Kamelot Ranked
Kamelot is the last bastion of my ranking lists of the bands that got me into metal. This is probably ill-timed because I listened to their first three albums that I never heard before a while back, but I didn't feel like revisiting the Karevik albums at the time. But listening to their good stuff recently made me want to finish this list, so here we go. |
| 13 |  | Kamelot
Dominion
Vanderbilt was never that great of a vocalist, but he had his moments in Eternity. This album, however, is very plain and forgettable. They went for a slower style that Vanderbilt is not suited for. At all. |
| 12 |  | Kamelot
Poetry for the Poisoned
I remember being excited for this album when I was younger. What a let down this was. I wasn't surprised at all when the news came that Khan had left the band: he sounds completely uninspired and bland on this album. A lot of it is not remarkable, either. |
| 11 |  | Kamelot
The Shadow Theory
Kamelot on autopilot. This does nothing to distinguish itself from the other Karevik-era albums. |
| 10 |  | Kamelot
Eternity
Of course their debut would be a standard cheesy power metal album with a name like Kamelot. Vanderbilt at least fits the music here, even if it's nowhere near as good as their later efforts would be. |
| 9 |  | Kamelot
Siege Perilous
Musically, this certainly sounds like a follow-up to Dominion. Khan's debut is an okay one, but the songs were probably written with Vanderbilt in mind because they're not really impressive. |
| 8 |  | Kamelot
The Awakening
Edit from the original list's posting. The Shadow Theory used to sit in this spot, but this album being real ho-hum and forgettable pushed it down further, because it's at least better than it. Kamelot had the longest gap between releases, and this is the best that extra time can produce? Thomas Youngblood is probably the band's weakest link at the moment if he's the primary songwriter; he clearly sees the band as just an obligation for a paycheck and phones in the songs. Kamelot is never going to be good again if he stays in the band, plain and simple. |
| 7 |  | Kamelot
Ghost Opera
This album blows its load way too quick. After the first few great songs, it's not really memorable. |
| 6 |  | Kamelot
Haven
Here Kamelot dips back down to a safer, more serious tone. Every song is fairly solid, but nothing really stands out. |
| 5 |  | Kamelot
Silverthorn
Karevik's debut definitely eased the thoughts of anyone worried that nobody could fill Khan's shoes once he left. The power metal sound is back somewhat, with added symphonic flair. Unfortunately it didn't came anywhere near their golden age in sound. Edit: After listening to this after The Awakening, there is definitely an energy here that The Awakening lacked, so at least there was a brief spark of passion in the late stages of this band. |
| 4 |  | Kamelot
The Black Halo
I, too, once thought that this was Kamelot's crowning achievement. Don't get me wrong, it's definitely a solid album, but hearing it recently has made me realize its flaws. The album marks where Kamelot would become more darker and brooding in sound. It doesn't really let an excellent vocalist like Khan shine as much as he could. The album also takes a long time before it starts getting real good at the title track and beyond. As a concept album, it's a very poor Act 2 to Epica, because most of the songs are the main character moping about the death of his love. |
| 3 |  | Kamelot
Karma
This and The Fourth Legacy are neck and neck for the spot of 2 and 3 and could switch places any day depending on how I feel. The reason I'm inclined to put it lower is because the three tracks sandwiched by the title track and Elizabeth aren't as good as the rest of the album. |
| 2 |  | Kamelot
The Fourth Legacy
What a difference this is from Siege Perilous. The old, vibrant power metal sound they had with Eternity is back in full swing, with huge improvements in the songwriting and, obviously, the vocalist. The cheese may be strong during some segments, but the album is pretty great through and through. |
| 1 |  | Kamelot
Epica
Kamelot's peak and, unfortunately, the last full-frontal power metal album they released. The whole band just sounds on point. The concept behind the album is a nice tale taking inspiration from Goethe's Faust. This is definitely one of the pinnacles of power metal. |
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