Ghost Opera

Ghost Opera is the eighth album on which KAMELOT grandly combined heavy guitars, classical keyboards and Roy Khan’s shadowed voice. As a record following the completion of the grand two-part work, its strongly narrative songs stay dramatic while keeping each melody clear. With Oliver Palotai’s weighty keyboards added, the symphonic sound grows still richer. Retaining the grandeur honed up to the previous album, it foregrounds a tighter construction and immediate hooks. From the stately title track “Ghost Opera” to the catchy “Rule the World” and the delicate, beautiful “Love You to Death,” the album draws the listener with contrasts of light and shadow. On “The Human Stain,” “Blücher,” “Silence of the Darkness,” “Mourning Star” and “Up Through the Ashes” too, heavy riffs and lyrical melody join tightly. Balancing the grand scale of symphonic metal with intimate, emotional moments at a high level, and concentrating KAMELOT-style drama while staying compact, it is an accomplished record that vividly shows the fullness of later Roy Khan–era KAMELOT.