The Black Halo
| The Black Halo | ||||||||||
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| Studio album by Kamelot | ||||||||||
| Released | March 15, 2005 | |||||||||
| Recorded | Gate Studio, Wolfsburg, Germany, Above the C Studio and Morrisound Studios, Tampa, Florida, Panser Studio, Oslo and Mirage Recordings, Elverum, Norway, September-December 2004 |
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| Genre | Power metal, symphonic metal, progressive metal | |||||||||
| Length | 57:21 | |||||||||
| Label | SPV/Steamhammer | |||||||||
| Producer | Sascha Paeth, Miro, Roy Khan, Thomas Youngblood | |||||||||
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| Allmusic |   |
| Sputnikmusic | |
| Metal Storm |   |
| Amazon.com | |
| Last Rites | |
| The Metal Crypt | |
| Sea of Tranquility | |
| Metaleater | |
| Metal Temple |  |
The Black Halo is the highly acclaimed, seventh full-length album by the American power metal band Kamelot. It was released on March 15, 2005, through Steamhammer Records. It is a concept album inspired by Goethe's Faust. Continuing the story introduced in Epica (2003), it is the second and final record in Kamelot's two-part rock opera about Ariel (a character based on Heinrich Faust). Epica tells Part 1 while The Black Halo tells Part 2. Goethe's Faust is also broken into two parts. The Black Halo features guest appearances by Simone Simons (Epica), Shagrath (Dimmu Borgir), Jens Johansson (Stratovarius), and several others. The album was released on vinyl in the spring of 2009, along with Ghost Opera (2007).
Continuing from Epica, Ariel is still stricken with grief and sorrow over Helena's death. (March of Mephisto) With Ariel's will nearly under Mephisto's total control, the fallen angel brings Ariel a beautiful young woman named Marguerite, who looks and speaks like Helena. Ariel seduces Marguerite and the two sleep together, which completes Mephisto's manipulation of Ariel. (When the Lights are Down) The morning after, Ariel regains his memory, breaking Mephisto's control over him, and comes to his senses. He apologizes to Marguerite and explains his story, begging her to leave, but saying that they might meet again someday. (The Haunting (Somewhere in Time)) Ariel leaves Mephisto, and wonders how all the pain he has caused could come about as a result of his good intentions in searching for the answers to the meaning of life. (Soul Society) He concludes that it is impossible to find these answers on Earth, and that they must lie in heaven alone. (Interlude I: Dei Gratia) Realizing that his sins have prevented him from entering heaven, he begs god for forgiveness, but hears no sign from Him. (Abandoned) Heartbroken, he realizes that he will never be able to reunite with Helena, nor find the answers he seeks. He looks back on the suffering that he has caused to everyone he knows, and concludes that it can never be undone. (This Pain)
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Wikipedia