* BrokenBase:
** ''Poetry for the Poisoned'', which traded out Kamelot's usual power/prog style for a heavier goth sound. Many fans were unhappy with the change, including vocalist Roy Khan, who left the band shortly thereafter. Their first two albums are also a source of contention, between those who don't like Vanderbilt's vocals and those who are fine with them.
** Averted with Tommy Karevik becoming the new lead singer. Most of the fans are quite happy with Tommy. It's probably because Karevik's singing sounds very similar to Khan's.
* CompleteMonster: In the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mzFjClstLA final]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwTz0IV1kBI three]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRBIcy7ssi8 songs]] of ''Karma'', Countess UsefulNotes/ElizabethBathory is a vain woman who [[ImmortalityImmorality desires eternity and divinity]]. After striking a virgin servant, Bathory believes she has discovered what she has sought and begins abducting girls to torture them and [[BloodBath bathe in their blood]], mocking them about walking beside her for all time after. After killing countless women, Bathory realizes she has nothing awaiting her but hell, and any attempt at repentance is hollow because [[IRegretNothing she regrets nothing]].
* DesignatedHero: Over ''Epica'' and ''The Black Halo,'' Ariel does almost nothing heroic. He's selfish, smug, weak, abandons everyone who cares about him and achieves practically nothing to earn his title as "God's favorite men."
* EvenBetterSequel: ''Epica'' and ''The Black Halo''. ''Epica'' is a beautiful concept album, but ''The Black Halo'', which continues the story, is a ''masterpiece''.
* GrowingTheBeard: Most agree that ''The Fourth Legacy'' was the band's first good album. This is when they replaced Mark Vanderbilt (who is not well regarded as a vocalist by fans of the band) with Roy Khan, who fans considered to be a much better singer.
* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff - Though founded in Florida, they only have a strong underground following in North America while they're among the most popular power metal bands in Europe along side giants like Music/{{Helloween}} or Music/{{Nightwish|Band}}. Since ''Ghost Opera'', at least half the band has been European, and they now have as many Germans as Americans in the band.
* FanonDiscontinuity: Some of the fandom like to pretend ''Dominion'' and ''Eternity'', and at times even ''Siege Perilous'', don't exist. However, this is Subverted for the most part. The majority of the fans consider them mediocre at best and boring at worst, but they'll usually acknowledge their existence.
* {{Narm}}: Mark Vanderbilt's vocals provide very generous amounts of Narm to ''Eternity'' and ''Dominion''. Gloriously averted on everything else they've done since.
* NightmareFuel:
** The entirety of the video for "The Great Pandemonium". Highlights include: the tentacle thing in the background, the woman with the robotic claws growing out of her knee and slicing her thigh repeatedly, and Khan's baglady nails.
** Same goes for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8pd99KBLjs the video for "Necropolis"]], particularly the end.
** Most of the lyrics from the "Elizabeth" songs are quite disturbing.
* OlderThanTheyThink: Only rising to prominence around the turn of the century when power metal came back to life on mainland Europe, many will no doubt be surprised to learn the band started in the early 90s.
* RootingForTheEmpire: Mephisto is the one people cheer for in ''Epica'' and ''The Black Halo,'' being a suave, brilliant fallen angel with some sympathy to his backstory and rage over being cast aside in favor of humankind. He has some exceptional songs and even comes off as more sympathetic than Ariel.
* SeasonalRot: ''Poetry for the Poisoned'' and ''The Shadow Theory''. The former was widely panned as a tepid, poorly-paced, boring slog, while the latter was panned as a lazy, derivative "Kamelot by numbers" release.
* SignatureSong: "Forever" in general, "Sacrimony (Angel of Afterlife)" for the Karevik era.
* SoBadItsGood: Once you're over the shock, Mark Vanderbilt's tortured caterwauling on the first two albums can be a source of guilty entertainment. Challenge yourself to listen to, for example, ''Eternity'' followed by the almightily wailed ''Black Tower'', without cracking a smile at any point.
* TearJerker:
** "Don't You Cry," an acoustic ballad about Thomas Youngblood's father, who died when he was 12, and "Hunter's Season" which is dedicated to Thomas's mother.
** "Love You To Death", a song about a pair of [[StarCrossedLovers young lovers]]. The girl is terminally ill.
** "Wander" is told from the viewpoint of a man who has come to the realization that his relentless quest for the meaning of life has caused him to lose what was most important to him: his family and his lover. He expresses his longing for a simpler time ("flowers in mahogany hair and smell of earth in bloom...") and by the end of the song, the poor guy's downright suicidal, leading into "Descent of the Archangel," Epica's VillainSong.
** "Abandoned", a ballad told from a man who is crying out to God to be forgiven for his sins, but does not expect to hear him.
** ''Ghost Opera'' is a song from the POV of an old woman reminiscing about how her attack and rape on the night she was to sing at an opera. She fantasizes about performing to acclaim, but it's only a dream. Mitigating somewhat in ''Opus of the Night,'' where this was such a tearjerker that Thomas Youngblood had to ensure a sequel to give her a happier ending.
** "Song For Jolee", which is about someone feeling guilty about the death of a loved one.
*** The video for "Sacrimony (Angel of Afterlife)" features a flashback to Jolee's death...and her brother, now an adult and languishing in prison for assaulting his father (in order to defend his brother), has a vision of Jolee, still a child, come to comfort him. The scene then shows that he's holding empty air, a painful reminder that Jolee is still gone.
** From ''Haven'', "Here's to the Fall" and "End of Innocence". The latter particularly drove [[https://twitter.com/Edenecho_/status/1068849033953783809 a Japanese fan]] to tears during a live gig in Osaka in 2018, and then [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments Tommy reached out to comfort her]].
* TheWoobie: The narrator of "Across the Highlands" is immortal, and has become unable to feel sympathy for others because of witnessing so much destruction and warfare. He is wandering to "finalize his history", but sounds unsure if he will succeed.
%%** Ariel, the protagonist of ''Epica'' and ''The Black Halo''.
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