The Heavy Metal Bands that SHOULD Be Great, but Aren't

They've Got Everything Going for Them, but They Just Can't Put it Together

1. Kamelot Kamelot, a progressive-power metal band, has at their disposal, an excellent songwriter in Thomas Youngblood, a virtuoso singer in Roy Khan, and perhaps more raw talent leaking out of their pores than any other heavy metal band on the planet, and yet they have released only one worthwhile album to date: 2005's The Black Halo.

While this album did rank number one on my list of the top ten heavy metal albums of the new millennium, this is really the only good thing that Kamelot has ever produced. Their previous album, Epica, is filled with "epic" drivel reminiscent of the much-maligned Rhapsody on a happy day. Karma has the only other songs worth mentioning in Kamelot's discography, "Wings of Despair" and "Forever." The remainder is full of forgettable songs, much like 2000's The Fourth Legacy, another wholly forgettable pass at writing Arthurian Metal. The worst of the bunch is "Nights of Arabia" where Kamelot decided to pair Khan's unbelievable voice with screeching, high-pitched, and downright pathetic female backing vocals, which have, of course, been turned up so high in production that they blast from the speakers.

If The Black Halo is any indication of how utterly amazing this band could be, listening to the remainder of their discography is an exercise in aggravation.

2. Circle II Circle

What do you get when you combine Savatage's songwriting with Zak Williams, and one of the best keyboardists in the genre...apparently a very forgettable band that is filled to the brim with talent.

If you are at all a fan of heavy metal, you've heard the name Savatage. This is the band that was responsible for the varied and unmatched Streets: a Rock Opera, Hall of the Mountain King, and built the foundations of the only heavy metal Christmas band The Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Circle II Circle is Savatage, lacking only Jon Oliva on Guitars (he is the primary songwriter for both Savatage and Circle II Circle). Zak Stevens is an upgrade on vocals, but yet, this band is about as exciting as white rice.