Kamelot, Evergrey
London Islington Academy
28th April, 2011

Swedish power-metallers Evergrey did what they do best – 45 minutes of pounding, technical, ram-it-home blasts, with rifling drums, landslip dual guitar swathes, and a maelstrom of keyboards, all propping Tom Englund’s fiery vocals. The quintet sped through nine mighty numbers, from Leave It Behind Us, to A Touch Of Blessing, standouts including the self-explanatory Monday Morning Apocalypse, the concerted headbang of Blinded, and the thunderous Frozen. A tough act to follow, especially as Kamelot recently lost the services of their impressive frontman, Khan. However, with Rhapsody’s Fabio Leone leading the way, their 16-song set kept standards high, intricately visceral playing being the order of the day on the likes of the steamhammer Ghost Opera and storming Nights Of Arabia. Tommy Karevik deputised on the guitar gallop of Centre Of The Universe, and Descent Of The Archangel was one of several clapalongs, before Epica’s Simone Simons graced the stage on The Haunting. Encores took in Karma and a suitably grand finale in March Of Mephisto.