Ghost Opera

As recently as the mid- to late '90s, it was pretty darn incomprehensible for a band to merge heavy metal with a symphony orchestra. But a decade later, the number of "symphonic metal" bands seemed to be growing by the day — as the genre was being spearheaded by such acts as Kamelot (with most of symphonic metal bands hailing from Europe, Kamelot is an exception — they're natives of Florida). On their eighth full-length overall, 2007's Ghost Opera, the band continues to merge tricky prog metal with swirling strings — following a musical path not all that far removed from such "thinking man's metallists" as Queensrÿche and Dream Theater. Kamelot's symphonic metal hybrid is best sampled on such album standouts as "Rule the World," "Blucher," and the title track, while a track such as "Anthem" seems custom-made for a fleet-footed ballet or ice-skating adaptation. Both bombastic and complex, those Kamelot boys sure can play! [This version of Ghost Opera includes a bonus DVD featuring a video of the album's title track as well as a "making of" video.]