Kamelot - "The Awakening"

I'd rather go back to dream

Uuuuuuggggghhhhh

Okay, it’s not that bad.

I’m just being dramatic.

It’s good.

But it’s also probably the worst Kamelot album in about 20 years. Which, honestly, doesn’t say a lot because they’re so reliably GREAT. But this one…I dunno, man. Some of the songs are phenomenal. Ignoring the instrumental Intro/Outro tracks, there are 11 songs spanning 48 minutes. The opener, “The Great Divide”, is a banger, launching the album with energy and intensity. “Opus of the Night (Ghost Requiem)” is dramatic and *feels* like the opus it claims to be. “Midsummer’s Eve” is a lower, slower, folky track that has some phenomenal lines and is just *pleasant*.

But then there’s that thing. “One More Flag in the Ground” is…it sounds good, but it also feels possibly over-produced, and then you realize what it is on the second listen: repetitive and vapid. It’s one of those fight anthems you get pumped to, but also doesn’t actually state anything worth fighting for because it’s written in a manner that lets you plug in your own morality. If nothing else, the title is apt, because there are a thousand variations of this type of song, and I’m sick of them all.

Then, the final two tracks just feel hollow, comparatively. The three of them together have left enough of a DISAPPOINT aftertaste in my mouth that Teal is the best I can do for now. Ultimately, there’s enough here that it’ll probably go Blue. I just need some time.

But, man…I’m still used to thinking of Kamelot as one of the *newer* bands…but they’re not young anymore. Ugh. I’m getting old and so are my bands.

Rating: Teal Green