Concert Review - Kamelot, Delain, Eklipse - 8/3/2013 at Soundstage, Baltimore, MD

Kamelot is a show not to be missed in my book, not only because they're one of the best power metal bands still playing power metal nowadays, but because they're a special band to me and S. For whatever reason, we connect deeply over their music - probably for the same reasons they're one of the best power metal bands - they're melodic, epic, have powerful storytelling lyrics and fantastic delivery. They've always been great when we've seen them live. This time, we were worried about the sound, though. Soundstage has been plagued with sound problems the past two times we've been there - there were complaints both for Wintersun and parts of Paganfest. So, we had our metal horns crossed hoping Kamelot would prove the exception.

As we were walking up to the venue, we saw our friend D standing outside talking to a tall lady with bright blue hair. She shook hands with us and introduced herself as "Alyssa," and then she and D went into the venue. As we walked off toward a nearby beer garden to wait out the line, I turned to S and said, "Was that really her? Did we just shake hands with Alyssa White-Gluz?!" And he said, "Yeah, I think so. I guess we know who Kamelot's back-up singer is now!" :D

In contrast to previous shows, I was not very familiar with the openers this time. Kamelot's huge discography along with internet problems at work colluded to keep me from having a chance to listen to Eklipse or Delain in the weeks leading up to the show. Prior to the show, all I knew about Eklipse was that S called them "the female Apocalyptica," so I was imagining something with cellos, and metal song covers played with such intensity that it would look like the strings were in danger of being torn from the instruments. They weren't quite that - they were more of an electric string quartet, clad in gothic outfits - black lace, masks, a jaunty hat - playing sweeping or catchy music with panache, but not quite the violence of Apocalyptica. They started out with a few original compositions, and then played covers, which included "You Spin Me Round" and "Sweet Dreams." Although the covers were more welcomed by most of the audience - honestly, their whole set was exceedingly well received, with cheers even for their original songs - I preferred their original compositions. Perhaps I would have felt differently if they had covered metal songs rather than pop and rock songs. I also wondered what they would sound like without their backing track of drums and, I believe, some symphonics. The backing track certainly added to the intensity of their most sweeping moments, but surely the aching beauty of string instruments can achieve intensity all on its own?

All I knew of Delain, meanwhile, was their genre (female-fronted gothic-symphonic metal) and that I had a song or two of theirs in my novel's soundtrack. As far as all those female-fronted bands, they never really stood out to me - so I was pleasantly surprised by how good they were live. In particular, the guitar was much stronger than I'd expected - the first song started off with a raging riff, and there were more of those to follow, as well as spectacular solos. Charlotte Wessels's vocals, meanwhile, were just average, but what they lacked in virtuosity, they made up for in variety - ranging from a rocking alto, to a soaring soprano, and of course, the occasional piercing operatic vocals. I cut my teeth on Nightwish, so I have pretty high standards for operatic vocals in metal - Ms. Wessels's weren't exceptional, but they were good enough, and she only pulled them out for a few choruses. Overall, their performance was marked by variety - from sweeping symphonic metal numbers with forceful riffs and powerful vocals, to more rock or electropop-like songs that cut the intensity back a notch. Still, I enjoyed their set - things were energetic and catchy enough to get me headbanging and jumping along with the rest of the crowd.

Finally, the long-awaited Kamelot emerged. They began with a song from Silverthorn, which I'm not as familiar with, and then they launched into "Ghost Opera," one of my favorites. The crowd was really moving for the first couple songs - I believe there was a pit for both songs. A real pit, for Kamelot! That's the first time I've seen that. At first, something was wrong with the sound - the drums were way too loud, so that it sounded like just drums and vocals, the guitars barely audible. Luckily, that problem was fixed by the second song, and they sounded amazing for the rest of the night. As we were expecting, Alyssa White-Gluz of The Agonist emerged to provide female vocals, as well as harsh vocals in "Sacrimony" and "March of Mephisto," and Tommy Karevik's vocals were spot on.

Last time we saw Kamelot, Tommy was brand new to the band, and S and I were both happy with his performance. I think he fills Roy's shoes pretty well - he is able to emulate Roy's sound, and he even looks a bit similar. Of course it's good for a performer to have their own personal sound and style, but for a band of Kamelot's standing, some continuity is good - in order to be able to keep playing all their awesome older songs, for example. The audience seemed to like Tommy as well - chanting his name at one point, which he said gave him goosebumps, and then added that he was glad he'd taken English classes XD

Speaking of old songs, they didn't pull out any real deep cuts, but pretty much alternated songs from their latest release, Silverthorn, with their classics like "Ghost Opera," "Center of the Universe," and "Karma." Although S griped about the lack of deep cuts, I was content with their setlist since they played the three songs I really wanted to hear: "Center of the Universe" (which inspired the third and last pit of the set, and also the biggest and craziest one, started by none other than my dear S), "Eden Echo" and "Forever." I always forget what a fast and intense song "Forever" is, considering the romantic lyrics. I was least thrilled with the choice to include "Song for Jolee," which I find one of the weakest songs on Silverthorn, but it did showcase Tommy's vocal chops quite nicely.

So when we stumbled out of the venue, sweaty and tired, I was quite satisfied. Kamelot had put on yet another magnificent show, which had (for the most part) not been ruined by sound problems, and the openers had been more entertaining than I'd expected. A good night, and a highly recommended show for anyone who likes their metal on the melodic or symphonic side of the continuum.

Next show: Anathema and Alcest, 9/13. So excited...in a, you know, quiet and peaceful way.

Kamelot, A Sound of Thunder, Cassandra Syndrome, Fallen Martyr - 9/14/12 at Empire, Springfield, VA

For this show, I was equal parts excited to see Kamelot, one of the best power metal acts in existence, and to see local band A Sound of Thunder in the second slot, where I thought they would have plenty of time to play. I turned out to be disappointed on one of these counts, but not the other.

I headed out a bit late, picked up a friend on the way and then had to grab some food, so we got to the venue just before A Sound of Thunder came on. They had a great sound, loud, heavy and clear, and a bigger crowd than I've ever seen for them - about 3/4 of the floor. Like last time I saw them, they played songs from Out of the Darkness and new songs. They didn't play anything from Metal Renaissance (no "Blood Vomit"???). They seemed to be running short on time - Nina's explanatory spiels were cut short several times, and they were about to play my favorite song, "A Sound of Thunder" when they got cut off at the end of their set. I thought this was unfortunate, since their vocals are pretty difficult to decipher live, so any new listeners in the audience probably missed out on the meaning of the songs.

Kamelot also sounded excellent. Their new singer, Tommy Karevik, sounded a lot like Roy Khan for the songs I was familiar enough with to judge. He was very energetic and well received by the crowd. I think I enjoyed their set more this year than last year since I was more familiar with their songs. S. tried to start a pit for "Center of the Universe," and we jumped around a bit - I think we were some of the most enthusiastic fans there. Alissa White-Gluz of The Agonist provided female vocals, including harsh vocals in the new song "Sacrimony." The new song sounded good, with a catchy chorus, which makes me optimistic about their new album.

This show was a good warm-up to the next, even more epic show...Korpiklaani, Moonsorrow, Tyr and Metsatoll on 9/21!

The Agonist, Blackguard, Alestorm, Kamelot - 8/27/11 at Jaxx, Springfield, VA

We braved Hurricane Irene to go see this show and I'm glad we did. Actually the hurricane wasn't that bad - we were so far inland that all we got was a lot of rain, a little wind, a few downed branches and a lot of flying leaves.

We got there near the end of The Agonist's set, in time to hear "Thank You Pain" and one other song. The Agonist is a death metal band, which sounds like you take Arch Enemy style vocals over really fast, thrashy guitars. Their vocalist is pretty amazing, but they lack something in the guitars - more melodies or epic riffs. But they sounded better live - really heavy, and Alissa's clean singing voice (which I don't like as much as her growls) seemed deeper and more fitting with the music. I would probably have enjoyed the set although I don't know if I would have gone on the floor.

Blackguard, a self-described "epic metal" band from Montreal, was next. (This is the first time I've heard a band refer to themselves as "epic metal." I guess it's a new genre for those bands that just sound EPIC without really fitting into death, power, symphonic or folk metal?) I was pretty pumped from their headlining show three days before, although S. and I were a little worried that they would play the same exact set. (They almost did. They didn't play "Fear of All Flesh" this time, that was the only difference.) They did play "Sarissas" again and this time the pit was awesome. The crowd was a little lax though - for the first few songs, they didn't start to mosh until Paul (vocalist) gave the signal. S.said they sounded better at the headline show; I didn't notice any difference. I think I was too busy moshing, and thinking about folk pits, to critique their sound - perhaps not something I should admit on a music review blog! But I am honest to a fault :D

Then came Alestorm, which topped Amon Amarth as the best concert experience I've ever had. Alestorm is what I would call a "pirate metal" band from Scotland. They use a lot of jig-like melodies but are also VERY heavy. To my glee, the singer looked just like he does in the video for "Keelhauled" - frizzly black hair and a ragged white shirt, the image of a pirate. Their performance was excellent - they didn't suffer from the problem a lot of folk and melodic metal bands have, which is that the heaviness drowns out the melodies. Their melodies came out loud and clear, even in the heaviest segments. But the best part of the experience was the crowd. Wild crazy pits for nearly every song. Jigging and headbanging together in a line for "Nancy the Tavern Wench" and "Captain Morgan's Revenge." I even almost got S. into the pit for "Wenches and Mead" and saw (and participated in) a fair bit of jigging in the pit. My watch broke and I got thrown face first onto the floor (by someone that was trying to help me up from a fall just before that no less XD) but it was worth it. Until I go to Wacken or see someone like Megadeth up close, this holds the title of BEST SHOW EVER.

(Side note: Sometime during this concert, I figured out how to mosh with minimal pain from my epic long hair. Luckily, it tends to get stuck between people rather than on people - so when it gets stuck, what I have to do is stop, wait a moment for the people to move apart again and then I can continue. mwahaha.)


"Rum" video. It's not very clear but only one I can find from this show :( I was somewhere in the middle for this song but you can't really make anything out. It's funny how mosh pits look so slow on video, when they feel so crazy at the time XD

I was pretty wiped out after Alestorm, but somehow I stayed standing during Kamelot. They were great, even with Fabio Leone from Rhapsody of Fire as the singer (their singer Roy Khan left the band earlier this year). Anyone who is wondering whether seeing the show is worth it without Roy, I would say YES! Definitely go. You will not be disappointed. Fabio has an amazing voice. (Caveat, though: I haven't followed Kamelot that closely, so the difference wasn't as noticeable to me as perhaps a more diehard fan.) But S., who has listened to Kamelot a lot more, also approved of Fabio. They also had a few special guests including Simone Simons of Epica and the singer from Amaranth.

All right. This is about a week later and I'm finally recovered from the this concert (although a little sore from industrial club dancing two nights ago). Next concert coming up will also be killerrrrr because it is Arch Enemy, DevilDriver, Skeletonwitch and CHTHONIC this Thursday at Ram's Head Live, Baltimore. CHTHONICCCCCC!!!!!

There should also be a book review soon because I have finished reading Tuomas Karhumieli...But when will I have time to type it up???