The Awakening

『The Awakening』は、5年ぶりに届けられた、KAMELOTが得意とするシンフォニックな陰影、プログレッシヴな構築、ドラマティックな歌メロを、より明快な形でまとめ上げた第13作だ。鍵盤とギターが作る冷たい光沢の中を、トミー・カレヴィックの歌が物語を進めていく。壮大でありながら、曲は必要以上に散漫にならず、強いフックと緊密な構成を両立させている。5年の沈黙を経てなお、バンドの創造力は少しも衰えていない。 “The Great Divide”“Eventide”“One More Flag in the Ground”“Opus of the Night (Ghost Requiem)”といった楽曲では、緊張と解放、暗さと希望、硬質なリフと流麗なメロディが何度も入れ替わり、“Bloodmoon”“NightSky”“My Pantheon (Forevermore)”では、映像的なスケール感と叙情が緊密に結び付く。“Midsummer's Eve”“New Babylon”“The Looking Glass”“Willow”といった楽曲でも、緻密なアレンジと強いメロディが結び付いている。大きな世界観を描きながらも各曲に即効性があり、KAMELOTの持ち味を初めて聴く入口にも、長年のファンの再確認にも向く一枚だ。円熟したカレヴィック期の充実を示す、完成度の高い作品である。

The Awakening is the thirteenth album, delivered after a five-year gap, on which KAMELOT gathered the symphonic shadow, progressive construction and dramatic vocal melody it excels at into a clearer form. Through the cold sheen made by keyboards and guitars, Tommy Karevik’s singing carries the story forward. Grand as it is, the songs never grow more diffuse than necessary, balancing strong hooks with tight construction. Even after five years of silence, the band’s creativity has not dimmed in the least. On “The Great Divide,” “Eventide,” “One More Flag in the Ground” and “Opus of the Night (Ghost Requiem),” tension and release, darkness and hope, hard riffs and flowing melody trade places again and again, while “Bloodmoon,” “NightSky” and “My Pantheon (Forevermore)” tightly join cinematic scale with lyricism. On “Midsummer’s Eve,” “New Babylon,” “The Looking Glass” and “Willow” too, detailed arrangement joins strong melody. Painting a large worldview while keeping each song immediate, it suits both a first entry point into KAMELOT’s appeal and a re-affirmation for longtime fans. It is an accomplished record showing the fullness of a mature Karevik era.