By Andrew Bansal
[photos by Chad Alexander]
September 21st 2013, The Grove, Anaheim CA
Following a successful outing as support act to Nightwish last year, symphonic power metal band Kamelot are back on another North American run as part of the touring cycle in promotion of their latest album ‘Silverthorn’, this time as headliners and with Delain and Eklipse as the openers. Last night they visited the Grove of Anaheim for a gig that promised to showcase the full capacity of their production and live performance, thanks to the sufficiently big size of the stage and venue. This being a Saturday, fans started gathering in line quite early in the evening, and the Grove looked all set for this event.
Doors opened at 7 PM and the first band Eklipse, an all-female classical string quartet from Germany, took the stage at 8. The girls were dressed in white, and with two violins, a cello, a viola and a backing bass-and-drum track, they played an intriguing 25-minute set consisting of pop covers. I’m not the kind of guy that frowns upon anything that’s not strictly ‘metal’, but despite that, initially I was finding it hard to comprehend Eklipse’s music because it was not heavy at all and I honestly didn’t see how they fit this lineup, but the sheer visual and aural aesthetic of their performance quickly won me over, as it did for the rest of the crowd, and I realized that the theatricality and symphonic aspect of their music certainly strikes a chord with fans of bands like Kamelot and Delain. The band hasn’t been around for too long but the four girls looked and sounded like seasoned professionals and endeared this crowd with their set.
Shortly after, Dutch female-fronted symphonic metal band Delain hit the stage and played a 40-minute set which in all honesty seemed a lot longer than 40 minutes because it was devoid of any variety whatsoever and did absolutely nothing creative or special. Quite a few folks in the crowd were enjoying the band and cheering along as per the instructions of singer Charlotte Wessels, but as hard as I tried, I clearly failed to understand the appeal of this band. Granted, Charlotte’s voice sounded great, but her backing band didn’t really do the job. Their stage presence was good but the music was too repetitive with the same riff and basic rhythm forming the backdrop of Charlotte’s vocals, and after a few songs it got tiring. There was hardly ever a guitar solo in the entire set, and this is where certain European symphonic metal bands get it wrong.
Melechesh frontman Ashmedi summed it up perfectly when I asked him about this in a recent interview. He said something along the lines of “usage of unconventional instruments is fine as long as the guitar is used in a conventional way, with proper riffs and solos. You can’t just put chug-chug riffs all over the place and call it metal.” I agree with him a 100 per cent, and this applies to Delain. I have nothing against the band or their fans but I definitely won’t be rushing to see them the next time they play here, and as a reviewer my opinion of this band is summed up in three words: not enough guitar.
The lights went out as the clock struck 10, and amidst raucous cheers, Kamelot appeared on stage. I’d seen them twice before this, at the Key Club in 2008 with Roy Khan on lead vocals, and at the House of Blues Sunset Strip in 2011 with Fabio Lione doing lead vocal duty. I must say I enjoyed the first of those shows more than the second, but now with Kamelot solidifying new singer Tommy Karevik as the leading voice of the band, I was curious to find out how well he fits in and cautious with my level of expectation. In all honesty, I’m glad to say that Kamelot’s show was several notches better than what I was expecting, and they gave Orange County their absolute best. The four songs from the Ghost Opera album and the two from The Black Halo were unanimously appreciated by all fans. There was quite a heavy dose of Silverthorn material with as many as six songs, but I think most people enjoyed those songs as well. The real highlight of the show was undoubtedly ‘Forever’, the song off of Karma which brought the main set to an end. Not only the song itself but its extension with a crowd sing-along conducted by Tommy made it the pinnacle of this performance and after a song like that, the crowd was hungry for an encore, which the band obliged them with.
The main difference between Kamelot and a band like Delain is the quality of guitar play, and with killer riffs and compelling solos all delivered in crisp tone, Thomas Youngblood showed how to play guitar in a symphonic metal band. Based on the performance last night, it’s safe to say that lead singer Tommy Karevik is the worthiest successor to Roy Khan the band and its fans could have ever imagined. He delivered both on the vocals and with his on-stage personality. Complementing him excellently in the background and at times in the foreground was Alissa White-Gluz, also known as lead vocalist in her own band The Agonist. The drums, keyboards and bass parts in Kamelot’s set also sounded solid and the creativity of those three musicians shone through, although I did think their solos were a bit unnecessary and hindered the flow of the set.
But overall, this was a tremendous gig by Kamelot, and even though the Grove wasn’t sold out by any means, I’m sure the band would rather always play with their full stage production in a venue of this size. If you’re into power/symphonic metal at all, go see a Kamelot show.
Related – Interview: Kamelot Guitarist Discusses Touring, Songwriting & More (Audio)
Set List:
1. Rule The World
2. Torn
3. The Great Pandemonium
4. Veritas
5. Center of the Universe
6. The Human Stain
7. Song for Jolee
8. EdenEcho
9. Drum Solo
10.When The Lights Are Down
11.Sacrimony (Angel Of Afterlife)
12.My Confession (with Eklipse)
13.Keyboard Solo
14.Forever
Encore:
15.Bass Solo
16.Ghost Opera
17.Karma
18.March of Mephisto
Remaining Tour Dates:
9/22: Tempe, AZ @ Club Red / Red Owl
9/24: Dallas, TX @ Trees
9/25: San Antonio, TX @ Backstage Live
9/27: Louisville, KY @ Diamonds
9/28: Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
9/29: Orlando, FL @ House of Blues