If you're sitting at home instead of hitting the pub like me, I definitely recommend checking out the album "The Awakening" by Kamelot that dropped today! It's so good! This Florida based symphonic power metal band has had one hell of a career, and they're still going strong! The album starts with a really nice ominous instrumental piece before jumping right into some absolutely epic power metal that makes me want to go slay a dragon or something. It's got so much heroic type sounds and energy and emotion. The complexity of their sound is just gorgeous. Between the killer riffs, shredding solos, delicately played strings, crashing drums, and velvety vocals, there's nothing else I could possibly ask for. There's this, like, crying whining type sound in some of the vocals that is just heart melting and sounds like it came right out of an emo girl's wet dream. "One More Flag In The Ground" is a particularly good song. It's got a slightly slower tempo, some different key sounds, some operatic backing vocals, an almost militaristic beat, and has the most delicious solos. That's right. Solos plural!!!! Another track that really stood out is "Midsummer's Eve". It's probably the best ballad duet I've heard in years! It's so well done and delicate yet badass, and I just love it. This whole album is just incredible. I enjoyed it so much, and I definitely recommend giving it a listen! ~Gangis
Image credit: Album cover for "The Awakening" 2023 album by Kamelot on Napalm Records.