Ghost Opera
Encyclopedia
Ghost Opera is the eighth studio album
from metal
band Kamelot
. It was released in 2007 by SPV GmbH
/Steamhammer Records, on June 1 in Germany
and followed by releases on June 4 in Europe
and June 5 in the United States
. It is the first studio album by Kamelot to feature keyboardist Oliver Palotai
, and the last with former bassist Glenn Barry. The album spawned four music video
s for the songs "Ghost Opera", "The Human Stain", "Rule the World" and "Love You to Death".
On Billboard 200
, the album peaked at number 18 on Top Heatseekers
and number 48 on Independent Albums
.
Prior to the release of the album, SPV Records distributed a strictly limited CD single
of "Ghost Opera", handed out to fans attending the European Tour in March, April and May 2007. The album was released on vinyl in the spring of 2009, along with The Black Halo
.
Limited edition version contains a bonus track:
Japanese version contains a bonus track:
entitled "The Pendulous Fall" (4:00). Album art
remains the same except for two lines of text, "Limited Edition" and "CD + DVD," which are located in the lower corners of the cover. The DVD features the making of and the video for "Ghost Opera" (4:11). There is also a Japanese edition containing the bonus track "Season's End" (3:32).
and Canada
. The album was released as a double-disc set, with the first disc featuring Ghost Opera as previously released, and the videos for "The Human Stain" and "Memento Mori", filmed in Belgrade
, Serbia
. The second disc contained 10 live tracks from the same show, as well as three bonus tracks from Ghost Opera and The Black Halo
and a remix of "Rule the World".
Disc 1:
Disc 2:
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
from metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Kamelot
Kamelot
Kamelot is an American symphonic power metal band from Tampa, Florida. The band was formed by Thomas Youngblood and Richard Warner in 1991. Norwegian vocalist Roy Khan joined for the album Siége Perilous, and shared song-writing duties with Youngblood until his departure in April 2011.As of 2010,...
. It was released in 2007 by SPV GmbH
SPV GmbH
SPV GmbH is an independent German record label.Founded on January 1, 1984, it has slowly grown to be one of the largest independent distributors and record labels worldwide....
/Steamhammer Records, on June 1 in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and followed by releases on June 4 in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and June 5 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is the first studio album by Kamelot to feature keyboardist Oliver Palotai
Oliver Palotai
Oliver Palotai is a heavy metal musician.-Career:He made his name playing keyboards and guitar for Doro and keyboards for Circle II Circle before joining Blaze Bayley's BLAZE as a replacement for founding guitarist John Slater in 2004...
, and the last with former bassist Glenn Barry. The album spawned four music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s for the songs "Ghost Opera", "The Human Stain", "Rule the World" and "Love You to Death".
On Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, the album peaked at number 18 on Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...
and number 48 on Independent Albums
Independent Albums
The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels...
.
Prior to the release of the album, SPV Records distributed a strictly limited CD single
CD single
A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s...
of "Ghost Opera", handed out to fans attending the European Tour in March, April and May 2007. The album was released on vinyl in the spring of 2009, along with The Black Halo
The Black Halo
There is also a short hidden track in the pregap. Rewinding from "March of Mephisto" on some CD players reveal a couple entering a theatre and being told that they have "just made it to the second act", referring to The Black Halo as the second album in a two-part concept.- March of Mephisto :In...
.
Track listing
All songs written by Kamelot.- "Solitaire" – 1:00
- "Rule the World" – 3:40
- "Ghost Opera" – 4:06
- "The Human Stain" – 4:01
- "Blücher" – 4:03
- "Love You to Death" – 5:13
- "Up Through the Ashes" – 4:59
- "Mourning Star" – 4:37
- "Silence of the Darkness" – 3:43
- "Anthem" – 4:24
- "EdenEcho" – 4:13
Limited edition version contains a bonus track:
- 12. "The Pendulous Fall" – 4:00
Japanese version contains a bonus track:
- 12. "Season's End" – 3:32
Limited Edition CD + DVD
The limited edition version of the album contains a twelfth, bonus trackBonus track
In terms of recorded music, a bonus track is a piece of music which has been included on specific releases or reissues of an album. This is most often done as a promotional device, either as an incentive to customers to purchase albums they might otherwise not, or to repurchase albums they already...
entitled "The Pendulous Fall" (4:00). Album art
Album cover
An album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially released audio recording product, or album. The term can refer to either the printed cardboard covers typically used to package sets of 10" and 12" 78 rpm records, single and sets of 12" LPs, sets of 45 rpm records , or the front-facing...
remains the same except for two lines of text, "Limited Edition" and "CD + DVD," which are located in the lower corners of the cover. The DVD features the making of and the video for "Ghost Opera" (4:11). There is also a Japanese edition containing the bonus track "Season's End" (3:32).
The Second Coming
In 2008, a reissue of Ghost Opera entitled Ghost Opera: The Second Coming was released on March 28 in Germany, March 31 for the rest of Europe and April 8 in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The album was released as a double-disc set, with the first disc featuring Ghost Opera as previously released, and the videos for "The Human Stain" and "Memento Mori", filmed in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. The second disc contained 10 live tracks from the same show, as well as three bonus tracks from Ghost Opera and The Black Halo
The Black Halo
There is also a short hidden track in the pregap. Rewinding from "March of Mephisto" on some CD players reveal a couple entering a theatre and being told that they have "just made it to the second act", referring to The Black Halo as the second album in a two-part concept.- March of Mephisto :In...
and a remix of "Rule the World".
Track listing
All songs written by Kamelot.Disc 1:
- "Solitaire" – 1:00
- "Rule the World" – 3:40
- "Ghost Opera" – 4:06
- "The Human Stain" – 4:01
- "Blücher" – 4:03
- "Love You to Death" – 5:13
- "Up Through the Ashes" – 4:59
- "Mourning Star" – 4:37
- "Silence of the Darkness" – 3:43
- "Anthem" – 4:24
- "EdenEcho" – 4:13
Disc 2:
- "Solitaire [Live]" – 1:10
- "Ghost Opera [Live]" – 4:06
- "The Human Stain [Live]" – 4:15
- "Mourning Star [Live]" – 4:30
- "When the Lights Are Down [Live]" – 4:03
- "Abandoned [Live]" – 4:15
- "The Haunting (Somewhere in Time) (feat. Simone Simons) [Live]" – 4:33
- "Memento Mori [Live]" – 9:08
- "Epilogue [Live]" – 2:27
- "March of Mephisto [Live]" – 4:49
- "Season's End" – 3:32
- "The Pendulous Fall" – 3:57
- "Epilogue" – 2:46
- "Rule the World [Remix]" – 4:22
Band members
- Roy KhanRoy KhanRoy Sætre Khantatat , is a Norwegian singer. Commonly known as Roy Khan or simply Khan, he is the former vocalist for the symphonic power metal band Kamelot. He co-wrote most of Kamelot's songs with the band's guitarist and founder Thomas Youngblood since he joined the band.-Personal life:Roy began...
– vocals, occasional keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Thomas YoungbloodThomas YoungbloodThomas Youngblood is the guitarist, founding member and one of the main creative forces behind the progressive/symphonic power metal band Kamelot from Tampa, Florida. He began playing guitar at the age of 15 and in 1991 founded Kamelot with Richard Warner...
– guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... - Glenn Barry – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Casey GrilloCasey GrilloCasey Grillo, born October 16, 1976 in Enid, Oklahoma, is the drummer for the symphonic power metal band Kamelot. He has two older siblings, a brother and a sister, who are also drummers...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Oliver PalotaiOliver PalotaiOliver Palotai is a heavy metal musician.-Career:He made his name playing keyboards and guitar for Doro and keyboards for Circle II Circle before joining Blaze Bayley's BLAZE as a replacement for founding guitarist John Slater in 2004...
– keyboards
Guest musicians
- MiroMichael RodenbergMichael Rodenberg, nickname Miro, is a German keyboardist and musical producer known for working with power metal bands such as Angra, Shaaman, Rhapsody of Fire, Kamelot, Heavens Gate, et al...
– orchestrations, keyboards - Simone SimonsSimone SimonsSimone Johanna Maria Simons is a Dutch coloratura mezzo-soprano singer who is the lead vocalist of symphonic metal band Epica.-Biography:...
– female vocals on "Blücher", "Season's End" and "The Haunting (Somewhere in Time)" [live] - Amanda SomervilleAmanda SomervilleAmanda Somerville is an American singer-songwriter and vocal coach.- Personal life :Somerville was born in Flushing, Michigan, and attended Flushing Senior High School and the University of Michigan in Flint, Michigan...
– female vocals on "Mourning Star", "Love You to Death" and "Ghost Opera" - Sascha PaethSascha PaethSascha Paeth is a German guitarist, bassist, musical producer, and mixer known for working with heavy metal bands such as Avantasia, Edguy, Angra, Shaaman, Rhapsody of Fire, Kamelot, After Forever, Epica, et al...
– guitars - Ghost Opera Choir – Amanda SomervilleAmanda SomervilleAmanda Somerville is an American singer-songwriter and vocal coach.- Personal life :Somerville was born in Flushing, Michigan, and attended Flushing Senior High School and the University of Michigan in Flint, Michigan...
, Thomas Rettke, Robert Hunecke-RizzoRobert Hunecke-RizzoRobert Hunecke-Rizzo is a German bass player, guitarist and drummer, known for his work with Heavens Gate, Luca Turilli, and Kamelot.He helped to found the supergroup Aina, who released their metal opera Days of Rising Doom in 2003. He was the music composer and played most of the instruments...
and Cinzia Rizzo