Written by Alex Mrkonjic TRACK LISTING The Mission Phantom Divine (Shadow Empire) (feat. Lauren Hart) Ravenlight Amnesiac Burns To Embrace In Twilight Hours (feat. Jennifer Haben) Kevlar Skin Static Mindfall Remedy (feat. Lauren Hart) Stories Unheard Vespertine (My Crimson Bride) The Proud and The Broken Ministrium (Shadow Key) Release Date: April 6, 2018 Label: Napalm Records Website: www.kamelot.com www.facebook.com/kamelotofficial https://twitter.com/kamelotofficial www.instagram.com/kamelotofficial www.youtube.com/kamelotofficial | KAMELOT IS: Tommy Karevik - Vocals Thomas Youngblood - Guitars Sean Tibbetts - Bass Oliver Palotai - Keyboards Casey Grillo - Drums & percussion |
That quote is from Swiss psychiatrist and founder of Analytical Psychology, Carl Gustav Jung. Analytical Psychology is the focus on one’s individual psyche and the quest for wholeness. This is a concept and much of the focus of Kamelot’s 12th studio album The Shadow Theory. They take a dystopian look into the complexity of the human mind and at the same time, look into three pillars of the human mind: The Shadow Empire (The global mind), The Shadow Key (The resistance), and The Shadow Wall (The veil that blinds us from the truth). This also mark’s the final album with founding drummer Casey Grillo who left the band to pursue other opportunities. He was ultimately replaced with Firewind drummer Johan Nunez, who im sure will be a great fit with the band. This album goes in many different directions adding modern elements while bringing back some feelings and emotions from their early days. Not many albums make me think and look into the source material, but this did. I found myself researching and learning about analytical psychology which made me realize what Kamelot has accomplished here.
I was doing some serious headbanging right off the bat with the opening track “Phantom Divine (Shadow Empire)”. The song focuses on the shadow that we all have in our dreams which holds the darkest part of our conscious or the qualities about ourselves we dislike the most. As deep as the meaning of the song, the pulse-pounding drumming, shredding solos and the guest vocals of Once Human vocalist Lauren Hart make this song an awesome way to start off the album and gives you a taste of what is too come. Then of course next, you get the awesome lead single “Ravenlight” which is just a classic sounding Kamelot and easily one of my favourite songs from the last 3 albums aside from “Insomnia” from 2015’s Haven and “Sacrimony (Angel Of Afterlife)” from 2012’s Silverthorn.
Some of my other favourite tracks on this album include “The Proud and The Broken” which is about the shadow wall, pertaining to modern society where it blinds us from the truth weather that be the truth about ourselves or what is around us (at least that is my interpretation), “Mindfall Remedy” which is the second song to feature Lauren Hart, and“Kevlar Skin”, which is my favourite song on the album by far. The latter just kicks your ass from start to finish and I had the song on repeat several times. There are a couple songs I can live without however. “Stories Unheard” and “In Twilight Hours” are both okay, but I found the former taking momentum away from the album. The latter of the two, I am not completely sure if I like or hate it. I guess only time will tell.
Anybody looking for a good heavy hitting power metal album must pick this up. It also makes you think about yourself, which I found myself doing throughout the album. Find them on their headline tour with Delain and Battle Beast at a city near you.
Final Rating: 8.5/10