Eternity

Eternity is a debut on which KAMELOT, already at this early stage, bound heavy guitars to neoclassical melody. Emerging from the early-1990s United States, they digested the European power-metal style in their own way and had a classical melodic sense from early on. Centered on guitarist Thomas Youngblood, it plays a plainer, more linear melodic power metal than the later grand symphonic path, yet the core of writing that reaches for drama is already clearly visible. Mark Vanderbilt’s vocals and the hard riffs give the songs a forceful drive. On “Eternity,” “Black Tower,” “Call of the Sea” and “Fire Within,” striking melody and dramatic development are woven into a stylistic neoclassical-metal frame. On “Proud Nomad,” “Red Sands” and “Warbird” too, forceful riffs join melancholy melody, while a classical touch like “Etude Jongleur” hints at the aesthetic that would carry into later years. Rough as it still is, with its firm writing and playing the record is worth hearing as a solid starting point for the vast world KAMELOT would later build.