Stephen As told by Khan that the band wanted an even further experimentation on "Poisoned", that's exactly what you'll get out of this album. They stripped down the power metal rhythm which made them popular in the early 2000s, boosted the progressive lever upward, varied the record with industrial element, gothic nuance, traditional melodic metal, and some occasional slow-tempo ballads.

"The Great Pandemonium" rolls with a groovy techno drumming, wrapped the atmosphere as if you're crawling in a dark dungeon, and as the chorus explodes, you'll be swarmed with an overflowing melodies. "If Tomorrow Came" brimmed with darkened riffages, in a slow gothic style, before Khan punches the chorus with a soaring voice and Grillo kicks in an ultra-fast tempo. Both are good tracks but "Hunter's Season" definitely is the pinnacle of the record. Started with a decent verse, the best thing erupted when Khan delivered a nostalgic hooks of classic Kamelot on the chorus. Not only the song has a superb arrangement, check out Youngblood's lethal solo, a very inspiring high-voltage shred performance, his finest moment.

"House On A Hill" is a good moody ballad and "Once Upon A Time" shows the band flirting with his old style, a very good track, but somehow the rest of the tracks are just bland and quite boring to be honest. "The Zodiac" with Jon Oliva supposed to be awesome but the arrangement is just dreadfully pale. The title track epic, which divided into four parts, is ridiculous, as the best part in my opinion, is "Part II : So Long" which is a ballad. "Seal of Woven Years" might be decent, but "Necropolis" and "My Train of Thoughts" are examples of how effective is the "Skip" button on my player's remote.

For those who highly appreciate "Ghost Opera", this can be an easy chew and enjoyable ride, but for those who's longing for anything in the veins of "Karma" or "Epica", you'll be left disappointed. While I'm on the latter part, from my objective point of view, there are several good songs to enjoy, some are okay, but the rest are disposable. The songwriting overall is just too flat and bland, I know they can do better than this, far better, but I just didn't see it here. I even need to find a good time and mood to spin this album in entirety, otherwise, "Hunter", "Pandemonium", and "Once" are probably the only three tracks I wanted on my iPod.

Conor Fynes 'Poetry For The Poisoned' - Kamelot (6/10)

While I'm of the belief that the speed and grandiose leanings of power metal has been to-date, a game for the Europeans to dominate, there are usually exceptions to any rule. Although they possess a very European sound about them, American act Kamelot are one of the few bands on the Western side of the Atlantic that I care about, and one of even fewer that rank as being kings in power metal. With each new album now, the expectations of their fans are always high, but the band generally manages to uphold their level of quality. 2010's 'Poetry Of The Poisoned' offers nothing new to Kamelot and shows very little development to their sound, but as usual, this band creates a very melodic, epic piece of work that should please the majority of their fanbase, and possibly catch the ear of a few more fans.

As with many of Kamelot's releases, there is the impression here that the songs are bound by a concept and storytelling narrative, although the lyrics and subject matter seem to dart around quite a bit more than usual for the band. Opening with the single-worthy 'The Great Pandemonium,' the listener is instantly brought on a dark, yet very melodic journey. The musical highlight here and throughout many of the songs is always the beautiful operatic tenor voice of singer Roy Khan, whose voice shows little sign of aging, and belts each note out with either grand force, or a vulnerable beauty. A soaring chorus, an exotic central riff and plenty of effective melodic hooks baked into the symphonic structure of the music works very well. Most of the other great songs on 'Poetry For The Poisoned' share the same strengths as the opener, including the intense second track 'If Tomorrow Comes' and the beautifully dynamic 'The Zodiac.'

Unfortunately, there are a handful of tracks here that don't share the same memorable quality, and therefore pale in comparison to the tracks that came before, despite the majority of the songs here sharing a similar formula. The fact that there is little variety beyond the operatic, melodic and chorus heavy anthems can lead to the album feeling a bit too one-tracked for it's own good, despite the fact that the band uses the formula very well. Towards the end of the album is the four-part title track, which despite efforts to give the appearance of being an epic suite, unfortunately isn't. Each track comprising the 'Poetry Of The Poisoned' suite generally sits around the two minute mark, leading one to wonder if it was really necessary to break the piece into sections. In any case however, the suite is welcome due to the fact that it allows the band to break out of their typical song structure, and try something a little bit different, although the suite is no far cry from the rest of the album.

'Poetry Of The Poisoned' is far from an excellent album overall, but the high marks here rest very high indeed, making the album a good addition to their consistent discography. There's no denying that the members of Kamelot are very skilled in their craft, and as one might come to expect by now, their skills and distinct brand of power metal continue to work pleasantly. Now, if only the band would break out of their comfort zone and do something a bit different, something absolutely astounding might be in store.

kluseba This is my first Kamelot record. I have bought the album because there was a special offer at my local record store and because I have heard many positive things about this band. I also liked the album cover and was looking forward to listen to the collaborations with the legendary Jon Oliva and Simone Simmons.

As I know listen to this album, I must admit that I expected more. There are many average songs that are produced way too soft and not edgy enough. Roy Khan's voice sometimes sounds too smooth and almost emotionless. The instrumental parts on the album are well done but I'm really missing the emotions in here. This melancholy atmosphere is dominating the whole album and becomes somehow the concept of it. Even after multiple listenings, many songs just don't stay on my mind and aren't catchy or outstanding at all like the very weak opener "The Great Pandemonium" or "Necropolis". The whole concept and atmosphere of the album grew on me every time I listened to it again, but a real killer is missing on this album.

The most interesting songs on the album are the catchy, dreamy and soft "Hunter's season", the beautiful duet "House On The Hill", the diversified and progressive title track "Poetry For The Poisoned" that has been cut into four pieces as well as the orchestral and epic "Once Upon A Time". But none of these songs is an innovating masterpiece or something fresh.

This is a good album to listen to in the background with its smooth atmosphere, but you can also get drowned into its very melancholic atmosphere which is a very positive points. The album only works as a whole piece, but the single songs are quite mediocre and sometimes even boring.

I would not recommend to get introduced to Kamelot with this album and rather choose an older one. I would also only recommend this record to the fans of the band and not to everyone who likes melodic power metal. If you are not sure, you should listen to this album before you consider buying it.