The Awakening

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.