| 4.0 excellent |
| A Canorous Quintet Silence of the World Beyond |
| AC/DC Back In Black |
| Acathexis Acathexis |
| Accept Metal Heart |
| Accept Blood Of The Nations |
| Acid Bath When the Kite String Pops |
| Acid Bath Paegan Terrorism Tactics |
| Adramelch Irae Melanox |
| Agalloch The Mantle |
| Agalloch Pale Folklore |
| Ahab The Boats of the Glen Carrig |
| Ahnengrab Omen |
| Alice in Chains Jar Of Flies |
| Amon Amarth Versus the World |
| Amon Amarth With Oden on Our Side |
| Amorphis The Karelian Isthmus |
| Amorphis Elegy |
| Amorphis Under the Red Cloud |
| Angra Angels Cry |
| Angra Rebirth |
| Annihilator Alice In Hell |
| Anthrax Spreading The Disease |
| Anthrax Among The Living |
| Arcturus Aspera Hiems Symfonia |
| Arcturus La Masquerade Infernale |
| Arghoslent Hornets of the Pogrom |
| Arkona (RUS) Goi, Rode, Goi! |
| Artillery Terror Squad |
| Aspid кровоизлияние (Extravasation) |
| At The Gates Terminal Spirit Disease |
| Atheist Unquestionable Presence |
| Avantasia The Metal Opera |
| Avantasia The Mystery Of Time |
| Avantasia Ghostlights |
| Bal-Sagoth The Power Cosmic |
| Bathory Blood Fire Death |
| Be'lakor Vessels |
| Behemoth The Satanist |
| Beketh Nexehmu De Fördolda Klangorna |
| Black Magick SS Spectral Ecstasy |
| Black Sabbath Paranoid |
| Black Sabbath Master of Reality |
| Black Sabbath Black Sabbath |
| Black Sabbath Vol. 4 |
| Black Sabbath Sabotage |
| Blind Guardian Somewhere Far Beyond |
| Blind Guardian Imaginations From The Other Side |
| Blind Guardian Battalions Of Fear |
| Blood Incantation Starspawn |
| Blood Incantation Hidden History Of The Human Race |
| Bloodbath Nightmares Made Flesh |
| Blut Aus Nord Memoria Vetusta I - Fathers Of The Icy Ages |
| Bolt Thrower ...For Victory |
| Borknagar Borknagar |
| Bruce Dickinson Accident Of Birth |
| Brutality Screams of Anguish |
| Bullet For My Valentine The Poison |
| Burzum Hvis Lyset Tar Oss |
| Burzum Filosofem |
| Burzum Burzum |
| Candlemass Tales Of Creation |
| Carcass Necroticism: Descanting the Insalubrious |
| Carcass Heartwork |
| Catacomb (FR) In the Maze of Kadath |
| Cathedral Forest Of Equilibrium |
| Celtic Frost To Mega Therion |
| Children of Bodom Hate Crew Deathroll |
| Chthe'ilist Le Dernier Crépuscule |
| Cirith Ungol Frost and Fire |
| Cirith Ungol King of the Dead |
| Coheed and Cambria No World for Tomorrow |
| Coheed and Cambria The Afterman: Descension |
| Coheed and Cambria Vaxis I: The Unheavenly Creatures |
| Coheed and Cambria Vaxis III: The Father of Make Believe |
| Conception In Your Multitude |
| Cradle of Filth Dusk... and Her Embrace |
| Cradle of Filth Vempire, Dark Faerytales in Phallustein |
| Cradle of Filth Cruelty and the Beast |
| Cradle of Filth Cruelty and the Beast - Re-Mistressed |
| Cryptopsy Blasphemy Made Flesh |
| Cult Of Fire Kali Fire Puja |
| Cultes Des Ghoules Henbane |
| Dan Swano Moontower |
| Dark Angel Darkness Descends |
| Dark Lunacy Forget Me Not |
| Dark Moor The Gates of Oblivion |
| Dark Tranquillity Character |
| Dark Tranquillity Projector |
| Dark Tranquillity Fiction |
| Darkthrone Transilvanian Hunger |
| Dawn Slaughtersun (Crown of the Triarchy) |
| Daylight Dies Dismantling Devotion |
| Death Scream Bloody Gore |
| Death Spiritual Healing |
| Death Leprosy |
| Death Individual Thought Patterns |
| Death Angel The Ultra-Violence |
| Death Angel The Evil Divide |
| Decapitated Winds of Creation |
| Decapitated Nihility |
| Deep Purple Machine Head |
| Deep Purple Burn |
| Demilich Nespithe |
| Diamond Head Lightning To The Nations |
| Dimmu Borgir Enthrone Darkness Triumphant |
| Dio The Last In Line |
| Disillusion Back to Times of Splendor |
| Dissection Storm of the Light's Bane |
| Dissection The Somberlain |
| Dissection Into Infinite Obscurity |
| Dodheimsgard 666 International |
| Dominus View to the Dim |
| Draconian Sovran |
| Dream Theater Train of Thought |
| Dub Buk Rus Ponad Use! |
| Edge of Sanity The Spectral Sorrows |
| Edguy Theater Of Salvation |
| Egypt Central Egypt Central |
| Elderwind The Magic of Nature |
| Eluveitie Slania |
| Emperor Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk |
| Enslaved Frost |
| Entombed Left Hand Path |
| Epica The Divine Conspiracy |
| Epica Design Your Universe |
| Estatic Fear A Sombre Dance |
| Europe The Final Countdown |
| Exodus Bonded by Blood |
| Falkenbach Ok Nefna Tysvar Ty |
| Falkenbach ...Magni Blandinn Ok Megintiri... |
| Fanisk Noontide |
| Fear Factory Demanufacture |
| Finntroll Midnattens Widunder |
| Flotsam and Jetsam Doomsday for the Deceiver |
| Flotsam and Jetsam No Place for Disgrace |
| Gehenna First Spell |
| God Dethroned Bloody Blasphemy |
| Gojira From Mars to Sirius |
| Gojira The Way of All Flesh |
| Gorgoroth Pentagram |
| Gorguts Obscura |
| Gorguts Colored Sands |
| Graveland Following the Voice of Blood |
| Graveworm As The Angels Reach The Beauty |
| Heathen Victims of Deception |
| Heavenly (FRA) Dust To Dust |
| Helloween Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part II |
| Helloween Helloween EP |
| Helstar A Distant Thunder |
| Hypocrisy Abducted |
| Hypocrisy A Taste of Extreme Divinity |
| Iced Earth Burnt Offerings |
| Immolation Close to a World Below |
| Immortal Pure Holocaust |
| Immortal Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism |
| In Flames Clayman |
| In Flames Lunar Strain |
| In Flames Subterranean |
| In Flames Black-Ash Inheritance |
| Incantation Onward to Golgotha |
| Inquisition Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical... |
| Insomnium In the Halls of Awaiting |
| Intestine Baalism An Anatomy of the Beast |
| Iron Maiden Somewhere In Time |
| Iron Maiden The Number Of The Beast |
| Iron Maiden Iron Maiden |
| Iron Maiden Killers |
| Judas Priest Stained Class |
| Judas Priest Defenders Of The Faith |
| Judas Priest Sad Wings Of Destiny |
| Judas Priest Sin After Sin |
| Judas Priest Firepower |
| Kalmah Swamplord |
| Kalmah They Will Return |
| Kalmah Swampsong |
| Kamelot Dark Asylum |
This is peak modern-era Kamelot. There is an argument to be made that this is their best album since "The Black Halo".
Karevik-era Kamelot is what it is; formulaic song structures that rely heavily on strong choruses. The power metal
element has essentially been removed at this point, and what remains is a symphonic sound with poorly executed
progressive elements. My biggest complaint with previous albums has been the meandering leading up to the choruses.
"The Shadow Theory" was the worst offender, and it seemed to have been remedied somewhat in "The Awakening". This
album has now almost entirely eliminated that, with a few exceptions. There are no weak songs, each one is memorable.
The best songs are instant modern Kamelot classics. Karevik's vocals are good as always, and the guest vocalists fit in
excellently. The guitarwork by Youngblood remains average. The drumming seemed to be a step up compared to
previous releases.
For better or for worse, I don't think future releases by Kamelot can get much better than this. Song structure is still very
formulaic, and the lyrics are still edgy/cringe in certain tracks, but the songs are undeniably catchy and from a
songwriting perspective they are technically more sound than anything from “Ghost Opera” onwards. After multiple
listens, there are no skips on this album and it's an entertaining and encouraging listen for Kamelot fans. |
| Katatonia The Great Cold Distance |
| Katatonia Dance of December Souls |
| Katatonia My Twin |
| Katatonia Sounds Of Decay |
| Katatonia July |
| Katatonia The Fall of Hearts |
| Katatonia A Sunset Choir for the Daylight Harvest |
| King Diamond Conspiracy |
| King Diamond ''Them'' |
| King Diamond "The Eye" |
| KISS KISS |
| Kreator Coma of Souls |
| Kreator Pleasure to Kill |
| Labyrinth Return to Heaven Denied |
| Labyrinth Return to Heaven Denied Pt. II: A Midnight Autumn |
| Lamp of Murmuur Melancholy Howls in Ceremonial Penitence |
| Lamp of Murmuur The Burning Spears Of Crimson Agony |
| Luca Turilli King of the Nordic Twilight |
| Luca Turilli The Ancient Forest of Elves |
| Malokarpatan Nordkarpatenland |
| Manilla Road Crystal Logic |
| Manowar Battle Hymns |
| Marduk Frontschwein |
| Mare Cognitum Luminiferous Aether |
| Mastodon Leviathan |
| Mastodon Crack the Skye |
| Mayhem De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas |
| Megadeth So Far, So Good... So What! |
| Megadeth Endgame |
| Mercenary 11 Dreams |
| Mercyful Fate Melissa |
| Metallica Kill 'Em All |
| Metallica ...And Justice For All |
| Metallica Metallica |
| Miroslav Skoro Milo Moje |
| Mirrorthrone Carriers of Dust |
| Mithotyn In the Sign of the Ravens |
| Moonsorrow Voimasta ja Kunniasta |
| Moonsorrow V: Hävitetty |
| Moonsorrow Jumalten Aika |
| Moonspell Wolfheart |
| Morbid Angel Altars Of Madness |
| Morbid Angel Blessed Are The Sick |
| Morbid Angel Covenant |
| Motorhead Ace Of Spades |
| My Dying Bride Turn Loose the Swans |
| Nazareth Hair Of The Dog |
| Necromantia Scarlet Evil Witching Black |
| Nightingale Alive Again |
| Nightwish Once |
| Nightwish Angels Fall First |
| Norther Mirror of Madness |
| Novembre Materia |
| Novembre The Blue |
| Novembre Ursa |
| Obituary The End Complete |
| October Tide Rain Without End |
| Onslaught The Force |
| Opeth Still Life |
| Opeth Blackwater Park |
| Opeth Damnation |
| Opeth My Arms, Your Hearse |
| Opeth Ghost Reveries |
| Pagan Altar Lords Of Hypocrisy |
| Pagan Altar Mythical & Magical |
| Pagan Reign Ancient Fortress |
| Pantera Cowboys from Hell |
| Pantera Vulgar Display of Power |
| Paradise Lost Draconian Times |
| Paradise Lost Icon |
| Paradise Lost The Plague Within |
| Peste Noire La Sanie des Siècles |
| Protest the Hero Fortress |
| Rainbow Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow |
| Rainbow Rising |
| Razor Evil Invaders |
| Red Hot Chili Peppers Californication |
| REO Speedwagon Hi Infidelity |
| Rhapsody of Fire Power Of The Dragonflame |
| Riot Thundersteel |
| Rush Moving Pictures |
| Rush Grace Under Pressure |
| Sacramentum Far Away from the Sun |
| Samael Ceremony Of Opposites |
| Sargeist Satanic Black Devotion |
| Satyricon Nemesis Divina |
| Satyricon Dark Medieval Times |
| Saxon Wheels Of Steel |
| Scar Symmetry Symmetric in Design |
| Scorpions Blackout |
| Scorpions Love At First Sting |
| Scorpions In Trance |
| Septicflesh Communion |
| Septicflesh The Great Mass |
| Sepultura Arise |
| Sepultura Beneath The Remains |
| Sepultura Chaos A.D. |
| Seventh Wonder Mercy Falls |
| Shaman Ritual |
| Sigh Imaginary Sonicscape |
| Skid Row Skid Row |
| Skillet Comatose |
| Skyforger Latviešu strēlnieki |
| Slayer Seasons In The Abyss |
| Slayer Haunting The Chapel |
| Slayer South Of Heaven |
| Soilwork A Predator's Portrait |
| Sonata Arctica Reckoning Night |
| Sonata Arctica Silence |
| Sonata Arctica Winterheart's Guild |
| Star One Space Metal |
| Stribog U Okovima Vječnosti |
| Suffocation Pierced From Within |
| Suffocation Effigy Of The Forgotten |
| Summoning Minas Morgul |
| Svarga (RUS) Where the Woods Slumber... |
| Symphony X The Divine Wings of Tragedy |
| Symphony X The Odyssey |
| Symphony X Paradise Lost |
| System of a Down System of a Down |
| System of a Down Steal This Album! |
| System of a Down Toxicity |
| Taake Nattestid Ser Porten Vid |
| Tankard Zombie Attack |
| Tchornobog Tchornobog |
| Thank You Scientist Maps of Non-Existent Places |
| The Crown Crowned in Terror |
| The Kovenant Nexus Polaris |
| Theatre Of Tragedy Aégis |
| Theocracy As the World Bleeds |
| Thin Lizzy Jailbreak |
| Thompson Ora et Labora |
| Thompson E, Moj Narode |
| Thompson Vjetar s Dinare |
| Thorns Thorns |
| Thromos Dematerialisation |
| Thurisaz Scent of a Dream |
| Thy Catafalque Meta |
| Thy Serpent Forests of Witchery |
| Tiamat Wildhoney |
| Timeghoul Panaramic Twilight |
| Trouble Psalm 9 |
| Twilight Force Tales of Ancient Prophecies |
| Twisted Sister Stay Hungry |
| Unleashed Where No Life Dwells |
| Uriah Heep Demons And Wizards |
| Vektor Terminal Redux |
| Weapon From The Devil's Tomb |
| Windir Likferd |
| Wintersun Time I |
| Witchfinder General Death Penalty |
| Wolves Den Deus Vult |
| ZZ Top Tres Hombres |
| 3.0 good |
| Aerosmith Get A Grip |
| Aerosmith Permanent Vacation |
| Ahnengrab Schattenseiten |
| Aisling Stone of Light |
| Alice Cooper Raise Your Fist and Yell |
| Alice in Chains Alice In Chains |
| All That Remains The Fall of Ideals |
| Amaranthe The Nexus |
| Amon Amarth Jomsviking |
| Ancient The Cainian Chronicle |
| Angra Secret Garden |
| Anthrax State Of Euphoria |
| Apocalyptica Worlds Collide |
| Apocalyptica 7th Symphony |
| At The Gates The Red in the Sky Is Ours |
| Auberon The Tale Of Black |
| Auberon Crossworld |
| Auroch Stolen Angelic Tongues |
| Avenged Sevenfold City Of Evil |
| Avenged Sevenfold Diamonds In The Rough |
| Avenged Sevenfold Nightmare |
| Bal-Sagoth The Chthonic Chronicles |
| Battle Beast Unholy Savior |
| Behemoth I Loved You at Your Darkest |
| Blind Guardian A Twist In The Myth |
| Blind Guardian Beyond The Red Mirror |
| Boston Third Stage |
| Breaking Benjamin We Are Not Alone |
| Breaking Benjamin Dark Before Dawn |
| Breaking Benjamin Ember |
| Bullet For My Valentine Scream Aim Fire |
| Bullet For My Valentine Fever |
| Bullet For My Valentine Rare Cuts |
| Children of Bodom Are You Dead Yet? |
| Children of Bodom I Worship Chaos |
| Cinderella Long Cold Winter |
| Conception The Last Sunset |
| Conception My Dark Symphony |
| Conception State of Deception |
| Cradle of Filth Nymphetamine |
| Cradle of Filth The Principle of Evil Made Flesh |
| Cradle of Filth From the Cradle to Enslave |
| Cradle of Filth Thornography |
| Cradle of Filth Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder |
| Dark Tranquillity Skydancer |
| Dark Tranquillity Construct |
| Dark Tranquillity Atoma |
| Death Angel The Dream Calls for Blood |
| Delain April Rain |
| Device Device |
| Dream Theater Octavarium |
| Drowning Pool Sinner |
| Dusks Embrace Paradigm Shift |
| Edge of Sanity Nothing But Death Remains |
| Edu Falaschi Moonlight |
| Elderblood Son of the Morning |
| Elf Elf |
| Embracing Dreams Left Behind |
| Emerald Night King of Elves |
| Enslaved Vertebrae |
| Facebreaker Dead Rotten and Hungry |
| Finntroll Ur Jordens Djup |
| Finntroll Nifelvind |
| Finntroll Blodsvept (EP) |
| Freedom Call Eternity |
| Frozen Crown The Fallen King |
| Ghost (SWE) Meliora |
| Glory Positive Buoyant |
| Glory Crisis vs. Crisis |
| Glory Wintergreen |
| Guns N' Roses G N' R Lies |
| HammerFall Masterpieces |
| Helgrind Religious Persecution |
| Helloween My God-Given Right |
| Ihsahn Arktis. |
| Ill Nino Confession |
| Ill Nino One Nation Underground |
| Ill Nino Epidemia |
| Iron Maiden Fear Of The Dark |
| Iron Maiden No Prayer For The Dying |
| Iron Maiden The Final Frontier |
| Isengard Vinterskugge |
| Judas Priest Turbo |
| Judas Priest Rocka Rolla |
| Kamelot Siege Perilous |
| Kamelot Dominion |
| Kamelot Eternity |
| Kamelot Poetry for the Poisoned |
| Kamelot The Shadow Theory |
If you were to dissect each track on this record individually, you would be hard pressed to rate
any one of them below a 3. However, as an album, The Shadow Theory proves to be one of the more
disappointing releases in Kamelot's discography due to the formulaic, safe nature of the songs.
Most tracks are not memorable, and while Kamelot's previous two efforts were not perfect, they
offered more in terms of song quality and overall enjoyableness. Not to say that this album isn't
consistent; the problem is that the album is too consistent with the safe song structure. That
being said, there are some songs that are worth listening to multiple times. "Phantom Divine",
"Kevlar Skin", "Static", and "Vespertine" are all noteworthy. The bonus track, "The Last Day of
Sunlight", is one of the strongest on the album. Despite that, these tracks don't match up to the
same quality as the best songs on Silverthorn and Haven. |
| Kamelot The Awakening |
| Kampfar Heimgang |
| Kataklysm Waiting for the End to Come |
| Katatonia Tonight's Decision |
| Katatonia Last Fair Deal Gone Down |
| Katatonia Tonight's Music |
| Katatonia Night Is the New Day |
| Katatonia The Longest Year |
| Katatonia Dead End Kings |
| Katatonia Dethroned & Uncrowned |
| Katatonia Kocytean |
| Katatonia City Burials |
| Katatonia Mnemosynean |
| Katatonia Sky Void of Stars |
| Katatonia Sky Void of Stars EP |
| King Dude Fear |
| KISS Love Gun |
| Kivimetsan Druidi Shadowheart |
| Kreator Outcast |
| Kryn Scars Remind Me |
| Led Zeppelin Coda |
| Leviathan Scar Sighted |
| Majestica Above The Sky |
| Majestica Metal United |
| Majestica Power Train |
| Mare (NO) Spheres like Death |
| Meat Loaf Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell |
| Megadeth Cryptic Writings |
| Megadeth United Abominations |
| Megadeth Dystopia |
| Metallica Garage Inc. |
| Metallica Hardwired...To Self-Destruct |
| Motorhead Bad Magic |
| Night in Gales Thunderbeast |
| Nirvana In Utero |
| Obituary Inked in Blood |
| Ozzy Osbourne Ozzmosis |
| Pantheon I Worlds I Create |
| Poets of the Fall Signs of Life |
| Poets of the Fall Revolution Roulette |
| Pohjast Thou Strong, Stern Death |
| Poison Open Up and Say... Ahh! |
| Razor Armed and Dangerous |
| Red Hot Chili Peppers Blood Sugar Sex Magik |
| Rise Against Siren Song of the Counter Culture |
| Rush A Farewell to Kings |
| Rush Rush |
| Sabaton Primo Victoria |
| Scar Symmetry The Singularity - Phase I: Neohumanity |
| Scorpions Lonesome Crow |
| Sepultura Morbid Visions |
| Sepultura Bestial Devastation |
| Seventh Wonder Become |
| Seventh Wonder Tiara - Acoustic |
| Slayer Divine Intervention |
| Slayer Repentless |
| Sonata Arctica Successor |
| Sonata Arctica Orientation |
| Spelled Moon Forsaken Spells |
| Starkill Virus of the Mind |
| Static-X Wisconsin Death Trip |
| Steppenwolf Steppenwolf |
| Tarja In The Raw |
| The Kovenant In Times Before the Light (Remaster) |
| The Prize Fighter Inferno My Brother's Blood Machine |
| Thompson Druga Strana |
| Thompson Vrijeme Škorpiona |
| Thompson Moli Mala |
| Thompson Hodočasnik |
| Turilli / Lione Rhapsody Zero Gravity (Rebirth and Evolution) |
| Twilight Force Heroes of Mighty Magic |
| Twilight Force At the Heart of Wintervale |
| Unleash The Archers Abyss |
| Van Halen II |
| Van Halen OU812 |
| Visions Of Atlantis Pirates II - Armada |
| Voivod Target Earth |
| White Wizzard Flying Tigers |
| Wintersun The Forest Seasons |
| ZZ Top Afterburner |
