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More and more lately I've been listening to Tampa, Florida's finest export since Yuengling and Cuban cigars...I'm talking about Kamelot, of course. These power metal overlords are Tampa born and bred (excepting their Osloite lead singer), but the hot climate of their upbringing doesn't stop them from belting icy tunes worthy of the northernmost Scandinavian melodic metal.

Dig if you will a picture-the hairy homegrown tableau of Thomas Youngblood and Glenn Barry dueling it out with guitar and bass respectively, Casey Grillo positively juggling his drumsticks, and recent German import Oliver Palotai showing off some serious keyboard wizardry, while above it all singer Roy Khan towers like-well, like the Norwegian god that he is, shrilling out some of the most sonically perfect songs ever recorded. Kamelot are unstoppable live, each song a dense, forceful, and yet clearly defined wall of sound. Khan is the epitome of charisma, all dark eyes, trenchcoat, and those soaring, Puccini-caliber pipes. The stringmasters Barry and Youngblood back up the vocals with guitar and basslines that manage to be heavy and intricate at the same time, Grillo beats the drumkit like it's insulted his mother, and Palotai rounds out the whole show with keyboard sprints and extra guitar. Know the words 'epic', 'enthralling', 'superb'? Pick a superlative: it'll fit.

Kamelot's canned performances are nothing short of miraculous, either: they've released seven studio albums, two live CDs, and one DVD to go along (One Cold Winter's Night). Each album is intricate, involved, lyrically lovely, and technically awesome. Some (The Fourth Legacy and The Black Halo) are concept albums; others (Karma, Siege Perilous) are simply fabulous.

With such a band and such a catalog there are too many fabulous tunes to select from, but here are a choice few: The melodic raging of "Center of the Universe"! The explosive stomp of "March of Mephisto"! The mythical sprawl of "Karma"! The eerily seductive divinity of "The Edge of Paradise"! The tragic, pounding allure of "The Haunting"! The doom-laden, dense thud of "Providence"! And a final, bewitchingly somber "Farewell".

Even if you've never considered yourself a fan of power metal, check out Kamelot. Their work is easy enough on the ears for the uninitiated, and heavy enough for the longtime fans. Masterpieces, all.

Learn more about this author, Diana Hurlburt.
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