Kamelot – The Shadow Theory album review

Floridian power metal troupe Kamelot get cerebral with an ambitious concept on The Shadow Theory

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Kamelot The Shadow Theory album cover

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The Shadow Theory

1. The Mission
2. Phantom Divine (Shadow Empire)
3. RavenLight
4. Amnesiac
5. Burns To Embrace
6. In Twilight Hours
7. Kevlar Skin
8. Static
9. MindFall Remedy
10. Stories Unheard
11. Vespertine (My Crimson Bride)
12. The Proud And The Broken
13. Ministrium (Shadow Key)

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Kamelot are no strangers to concept albums, but the idea behind their latest is ambitious even by their standards. In Jungian psychology, the shadow refers to the dark side of our unconsciousness and the quintet have expanded this into a full- blown theme that explores the complexity of the human mind. It sounds like the plot to some weird arthouse movie, and The Shadow Theory is so epic it could be a film soundtrack. 

Jam-packed with monstrous riffs, strings, choirs, stunning guest vocals from Beyond The Black’s Jennifer Haben and gut-wrenching growls from Once Human’s Lauren Hart, it captures the perfect balance between darkness and light. 

Singer Tommy Karevik is more expressive than ever, and even seems to be channelling the theatrical airs of his fellow Ayreon collaborator Damian Wilson (ex-Threshold). The Shadow Theory isn’t just big, it’s clever, too!

Natasha Scharf
Natasha Scharf
Deputy Editor, Prog

Contributing to Prog since the very first issue, writer and broadcaster Natasha Scharf was the magazine’s News Editor before she took up her current role of Deputy Editor, and has interviewed some of the best-known acts in the progressive music world from ELP, Yes and Marillion to Nightwish, Dream Theater and TesseracT. Starting young, she set up her first music fanzine in the late 80s and became a regular contributor to local newspapers and magazines over the next decade. The 00s would see her running the dark music magazine, Meltdown, as well as contributing to Metal Hammer, Classic Rock, Terrorizer and Artrocker. Author of music subculture books The Art Of Gothic and Worldwide Gothic, she’s since written album sleeve notes for Cherry Red, and also co-wrote Tarja Turunen’s memoirs, Singing In My Blood. Beyond the written word, Natasha has spent several decades as a club DJ, spinning tunes at aftershow parties for Metallica, Motörhead and Nine Inch Nails. She’s currently the only member of the Prog team to have appeared on the magazine’s cover.