The Black Halo
Encyclopedia
There is also a short hidden track (1:22) 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.
. He convinces Ariel to follow through with this course of action. Thus, as Marguerite seduces Ariel's body, Mephisto seduces Ariel's mind.
form, gradually building into a "power ballad." Lost and confused, he calls out in despair to God. In a daze, he leaves Mephisto, wanders out of Town, and crosses the still frozen River.
and screams. The song fades back into the ballad form from which it began. Here, the story of Ariel properly ends, but there is a bit more to the tale.
, we see that this tale is in fact a play put on for the New Year's festival in the town of Gatesville.
Pregap
The pregap on a Red Book audio CD is the portion of the audio track that precedes "index 01" for a given track in the table of contents . The pregap is typically two seconds long and usually, but not always, contains silence...
. 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 Ariel's moment of weakness, Mephisto's hold on the alchemist's will is at its highest point. He finds Marguerite, a beautiful girl in the Town. She looks and sounds like Helena. In an attempt to console Ariel, Mephisto delivers her to him, paving the way for her seduction. His control and power over Ariel are represented musically by harsh bass lines and death gruntsDeath growl
A death growl, also known as death metal vocals, guttural vocals, death grunts, and harsh vocals among other names, is a vocalisation style usually employed by vocalists of the death metal and black metal music genre, but also used in a variety of heavy metal and hardcore punk subgenres.Death...
. He convinces Ariel to follow through with this course of action. Thus, as Marguerite seduces Ariel's body, Mephisto seduces Ariel's mind.
When the Lights Are Down
Both seductions are completed. Mephisto gains control over Ariel's will, and Ariel's illusioned lust for Marguerite is consummated. The two sleep together. Afterward, Ariel's mind emerges from Mephisto's grip, and he realizes who he has slept with. He yearns for Helena, and, as his mind begins to recover, remembers her death, and the events leading up to it.The Haunting (Somewhere in Time)
Ariel explains himself to Marguerite as best he can. He explains that he saw her as a mere shadow of his dead lover, that any feelings he has for her are a mere facade of his love for Helena, and that he can never love her the way she loves him. In a tragic and moving duet, he urges her to leave and forget about him. But he says that, perhaps, they may one day reunite. With that, he leaves, never to see her again.Soul Society
We once again enter Ariel's troubled mind. He laments the afflictions with which humanity is chained. He wonders how such evil and misfortune came about as the result of his good intentions of finding the ultimate truth. He remarks on the insignificance of human life. Above all, he wishes that humans could live in a free and perfect world, but knows that it will never happen. And once again, he is tormented by his role in the death of Helena and the unborn child.Interlude I: Dei Gratia
This interlude marks Ariel's realization that he can never find the great answers in this universe, and that the ultimate truth must lie in Heaven alone.Abandoned
With this, Ariel is struck by a sudden realization: Because of the sins he has committed and the binding promise he has made with Mephisto, he has severed any possibility of connecting with the divine. He can never enter Heaven, never see Helena again, and never find the ultimate truth. For the first time, he realizes that he is truly all alone. Musically, this begins with a very soft balladBallad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
form, gradually building into a "power ballad." Lost and confused, he calls out in despair to God. In a daze, he leaves Mephisto, wanders out of Town, and crosses the still frozen River.
This Pain
In his mind's eye, Ariel looks back on his journey. He reflects on leaving Helena and her resulting death, and his abandonment of Marguerite. He has forsaken the two women who loved him. He realizes that he is the cause of this sorrow and pain, and that he will never be free from the consequences of his actions.Moonlight
Ariel decides that he cannot possibly repent for all he has done, and that even if he could, mere repentance would not be enough. This prompts him out of his reverie, into action. Setting out under the moonlight, he sails back across the now melted River, in search of Mephisto. Once across, he approaches the demon's castle.Interlude II: Un Assassinio Molto Silenzioso
Standing outside the castle, Ariel looks at the full moon, wondering if anything besides death and damnation lie in his future.The Black Halo
A defiant Ariel resigns himself to death. He denounces Mephisto as a liar and traitor, and challenges him. He no longer fears the eternal darkness that inevitably awaits. He resolves to live a life of purity and goodness like Helena did, even though he knows it is too late for him to escape damnation. He embraces righteousness, not for any reward or redemption—there is no hope of that—but simply to be righteous.Nothing Ever Dies
Ariel reflects that every human, throughout all of history, struggles with these same questions of right and wrong, love and lust, righteousness and sin, faith and doctrine. In a sudden moment of clarity, he comes to a profound realization: Love, including the love between Helena and himself, is the only universal truth. In this revelation, he realizes that he not only knew this truth all along, but that, for his part, he created it.Memento Mori
This realization prompts Ariel to enter that moment of supreme contentment, spurring his deal with Mephisto into action. Musically, it begins almost like a ballad, but quickly builds in speed and intensity. In this moment, as Ariel's soul leaves his body, everything falls into place within his mind. He understands, at last, that, even having found this universal truth of love, he can never be truly satisfied in this world; that death comes to everyone; that no human is simply good or evil; that he alone is the master of his destiny; and that he creates the meaning of his own life. With this final existential revelation, under Mephisto's binding promise, Ariel's soul departs. But it does not come into Mephisto's clutches. Having rejected evil even in the face of certain damnation, Ariel has, beyond all hope, redeemed himself at last. His soul is saved, and ascends to Heaven to join Helena. Mephisto, his divine bet lost, is cast forever into Hell. Musically, this is shown through his long, wailing death gruntDeath growl
A death growl, also known as death metal vocals, guttural vocals, death grunts, and harsh vocals among other names, is a vocalisation style usually employed by vocalists of the death metal and black metal music genre, but also used in a variety of heavy metal and hardcore punk subgenres.Death...
and screams. The song fades back into the ballad form from which it began. Here, the story of Ariel properly ends, but there is a bit more to the tale.
Interlude III: Midnight - Twelve Tolls for a New Day
In an inversion of the "Prologue in the Theatre" from Goethe's FaustGoethe's Faust
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust is a tragic play in two parts: and . Although written as a closet drama, it is the play with the largest audience numbers on German-language stages...
, we see that this tale is in fact a play put on for the New Year's festival in the town of Gatesville.
Serenade
An uplifting, medium- and fast-paced tribute to comedy and tragedy, life and death, joy and sorrow. The overall message of renewal is personified in the penultimate verse: "What does the winter bring, if not yet another spring?"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 - 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...
– guitarsElectric 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 ....
Guest musicians
- 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...
and orchestral arrangements – 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... - Additional guitars – 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...
- Keyboards solos on "March of Mephisto" and "When the Lights Are Down" – Jens JohanssonJens JohanssonJens Ola Johansson is a Swedish power metal keyboardist and pianist. He is notable for his high-speed neoclassical and fusion style.-Biography:...
- MephistoMephistophelesMephistopheles is a demon featured in German folklore...
character on "March of Mephisto" and "Memento Mori" – ShagrathShagrathShagrath is a Norwegian musician best known as the vocalist of Dimmu Borgir.-Biography:Stian Thoresen was born on November 18, 1976 in Jessheim, outside of Oslo, Norway.... - CabaretCabaretCabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
singer on "Un Assassinio Molto Silenzioso" – Cinzia Rizzo - Marguerite character on "The Haunting" – Simone SimonsSimone SimonsSimone Johanna Maria Simons is a Dutch coloratura mezzo-soprano singer who is the lead vocalist of symphonic metal band Epica.-Biography:...
- The Usher at the Theater and Mayor of Gatesville – Geoff Rudd
- Helena character on "Memento Mori" and "Abandoned" – Mari YoungbloodMari (singer)Mari Youngblood , also called Mari, is a female soprano vocalist. She is mostly known for her role as Helena on Kamelot's Epica and The Black Halo albums, along with her live performance on One Cold Winter's Night album and DVD. Mari has also performed as lead in numerous musicals, including...
- Baby Alena on "Soul Society" – Annelise Youngblood (Thomas Youngblood's daughter)
- D-bass on "Abandoned" – Andre Neygenfind
- OboeOboeThe oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
on "Memento Mori" – Wolfgang Dietrich - Rodenberg Symphony Orchestra
- Kamelot Choir: Herbie Langhans, 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...
, Michael RodenbergMichael 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...
, Gerit Göbel, Thomas Rettke and Elisabeth Kjaernes