Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Kamelot's Ghost Opera: Second Coming: It is Brilliant!


Like a little child,
That faces morning,
With a broken smile.
Sometimes I crumble…
When the shades unfurl,
Sometimes I feel that
I could rule the world…”
--Youngblood and Khan—“Rule The World” from the LP Ghost Opera, 2007.

Brilliant is the best word that comes to mind as I listen to the incredible second disc of Kamelot’s Ghost Opera: the Second Coming. The mix of new Ghost Opera (what—no Rule the World) with the Black Halo Live CD is incredible. This band deserves much more exposure.

They sound so powerful live and with such clarity and depth.

They have grown to be my favorite band—as perhaps the endless reviews of their material will attest.

My CD came today as I ordered it three weeks ago from Amazon.

The studio songs of include Seasons’ End (also available on The Myth and Legend of Kamelot), Pendulous Fall (found on the first edition of Ghost Opera and The Myth and Legend of Kamelot), Epilogue (also available on the Myth and Legend of Kamelot), and the Rule The World (remix) are the typical fair from Kamelot.

The Live portion includes: Solitaire; Ghost Opera; The Human Stain (is this not the greatest Kamelot song or what???); Mourning Star; When The Lights Are Down; Abandoned (awesome—especially live); The Haunting (With Simone Simon—Love her); Momento Mori; Epilogue (as good as this song is in the studio—it is brilliant live and bridges the gap between the Black Halo and Ghost Opera material); and March of Mephisto.

Kamelot continues to find ways to reinvent themselves.

After playing Disc #2, I was overwhelmed.

The first disco includes all of Ghost Opera (a staple in the car and on the IPOD) and adds a few videos: Momento Mori (Live) and The Human Stain. The Ghost Opera video is on the first edition of Ghost Opera and the Rule The World Video is on the Kamelot Website or YouTube—whichever is your pleasure.

Regular readers will note that I unashamedly endorse Kamelot; and usually I shy away from reissues of previously released material; but this band is the exception because they add unreleased material that contains the rich textures of the band’s complex style in the studio tracks. Added to that, the beautiful arrangement of the LIVE material is so fantastic.

Buy the reissue CD of the Ghost Opera: The Second Coming and enjoy the bonus CD as Kamelot’s gift to you.

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