Haven

It has been a long 3 years since the excellent Tommy Karevik debut (Silverthorn) with Kamelot and so Haven comes with much anticipation for long-time fans. First impressions are important, and on that front this release sounds really good. In fact, these songs sound great. Where Silverthorn was deeply conceptual - both in presentation and in musical continuity - Haven is loosely conceptual (no storytelling here) yet musically no less intense. Actually, these songs are really heavy for Kamelot and this may be their most musically aggressive release since The Fourth Legacy. I love this band because they perfectly meld traditional power, symphonic and progressive metal in a way really not matched by anyone out there. And while the departure of Roy Khan was a big event, Tommy Karevik is the perfect replacement - he proved that on Silverthorn and once again demonstrates his vocal brilliance on this release. To me, the vocal mix is perfect, but the music takes on a much bigger role here which is positive.So there is no big story this time, but the songs do have a lyrical focus - with the brutality of the world around us and our own personal demons where do we go for a haven? There is no fantasy here - these are lyrics we can all relate to. In this regard "My Therapy" is a highlight for sure - "Come and take me off my daily dose of pain/take me off and shelter me." Yeah that.One of the great things about Kamelot is that they sound like Kamelot. This is a compliment of course and probably partly due to long-time producer Sascha Paeth who has been helping to steer the course of this band for over a decade. Sacha Paeth is to Kamelot what Paul O'Neill was to Savatage. So everything from the songwriting to the concept to the presentation to the media is brilliant. And let's not forget these very talented musicians. Youngblood has never been a shredder, yet he perfectly plays his part in this theater, along with drummer Casey Grillo who puts forth one of his best performances to date. In the tradition of cooperation, label mate Charlotte Wessels (Delain) lends her very capable voice in duet with Karevik on the melancholy "Under Grey Skies." Alissa White-Gluz contributes her harsh and melodic vocals on two of the strongest tracks here - "Liar Liar" and "Revolution." Her shrill vocals on these two tracks lends to the heavy nature of both the music and the lyrics. And the choral elements are still present as well so there are plenty of connections with prior works - it all comes together very well.Whereas the first part of the album is pretty much in the traditional Kamelot vein, the final four full length songs really make this album special because they are emotionally and musically intense - dark yet hopeful, the Kamelot paradox. "Here's To The Fall" is a hauntingly beautiful ballad that perfectly encapsulates the themes of the record and is followed by the climactic "Revolution" - one of the heaviest Kamelot tunes to date. Grillo's uncharacteristic four on the floor approach to the beat is a refreshing change-up from the 16th and 32nd note driven speed he so often delivers. The instrumental title track closes things out in cinematic fashion. Overall, while not quite as enthralling as the complex and emotional Silverthorn, Haven is an excellent follow-up and one of the heaviest Kamelot releases ever.This is the jewel case version but Napalm has released this in Mediabook edition with bonus instrumental CD, limited edition versions in earbook, canvas and wooden box versions (all with the 2 CDs) and finally an LP version. Sadly the limited edition versions were only released in 500 quantity counts and were directly sold from Napalm.

I must be honest. I never heard any of Kamelots early work. The latest album I have heard is Silverthorn, so I started listening after Roy Khan had left the band. I have looked up some of their previous work on YouTube though, and it was phenomenal.Silverthorn was a Grand Slam. I loved every single song on that album. I constantly listen to it and enjoy singing along with each song. I know each song by heart.Enter Haven.Because of how big of a fan I am, I expected to love this. And I do love it. But to be honest, I don't love every song. I couldn't play this entire album on repeat like I do Silverthorn. I could play a few songs individually on repeat, but not the entire album. Here's why.Fallen Star is the first track on this album. I just couldn't get into it. I played it again and again, hoping it would grow on me, but it didn't. I can honestly say this is one of my least favorites.Insomnia is life. I saw the music video and immediately fell in love with it. It is one of the best songs on this album.Citizen Zero is my favorite Kamelot song so far. Tommy's voice rocks in this song, And The beats and rhythms make this one worth having on repeat.Veil of Elysium was another favorite. However, this one can get a bit old after how many times Ive listened. It's still a top favorite.Under Grey Skies is...interesting. instead of ElizeRyd this time around, instead we have Charlotte Wessels from Delain. Don't get me wrong, she does phenomenally well. However, this song has to be one of my least favorites.My Therapy is really nice and another favorite. With Citizen Zero and Insomnia, this is another on repeat.Ecclesia is just a 44 second instrumental that I didn't even listen to. I personally hate instrumentals.End of Innocence is another I didn't care for af first, but it grew on me.Beautiful Apocalypse is just...wow. I really really like this one. It's not in the top three, but I like it a lot.Liar Liar is another interesting one. Alissa White Gluz does her vocals in this one, which adds punch of course. I like it, it's not bad, I just need to listen to it more.Here's To The Fall is a beautiful ballad. I personally love it. If I had to choose a favorite between Silverthorn and Haven, it would be this one.Revolution is good. Alissa White Gluz once again delivers her vocals for this song. It's really good. I like it.Haven is just an instrumental that once again I have not listened to. Like I said, I hate instrumentals.All in all, the album was good. I gave it five stars because it deserves five stars. But if you compare the two, Silverthorn and Haven, I have to say that for me personally, Silverthorn stood out just a bit more.Well, so there's my review, for what it's worth.

So far I've listened to the album twice, so it may grow to a 5 eventually. For now, however, I'm giving it 4 because while it's great Kamelot as one would expect I do have one small problem with it- the mix is similar to that of Silverthorn (ie. a little weak on the vocals). Note, this is NOT to say that Tommy Karevic's performances are anything less than stellar, but if you compare this album to The Black Halo and pay attention to how prominent the vocals are I think you'll see what I mean. It's not a huge deal, but it's notable when compared to earlier albums. Karevic has such an amazing instrument that it seems a shame to not put it front and center and a bit larger in the stereo image than they have it. That's just my opinion, of course, ymmv. Overall, it's a bit heavier than Silverthorn and I really like it. I'll be playing it for quite some time, I imagine.Update: Ok, I've listened to it at least 20 times now using cheap headphones, really good headphones, in my car, and on my bluetooth speaker both using my phone and my computer. Not exactly a scientific study, but it's been revealing anyway. My initial evaluation stands in most cases. If you have a really good pair of headphones and you don't stream it from your phone (depending on the phone, of course), the vocals sound better but still not quite where they need to be. Something about the mix doesn't lend itself well to cheap speakers and car stereo systems. The vocals end up mashed in with everything and don't stand out. I use "The Black Halo" as the gold standard for how Kamelot vocals should sound in the mix and this isn't quite there. All that said, I think this is a really good album and most Kamelot fans will like or love it.

Great album.

Excellent album

Todo llego en tiempo y forma, sobre todo el precio muy bueno

☆が6個あれば、そう評価してた。kamelotのアルバムでもベスト3の中に入るくらい好き。アリッサとの曲のrevolutionはかなり良い。他にも良い曲多し。

I Kamelot sono un gruppo power metal Statunitense fondato nel 1991 a Tampa Florida da Thomas Youngblood e dall'ex membro Richard Warner. In quest' album corale troviamo sempre due voci femminili rispettivamente Alissa White Glutz (Arch Enemy) in un misto di voce pulita e growling e Charlotte Wessels (Delain), Troy Donockley il polistrumentista dei Nightwish, Sascha Paeth, Miro e Dennis Hornung al contrabbasso. Troviamo sempre Tommy Karevik alla voce il già citato Thomas Youngblood alla chitarra, Oliver Palotai alle tastiere, Casey Grillo alla batteria e Sean Tibbets al basso. Le canzoni sono 13 di cui due strumentali la breve Ecclesia e la title-track Haven, si parte con Fällen Star, Insonnia, Citizen Zero, Veil of Elysium, Under Grey Skies, My Therapy, End of Innocence, Beautiful Apocalypse, Liar Liar ( Wasteland Monarchy), Here' s To Fall e Revolution misto di voce pulita di Tommy Karevik e i growls di Alissa White Glutz.

Silverthorn was only okay to me so I was glad to see Kamelot pulled out all the stops with this album. Tommy is an amazing singer and he really gets to shine here.