Poetry for the Poisoned
Poetry for the Poisoned
Cover art by Seth Siro Anton
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 10, 2010
Recorded2009–2010
StudioGate Studios, Wolfsburg, Germany
GenreProgressive metal, heavy metal, power metal[1]
Length50:04
LabelMarquee/Avalon (Japan), Edel Music (Europe), Knife Fight Media / KMG Recordings (North America)
ProducerSascha Paeth and Miro
Kamelot chronology
Ghost Opera
(2007)
Poetry for the Poisoned
(2010)
Silverthorn
(2012)
Reissue cover
Live from Wacken – Limited Tour Edition reissue cover (2011)
Singles from Poetry for the Poisoned
  1. "The Great Pandemonium"
    Released: 11 October 2010
  2. "Hunter's Season"
    Released: 30 June 2011
  3. "Necropolis"
    Released: 21 November 2011
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Dangerdog[2]
Darkscene[3]
Metal Temple[4]
Metalstorm(6.9/10)[5]
Metalunderground[6]

Poetry for the Poisoned is the ninth studio album by American power metal band Kamelot. It was released on the earMUSIC label, a subdivision of Edel,[7] on September 10, 2010 in Europe, and four days later in North America by the band's own label, KMG Recordings, in conjunction with Knife Fight Media.[8]

It is the last Kamelot album with longtime lead vocalist and songwriter Roy Khan who left the band in 2011, and the first with original bass guitarist Sean Tibbetts, who left the band in 1992 prior to any release and returned in 2009 after 17 years.

A video was recorded for the song "The Great Pandemonium" and released on the band's official YouTube channel on September 6.[9]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Great Pandemonium" (featuring Björn "Speed" Strid)Roy Khan, Thomas Youngblood4:24
2."If Tomorrow Came"Khan, Sascha Paeth3:58
3."Dear Editor"Khan, Youngblood1:18
4."The Zodiac" (featuring Jon Oliva & Amanda Somerville)Khan, Youngblood, Paeth4:00
5."Hunter's Season" (featuring Gus G.)Khan, Youngblood5:34
6."House on a Hill" (featuring Simone Simons)Khan, Youngblood, Paeth4:14
7."Necropolis"Khan, Youngblood4:16
8."My Train of Thoughts"Khan, Youngblood4:08
9."Seal of Woven Years"Khan, Youngblood5:13
10."Poetry for the Poisoned, Pt. I: Incubus"Khan, Youngblood2:57
11."Poetry for the Poisoned, Pt. II: So Long" (featuring Simone Simons)Khan, Youngblood3:24
12."Poetry for the Poisoned, Pt. III: All is Over" (featuring Simone Simons)Khan, Youngblood1:03
13."Poetry for the Poisoned, Pt. IV: Dissection"Khan, Oliver Palotai[10]2:00
14."Once Upon a Time"Khan, Youngblood3:45

Bonus tracks

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
15."Thespian Drama (instrumental)" (Japanese / vinyl single edition bonus track / iTunes bonus track)Palotai3:46
16."Where the Wild Roses Grow" (featuring Chanty Wunder, EU limited edition bonus track)Nick Cave3:59
17."House on a Hill (uncut version)" (US DVD edition bonus track / 2LP bonus track)Khan, Youngblood, Paeth5:02

Special edition DVD

  • "The Great Pandemonium" (video)
  • Pick and Play for the song "The Great Pandemonium"
  • Live at Norway Rock Festival 2010
  • Interviews with each Kamelot member
  • Background Images
  • "House on a Hill" (uncut version) (US version only)[11]

Limited tour edition

In 2011, a reissue of Poetry for the Poisoned entitled Poetry for the Poisoned & Live From Wacken: Limited Tour Edition was released on April 15 in Europe and May 10 in the US. The album was released as a double-disc set, with the first disc featuring Poetry for the Poisoned as previously released and the second disc contained 8 live tracks from their show at Wacken Open Air 2010.

Track listing

Disc 1:

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Great Pandemonium" (featuring Björn "Speed" Strid)Roy Khan, Thomas Youngblood4:24
2."If Tomorrow Came"Khan, Sascha Paeth3:58
3."Dear Editor"Khan, Youngblood1:18
4."The Zodiac" (featuring Jon Oliva & Amanda Somerville)Khan, Youngblood, Paeth4:00
5."Hunter's Season" (featuring Gus G.)Khan, Youngblood5:34
6."House on a Hill" (featuring Simone Simons)Khan, Youngblood, Paeth4:14
7."Necropolis"Khan, Youngblood4:16
8."My Train of Thoughts"Khan, Youngblood4:08
9."Seal of Woven Years"Khan, Youngblood5:13
10."Poetry for the Poisoned, Pt. I: Incubus"Khan, Youngblood2:57
11."Poetry for the Poisoned, Pt. II: So Long" (featuring Simone Simons)Khan, Youngblood3:24
12."Poetry for the Poisoned, Pt. III: All Is Over" (featuring Amanda Somerville)Khan, Youngblood1:03
13."Poetry for the Poisoned, Pt. IV: Dissection"Khan, Oliver Palotai[10]2:00
14."Once Upon a Time"Khan, Youngblood3:45
15."Where the Wild Roses Grow" (featuring Chanty Wunder)Nick Cave4:51

Disc 2 – Live from Wacken Open Air 2010:

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Great Pandemonium"Khan, Youngblood4:28
2."Human Stain"Kamelot4:24
3."Center of the Universe"Kamelot5:37
4."Pendulous Fall"Kamelot3:57
5."Hunter's Season"Khan, Youngblood5:16
6."Karma"Khan, Youngblood5:27
7."Forever"Khan, Youngblood10:14
8."March of Mephisto"Kamelot7:31

Charts

Chart (2010) Peak
position
Austrian Albums Chart[12] 57
Belgian Albums Chart[13] 40
Canadian Albums Chart[14] 11
Dutch Albums Chart[15] 43
Finnish Albums Chart[16] 21
French Albums Chart[17] 54
German Albums Chart[18] 32
Greek Albums Chart[19] 24
Italian Albums Chart[20] 57
Japanese Albums Chart[21] 55
Norwegian Albums Chart[22] 7
Swedish Albums Chart[23] 23
Swiss Albums Chart[24] 48
UK Albums Chart[25] 155
US Billboard Top 200[20] 72
US Billboard Hard Rock Albums[20] 6
US Billboard Independent Albums[20] 15

Personnel

Credits for Poetry for the Poisoned adapted from liner notes.[26]

Kamelot

Additional personnel[27]

  • Simone Simons – vocals on "House on a Hill" and "Poetry for the Poisoned, Pt. II–III"[28]
  • Björn "Speed" Stridscreams on "The Great Pandemonium"
  • Jon Oliva – vocals on "The Zodiac"
  • Gus G. – guitar solo on "Hunter's Season"
  • Amanda Somerville – choir vocals on "Poetry for the Poisoned, Pt. I-IV" and vocals on "The Zodiac"
  • Chanty Wunder – female vocals on "Where the Wild Roses Grow"
  • Robert Hunecke-Rizzo – backing vocals
  • Simon Oberender – backing vocals
  • Thomas Rettke – backing vocals
  • Cloudy Yang – backing vocals

Production

  • Sascha Paeth – additional guitars, mixing, mastering, engineering
  • Miro – additional keyboards, orchestrations, engineering
  • Seth Siro Anton – cover art, artwork
  • Michał Loranc – additional artwork, layout
  • Natalie Shau – additional artwork
  • Alexandra Dekimpe – additional artwork
  • Rachel Youngblood – additional artwork

References

  1. ^ a b Heaney, Gregory. Kamelot – Poetry for the Poisoned: Review at AllMusic
  2. ^ "Review : Kamelot Poetry for the Poisoned :: New Music Review :: Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock :: CD Album Music Review : Craig Hartranft". Dangerdog.com. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
  3. ^ "DarkScene Metal Magazin". Darkscene.at. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
  4. ^ "Kamelot – Poetry For the Poisoned review". Metal Temple. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  5. ^ "Kamelot – Poetry For The Poisoned review". Metal Storm. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
  6. ^ "Kamelot – "Poetry For The Poisoned" CD Review – in Metal Reviews". Metal Underground.com. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
  7. ^ "KAMELOT Signs With earMUSIC; New Album Details Revealed". June 21, 2010. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
  8. ^ "North America Release Announcement". July 20, 2010. Archived from the original on 1 September 2010. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
  9. ^ "Village Road Film". June 6, 2010. Archived from the original on February 2, 2011. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
  10. ^ a b "Kamelot - Interview by more-metal.com". YouTube. August 8, 2010. Archived from the original on 2014-06-05. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  11. ^ "PRE-ORDER Poetry for the Poisoned". August 11, 2010. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
  12. ^ Steffen Hung (2010-09-24). "Kamelot – Poetry For The Poisoned". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
  13. ^ "Kamelot – Poetry For The Poisoned". ultratop.be. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
  14. ^ "#1 in Canada for Rock AND Metal!". Kamelot. 2010-08-30. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
  15. ^ Steffen Hung. "Kamelot – Poetry For The Poisoned". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
  16. ^ Steffen Hung. "Kamelot – Poetry For The Poisoned". finnishcharts.com. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
  17. ^ Steffen Hung (2010-09-25). "Kamelot – Poetry For The Poisoned". lescharts.com. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
  18. ^ "Die ganze Musik im Internet: Charts, News, Neuerscheinungen, Tickets, Genres, Genresuche, Genrelexikon, Künstler-Suche, Musik-Suche, Track-Suche, Ticket-Suche". musicline.de. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
  19. ^ Steffen Hung. "Kamelot – Poetry For The Poisoned". greekcharts.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-17. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
  20. ^ a b c d "Chart Positions (updated)!". Kamelot. 2010-09-27. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
  21. ^ "ポエトリー・フォー・ザ・ポイズンド キャメロットのプロフィールならオリコン芸能人事典-ORICON STYLE". Oricon.co.jp. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
  22. ^ Steffen Hung (2010-09-10). "Kamelot – Poetry For The Poisoned". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
  23. ^ Steffen Hung. "Kamelot – Poetry For The Poisoned". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
  24. ^ Steffen Hung (2010-09-26). "Kamelot – Poetry For The Poisoned". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
  25. ^ "UK Chart" (TXT). Zobbel.de. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  26. ^ (2010). "Poetry for the Poisoned liner notes". In Poetry for the Poisoned [CD booklet]. Edel.
  27. ^ "KAMELOT Signs With earMUSIC; New Album Details Revealed". June 21, 2010. Archived from the original on 1 September 2010. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
  28. ^ "Simone Simons visits Kamelot". February 12, 2010. Archived from the original on 6 May 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2010.