Kamelot & Sonata Arctica at PlayStation Theater (photos)

Tampa, FL fantasy metal greats Kamelot are more than halfway through their North American headline tour in support of their latest release on Napalm Records, The Shadow Theory. The ongoing jaunt pierced the heart of New York City at the soon-to-close PlayStation Theater on September 14th, bringing along newer tunes and select anthem’s from the band’s 20-plus-year career.

Led by OG members Thomas Youngblood (guitar) and Sean Tibbetts (bass), the power heroes performed fresh songs “Phantom Divine (Shadow Empire),” “Vespertine (My Crimson Bride),” and “Burns to Embrace” during their 15-song exhibition. Frontman Tommy Karevik soared above Manhattan, electrifying a packed house with help from captivating guest singer Lauren Hart (Once Human), who assisted in igniting the band’s set during “Phantom Divine” and ultimately lending her voice during “Veil of Elysium,” plus encore anthems “March of Mephisto” and “Liar Liar (Wasteland Monarchy).”

Keyboardist Oliver Palotai and new drummer Alex Landenburg rounded out Kamelot‘s presence, with the guys eventually teaming up for a special keyboard and drum performance towards the latter part of the main set. Another highlight includes song “Sacrimony (Angel of Afterlife),” which saw Noora Louhimo of Finnish heavy metal warriors Battle Beast joining Karevik mid-way through the track. The Finns are of course providing opening support on ‘The Shadow Tour,’ kicking off every show with hymns from their 2019 effort No More Hollywood Endings, along with 2017’s Bringer of Pain.

Wedged in-between all the chaos and also reppin’ the Finnish flag, Sonata Arctica made their grand return to the Times Square venue (they last invaded said locale in 2008 when its moniker was Nokia Theatre), playing an unfortunately brief, but strong eight-song set consisting of big numbers from their brand new LP, Talviyö, like “A Little Less Understanding,” “Cold,” “Storm the Armada” and “Who Failed the Most.” The Tony Kakko-fronted act sent a chill down NYC’s spine, finishing off big with super classic tune “FullMoon,” along with a handful of post-2014 cuts.

Check out Kamelot and Sonata Arctica photos from NYC in the gallery below. The tour ends next weekend in Florida — get all remaining dates HERE.

Check out our gallery from the show below.

All photos by Johnny Perilla

Sonata Arctica: