The opening song "March Of Mephisto" sets the standard high right from the start, Roy's impressive vocals leading the song with majestic choruses backed up by a massive guitar wall and a tasteful use of keyboards. We are also offered a taste of the instrumental skills of the band members. In every song to come there are many intricate instrumental delicacies which add up to the unique Kamelot sound. There are no fillers on "The Black Halo" despite the no less than fourteen tracks. Many bands in their genre tend to write songs which seem a little bit cut in parts due to instrumental showoffs but Kamelot manage to hold everything together and "The Black Halo" is one of the most complete albums I have heard in a long time. It has exquisite guitar work, wonderful songwriting, world class vocals and a few sing-along choruses which do not even sound cheesy.

When I did an interview with Savatage's guitarist Chris Caffery as he was to release his debut solo album the previous autumn he mentioned Roy Khan as one of his favorite vocalists at the moment and I can't but agree. There is something about his voice that just grabs you and never lets go. His presence on the Kamelot albums has played a very big role in establishing a strong personality for the band and the whole of "The Black Halo" is surrounded by that very special mysterious and dreamy atmosphere.

"The Black Halo" is as usual garnered with plenty of prominent guest appearances which do not sound forced or out of place at any time. Here we find Jens Johansson (Stratovarius), Simone Simons (Epica), the traditional Kamelot choir and a quite surprising contribution by Shagrath of Dimmu Borgir. If you only buy a few cds every year be sure to include this one in your purchases in 2005. I have not been a huge Kamelot fan before but this album made me change my opinion of the band. Favorite picks: "March Of Mephisto", "When The Lights Are Down", "Moonlight".

written by Vincent Eldefors

Playing time: 57.21