Oliver Palotai — born in Germany in 1974 — has been Kamelot's keyboard player and additional guitarist since 2005, and is responsible for a central part of the band's symphonic sound. He has classical training: he studied piano and composition, and that grounding is what lets Kamelot write real orchestrations instead of simulating them with keyboard timbres. It is the difference between a band that uses strings as ornament and one that integrates orchestral writing into the structure of the tracks — a distinction audible on records like Ghost Opera (2007), Silverthorn (2012) and The Shadow Theory (2018). His entry coincides with The Black Halo (2005), the second concept album based on Goethe's Faust and one of symphonic metal's most ambitious works. He has since taken part in the group's entire output, crossing Roy Khan's departure and Tommy Karevik's arrival. Besides Kamelot he has been part of Doro and other projects of the German circuit, and keeps work in orchestral music outside metal — a path explaining why his function in the band is closer to an arranger's than to an accompanying keyboard player's.
Metalicks is a community-run informational and cultural portal. The information on this page — texts, images, logos, cover art and other materials — is credited to their respective authors, artists, bands, labels and rights holders. Metalicks does not claim ownership over any of the works portrayed here, and all rights remain with their rightful owners. Content is gathered from public sources and community contributions; any inaccuracies can be corrected using the button below. Rights holders who wish to request a correction or removal of any content may do so at any time.
