Review by Adam M on May 24, 2015.

This album successfully straddles the line that power metal often draws with cheesiness by adding a great deal of variety and poignancy to the tracks on Haven. This work has emotion that is both melodramatic and gritty in simultaneous fashion.

As such, it probably shares a reasonable amount with the progressive genre along with power metal one. The album straddles a similar line what Anubis Gate did recently with their self-titled album, but remains more rooted in the power metal genre than that album. However, like that band, Kamelot uses many gigantic riffs as the backdrop to their epic songs. The result is a soundtrack to a futuristic landscape that many of the song title and album cover hint at. Rather than devolving into simplistic power metal displays, the songs breathe a great deal of life into other interesting new directions. The guitar riffs feel much like they have a technological revolution interwoven into their immediate grasp, as do the remainder of the songs themselves. Combine this with a grand theatrical vibe and there is a very compelling atmosphere created by Kamelot. The epic sound of the band is showcased prominently in tracks like Liar Liar(Wasteland Monarchy) and Citizen Zero. Though Kamelot bring a number of new elements to the table, this album is still somewhat derivative. The very power metal influenced vocalist on Haven is adequate, but far from the potential quality that he could be showcasing. Also, while very futuristic sounding, there is still more room for innovation and the band to move away from a typical power metal sound.

Regardless, this is one of the better releases I’ve heard from this genre in some time. Fans of power metal as well as progressive metal should find a great deal to like with Haven.

Rating: 8 out 10