KAMELOT
LEEDS RIOS – 28/03/09
Kamelot are a band who have managed to build up a loyal fan base on their own merit with very little exposure from the UK metal press. Most magazines won’t even admit that this band exists; they would rather arse-lick the likes of Machine Head and Trivium. This is a gig which very nearly didn’t happen for us as we were on the guest list for Serenity but they had to pull out due to the singer being ill. After talking to the keyboard player from Kamelot and explaining them it was all sorted and we got in.
After watching the Cold Winters Night DVD I had high expectations of Kamelot live but then a trip to Prog- power left me feeling robbed. Leeds Rios doesn’t have the best sound or layout, and to be honest I wasn’t expecting too much. However I was proved wrong.
The set started with ‘Rule The World,’ the best song from the latest offering Ghost Opera which for me doesn’t match up to its predecessor Black Halo, but live it worked well as an opening to a set played to a very full venue. The sound was tight and Khan presented himself as a very strong front man tonight playing the crowd to his whims as he continued with ‘When the Lights are Down’ and ‘Soul Society,’ both early crowd pleasers, and the balladic ‘Anthem’ which Khan tells us was written just before his child was born. That was followed by ‘Moonlight’ also from Black Halo which to be honest was a surprise to hear. Most of the focus was on Khan as he displayed a calm presence on stage. You could tell he was enjoying himself tonight, flashing a genuine smile as he bantered with the crowd throughout.
After a drum solo, which did nothing for me but gave the band a rest, the set continued with ‘The Haunting’ which had us all singing along. Both Khan and the young female vocalist enjoyed doing the duet together and complimented each other well. With a strong frontman like Khan, the rest of the band were left somewhat in the shadows. While it was impossible to see the other musicians from where I was stood, I could tell they were incredibly tight.
‘Close My Eyes Forever’ gets the crowd “WOOOOE”-ing along, though somehow we fucked up, which Khan laughed at. We were treated to a final encore of ‘Ghost Opera,’ ‘Love You To Death’ and ‘Karma.’ After much chanting from the crowd they returned with ‘March Of Mephisto,’ the song everyone had been waiting for. Shagrath’s voice coming out of the PA with Khan’s voice on top gave everyone the finale they wanted and the place erupted with the final song of the night.
As a whole this was a very strong set, with only one song missing. And that was ‘Abandoned’ which I was more than expecting. During the ballads there was a bit of feed back from the amps and Khan’s voice was starting to fail a little but still this was a very much enjoyable show and hopefully they will keep their promise of returning next year. Next time I will try and make it to the front. One of the best gigs I have been to in a long time and I think it will be a while before I go to another which will match it.
David Heward
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