Kamelot-I Am The Empire: Live From The 013

Kamelot, the symphonic and power metal titans return with a brand new live album taken from their concert at the famous 013 Arena in Tilburg. Over two hours worth of material that would sate even the greediest of fans.

“Transcendence,” serves to kick things off, and as it slowly fades into being, you can tell that the fans are getting ready for an exciting time.

“Phantom Divine (Shadow Empire),” is where things get really interesting. Filled with passion and fury, the band go to a whole new level, and really get the ball rolling.

“Rule The World,” shines through as the band add an extra layer of heavy. The crowd are on fire.

“Insomnia,” moves through the motions and the crowd responds accordingly, the band and the crowd are feeding off one another here, you can feel it in the pace of the riffs.

“The Great Pandemonium,” is electric. After a brief thank you from vocalist Tommy, the band kick into an absolutely blistering rendition of what is arguably one of their heaviest songs.

“When The Lights Are Down,” is a real crowd pleaser. You can feel the energy in the room, it radiates off the melodies and instrumentation, delivering a smashing performance.

“My Confession,” slows things down a tad, it is thoughtful and contemplative and the crowd respond with subtle tones.

“Veil Of Elysium,” is another high energy and high octane song. One that delivers all the right punches and movements.

“Under Grey Skies,” slows things down once more, allowing some breathing space, and giving Tommy Karevik a chance to flex his vocal muscles.

“Ravenlight,” brings things back up to their symphonic best, with subtle twitches here and there denoting where the band’s adrenaline has perhaps runaway with them. No matter, it is an electric performance.

“End Of Innocence,” another one that brings the keyboards to the fore whilst bringing some subtle interchanges with the guitars.All the while Karevik and the crowd are participating in something unique.

“March Of Mephisto,” is heaviness incarnate. A song that rolls off the tongue and delves into the demonic, it is simply phenomenal.

“Amnesiac,” swaggers. The crowd gets into it, and the band feed off their energy to deliver something spellbinding.

“Manus Dei,” feeds into “Sacrimony (Angel of Afterlife),” and the two songs together are simply brilliant. The crowd are on fire, the band are on fire. Everyone is clicking. The guest contributions of Alissa White Gluz and Elize Ryd just ensure that the song goes to a whole new level.

Next up we get a chance for the drums and the keys to show off their finery.

“Here’s To The Fall,” is next. A slower song, a thoughtful song and one that definitely encourages the listener to sing along.

“Forever,” follows up, and my God, it is as blistering on the record as it was to see live (The Median Man saw Kamelot live in London on this tour), and if you do not find yourself singing along with the main melody or the vocals, there is something definitely wrong with you. “Forever,” remains one of Kamelot’s live stand outs, and long may that continue.

“Burns To Embrace,” shifts the tempo up a little. Twisting the myth and feeding off the residual energy.

“Liar Liar (Wasteland Monarchy),” ventures into another insanity based song. Featuring Alissa White Gluz, the song ascends to a whole new level.

“Ministrium (Shadow Key) closes things off.

This is a phenomenal album and does a lot of justice to Kamelot as a live act. If you’ve got any sense you will buy this record when it comes on 14th August via Napalm Records.