The Phantom of the... nah, we prefer the Ghost Opera

The latest album by Kamelot, a symphonic metal band from Florida, "Ghost Opera," may be taken as a fresh start for the band. It is the first album in quite some time to not follow a story, but still maintains its own feel. Overall, each song is dark, which is surprising for a genre that usually has somethin uplifting. Still, the choruses are relatively catchy, which keeps the record from being stale.



"Love You to Death" is definitely the stand out track, and is amongst their best songs. It revolves around two lovers, and the title is pretty self explanatory. Still, the song is rather sad. After all, the girl dies, and she knows she is going to as stated in this particular section of the song:

She got weaker every day
As the autumn leaves flew by
Until one day, she told him,
"This is when I die"

Adding to the atmosphere of the song is the video for it, which is all in black and white.

The album contains more interesting guitar parts than their prior release. This may be due to not having to follow the same story throughout an album, hence allowing for more musical freedom. Though, the album maintains a constant feel that has become the signiature sound of the band. Credit must be given to their singer, Roy Khan. Again, as with Mutiny Within, Khan is not from America. Rather, he hails from the land of Norway. As an aside, why are there no American singers who seem to be competent enough to sing well? Regardless, he has three years of classical vocal training, which he uses to add an impressive range to his voice and displays an emotional impact when needed. If nothing else, his voice may be reason enough for some people to listen to the band, and this album, and through that the rest of the band's talent will shine through.