feels like it's missing one of the key parts of Kamelot's sound. Khan was truly irreplaceable.
Written January 12 2024
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