King Arthur's legendary court at Camelot was distinguished by the Round Table in the Great Hall, allowing knights and nobles to exchange ideas and innovations as equals. That medieval meeting of minds produced a glorious blossoming of beauty and chivalry, still renouned down the ages. Today, a band called Kamelot consists of a new kind of council, not of men-of-war, but of diverse musical mentalities who weave a sonic tapestry that fascinates flocks of fans, even while defying definition. On Wednesday, October 11th, Kamelot held court at the Key Club in West Hollywood, accompanied on tour by Dutch sextet Epica, and preceded by opening acts Advent, Deception, and King's Field, and the avid audience was royally entertained. The high-ceilinged Key Club seemed a suitably regal setting for the revelry that took place, and the venue appeared peopled to capacity. Sound was satisfyingly clear throughout the show, and the Key Club's competent staff took friendly care of the all-ages crowd on all three of the Club's levels, from the "dungeon" below, where merchandise could be found, to the main hall and bar areas, to the upper dining loft.

Not long ago, the term "fusion" typically referred to certain styles of electrified jazz, exemplified by such artists as Jean-Luc Ponty, Al DiMeola, and Weather Report, among others. But nowadays, one wonders whether the "fusion" tag might fairly be recycled in order to apply to the kind of hybrid, high-concept compositions being created by groups such as Kamelot and Epica, who concluded their recent tour together with the Key Club show. Kamelot's last studio release, "The Black Halo," is enjoying strong success within the sort of "niche market" the group occupies, and Epica's disks, including last year's "The Score," likewise enjoy continued popularity, but the question remains: Just what niche, or niches, do these artists occupy? Some listeners simply say "progressive rock" for the sake of convenience, while others modify that term to "hard progressive," but a scan of current commentary also culled the designations "Goth," "metal," "gothic metal" (no surprise), "melodic power metal," and "orchestral" or "symphonic rock," and both bands have been called "bombastic," for better or worse. In any case, Key Club attendees witnessed each group forging disparate audio elements into new forms, just as rock musicians have done since the 1950s.

Audience members appeared equally mixed between fans of Epica and Kamelot, and faithful fans were seen singing along with every word during both bands' performances. But before the top-billed artists hit the stage, the crowd was warmed up by two local hard-rock acts, plus a progressive outfit from Arizona called Kings Field. The six-man group from the Phoenix area claims Kamelot as a major influence, as could be heard during their opening set. Kings Field's instrumental line-up was similar to Epica's, with two guitarists, Eddie Rojas and Chris B., and a keyboard player, Emilio Puentes, and they set strong, creative tone for the evening. The band was rounded out with singer Renee Riviera, bassist Lane L., and drummer Gary Romero. Following Kings Field was Advent, a Burbank quartet comprised of two guitarists sharing lead duties, Arch Angel and Sifu Won, and Presidente Edgardo Camacho and Jimmy B Good on drums and bass. Advent unleashed tandem axe attacks that were reminiscent of some of Iron Maiden's work, while bass and drum lines mixed the complexity of Rush with the elemental throbbing of Megadeth or Motorhead --and a mini-mosh pit testified to the band's energizing effects. Next up was Deception, a five some from Orange County that delivered a pulsating metallic counterpunch to Advent's assault. Corn-fed front man Chris Kelley was enthusiastic in urging moshers to keep up the action on the floor, backed by drummer Adam Pinelli and bassist Scott Vogt, while two capable string-shredders, Rob Babcock and Chris J. Chang, shared lead and rhythm guitar duties. Chang's slender, articulated fingers were like the legs of a lightning-fast arachnid, scaling the frets while he tossed his long, thick, black hair during songs such as "Driven by Evil" and the minor-keyed "In the Shadows."

When Epica's gear was ready, a shout from the stage of "Let's go!" resulted in chants of "Epica! Epica!" from the crowd, and then the Epica logo appeared on an overhead projection, in conjunction with a symphonic introduction -- which abruptly shifted to a machine-gun guitar barrage from Mark Jansen and Ad Sluiter, supported by splendid keys from Coen Janssen, the drum rolls of Jeroen Simons, and left-handed bass-beats courtesy of Yves Huts. The entrancing tones of a Celtic-sounding female was heard from the wings, and then suddenly, straight to center-stage, strode stunning vocalist Simone Simons, clad in side-slotted leather pants topped by a silver-and-black camisole. Her lush, gold-burnished copper hair hung long and free, and the crowd beheld Simone repeatedly shaking, swinging and swirling her glorious mane in time to the tempo of the band. The set's moody opener, "Hunab K'u," led into crowd-favorites "Dance of Fate," "Sensorium" and "Quietus," each of which was received with vigorous applause. On several songs, guitarist Jansen contributed metal-tinged groans and growls, in startling contrast to Simone's pureness of tone. The outstanding vocalist's talent and porcelain beauty was complemented by her theatrical moves and gestures, delighting all who attended. Epica's set closed with "Consigned to Oblivion," a fate which this band will certainly avoid.

Headliners Kamelot fulfilled Goth and metal appearances by dressing all in black, and their stage backdrop and Casey Grillo's pair of bass drums carried the image of a crown of thorns (an emblem suitable for both genres) surrounding Kamelot's Maltese cross logo. Like Epica, Kamelot's set began with a brief classically influenced overture coming through the monitors, while new keyboardist Oliver Palotai stood by his Yamaha Motif on the mostly darkened stage, mist swirling at his feet. The symphony music gave way suddenly to a barrage from Casey's drumset, and the lights came up on guitarist Thomas Youngblood and bassist Glenn Barry blasting forth hard, fast and loud, just before vocalist Khan took control on "When the Lights Are Down” and "Soul Society," two of the many songs played from the new disk.

"The Black Halo," like other Kamelot releases, has been called a "concept album." This latest studio effort follows the thematic thread that began with their 2004 opus, "Epica," incorporating elements from German author Goethe's cautionary tale of Faust, the knowledge-seeker who bargained with the devil. Lyrics laden with love and loss, triumph and tragedy, eternal questions and ageless answers, demonstrate repeatedly that Youngblood, Khan and company aren't shy of tackling titanic topics in their music, which they brought to life on stage with a dramatic flair that included entrancing supporting vocals from two female guests. Since Kamelot's "Epica" title was key inspiration for their Dutch partners on this tour, it was appropriate that Epica's Simone Simons joined Khan on stage to sing "The Haunting," just as she did in the studio. Indeed, Simone's silvery tones hung hauntingly in the air, complementing Khan's interpretation of the tormented Doctor Faust. Two other compositions, "Center of the Universe" and "Memento Mori," were graced by a contribution of pale, dark-haired singer identified only as Mari, who looked like an elegant gothic angel in her flowing white gown. ("Memento Mori" can be translated from the Latin as "Remember Your Mortality" -- but despite its gothic ally grim-sounding title, the piece is infused with hints of hope.)

Throughout their 80-minute set, Kamelot ambled with agility from speed-metal-stacatto to classical complexity to jazzlike innovation, with members of the band parading his prowess in turn. Khan cantered through an extraordinary range, shifting without slipping from high-octave crooning to crowd-rousing shouting, enlisting audience sing-alongs on songs such as "Forever." Founding member Youngblood displayed consistent fret board precision in a variety of styles, including a solo session before "Forever" that sounded almost like a Carlos Santana lead. After "Forever" faded, plucky German pianist Palotai played a concise concerto as a prelude to the dolphin-like tones that opened "The Haunting." Grillo hammed it following "Memento Mori," turning his drum solo into a mocking appeal for adulation. Bassist Barry, whose shoulder-length blond hair makes him look a lot more like a Nordic warrior of yore than Oslo native Khan, gleaned a good amount of front-stage time to highlight his fluid low-down fills and chunky, churning build-ups.

Kamelot bid an effusive farewell before launching into "Karma," but the crowd's expected roar brought the band back for a final "Black Halo" offering, "March of Mephisto, which is in fact the album's opening track. For this final number of the evening, Khan donned a floor-length buttoned smock, appearing distinctly Mephistopholean with his pointed goatee & furrowed brow. Thomas Youngblood lent a fiendish growl to the song, covering the part that Norwegian metal-monger Shagrath performed on the original track. And then -- the house lights came up, and Kamelot's court was dismissed.