Let’s take another look at Kamelot.

Founded in 1987 by Thomas Youngblood (guitar) under the name Camelot, the band adopted its current spelling four years later. In 2026, the lineup was rounded out by Sean Tibbetts (bass), Oliver Palotai (keyboards, ex Doro and Blaze Bayley), Tommy Karevik (vocals, Raskasta Joulua, formerly of Seventh Wonder), and Alex Landenburg (drums, Cyhra, Mekong Delta, ex-Luca Turilli’s Rhapsody…), and the band signed to Napalm Records released its fourteenth album, Dark Asylum.

We begin the journey with Sanctorium, an opening track that starts off rather unsettling but ultimately becomes majestic, leading us into Ashen World’s energetic yet jagged riffs, where we hear Tommy’s expressive vocals—powerful during the choruses and softer when the rhythm section subsides. At times, he is accompanied by the screams of Ignacia Fernández (Decessus), which reinforce the duality before moving on to Dark Asylum, the eponymous track rooted in mysterious tones that flare up to become more theatrical, thus complementing the vocal parts. Also worth noting is the back-and-forth between guitar and keyboard solos during a haunting passage, but the track eventually gives way to Sanctuary, where the band invites Clémentine Delauney (Visions of Atlantis, Exit Eden) and reunites with Ignacia Fernández for a highly interesting and diverse vocal trio, making the track almost unpredictable. Nocte Veritas offers us a rather heavy, mystical interlude before moving on to One Last Masquerade, which brings back the catchy riffs and also features Tobias Sammet (Avantasia) backing up the vocalist, making this lively track a true masterpiece for fans of both bands. The tone softens with Ivy, My Dear, a gentle ballad in which the band focuses on a clean sound to let the singer shine, before the distortion returns on Godlike Alchemy, a much livelier track that uses an intoxicating touch to set the pace. The track passes by rather quickly, however, giving way to The Sleeping Mind (Orphic Paradigm), which in turn imposes its energetic and heady riffs that will soon have us headbanging before leading us to Kaleidoscope, which begins with piercing leads but eventually refocuses on the effective foundation, letting the vocalist guide us. The drum accelerations are perfectly timed to set up the most aggressive passages, balanced by Enigma (Think of Me), which offers long, fairly minimalist moments of calm, as well as a few heavier riffs, though they remain fairly mellow. The vocalist doesn’t hesitate to adopt more expressive, more sensitive tones, while it’s the instrumental arrangement that builds the melancholy on Cassandra’s Disease, especially the piano in the opening moments, even as the rest of the track remains fairly robust. The band ventures into folk influences on Beneath the Moon (Tunglið), where they welcome vocalists Rannveig Sif Sigurðardóttir and Sólveig Sara Leupold, as well as violinist Lea-Sophie Fischer (Eluveitie, ex-Russkaja), but the duet is very short, and the atmosphere darkens once again on ?The Puppet King, which follows immediately and plunges us back into darkness. The break is particularly catchy, allowing each instrument to shine, but it will be the last, as Sanctum Requiem lets the keyboards and orchestrations offer us one final moment of escape, bringing this album to a grand close.

There’s no doubt about it, Kamelot knows how to deliver epic riffs! If the previous thirteen albums hadn’t already won you over, Dark Asylum will certainly do so by offering not only powerful tracks but also a shifting and varied atmosphere.

80/100

Version Française ?

A few questions to Thomas Youngblood, founder guitarist for the band Kamelot, about the release of the band’s new album Dark Asylum, by Raven.

Hello Thomas, and first of all thanks a lot for taking the time to talk with me! How are you?
Thomas Youngblood (guitar): I’m doing great. I’m very excited about the album release and the upcoming tour. It’s a great time for Kamelot and the fans and so we’re excited.
Raven: Yeah, I was just listening again to the album and it’s good.

How would you describe Kamelot’s music without using the words “Power Metal”, “Symphonic Metal” or any other subgenre?
Thomas: I don’t really like to categorize our music in specific boxes. I think. If you’re a Kamelot fan, you know that our music has different elements and not just Symphonic or Power or Progressive. But there’s new age, there’s classical, there’s film score, there’s cinematic approaches. So it’s really hard to categorize Kamelot‘s music, I think. I would hope that we’ve kind of created our own sort of sound and a genre, so to speak.
Raven: So, a bit maybe on this album, more cinematic at least?
Thomas: Yeah, I think so. That was one of the goals was to make the album a little more cinematic, but also bring back some Gothic elements from like Silverthorn and Ghost Opera, as well as bringing back some of the Folk elements with acoustic guitars and real violins, these kind of things or something that I’ve been wanting to bring back into the sound of the band.

Kamelot will soon release its fourteenth studio album, named Dark Asylum. How do you feel about it?
Thomas: Oh, I feel great. We’ve been working on it for about 2 years, and the idea came from this abandoned cathedral that’s kind of turned into an insane asylum and it’s really a metaphor for our own personal lives and minds, how we’ve kind of created these sort of structures in our own head that have kept us from really doing what we want to in life and we hope that metaphorically, some of these stories and and and songs kind of help people.

How would you sum Dark Asylum’s identity up in only three words?
Thomas: I just think it’s a continuation or or evolution of the Kamelot‘s sound, but we’ve also kept elements of the Kamelot DNA, but we’ve added some new things and we brought back some old Kamelot sort of signature ideas. So it really encompasses a lot of the eras of Kamelot, but it also creates a whole new era.
Raven: Yeah, but I want 3 words to sum up the identity.
Thomas: Three words. I would say cinematic. Thoughtful and Dark.
Raven: Yeah, Dark Asylum, I accept. You got me.

Dark Asylum happens three years after the previous album, are there any changes you noticed in the composition process?
Thomas: Not really, we basically wrote the record in a very similar fashion, we kind of work on demos at home first and then we send them back and forth to each other, between… I live in Florida, my keyboard player lives in Germany, our singer lives now in Vancouver, Canada. So we did things very similar in terms of the composition, the recording process. We all have home studios now, so we’re able to record at home. And then the end of the process is always working with the producer, which is Sascha Paeth again. We’ve been working with him for over 20 years. So very similar kind of process. Obviously the music’s different, the storyline is different, but in terms of the composition, it’s very similar.

That’s related to another question because the band’s lineup has been stable for a long time, did you notice improvements to the creative process?
Thomas: I guess you know just. Everyone is more kind of comfortable now, especially Tommy, our singer. He’s bringing more of his kind of signature style and vocals, I think on this record it’s one of the best Kamelot albums in terms of vocals ever. Fans are gonna love the way Tommy‘s singing on this record and his melodies. But yeah having a steady lineup is definitely helpful, not just with the recording, but also with touring and there’s no divas on tour or anything like that, which is good.
Raven: Yeah, seems legit. 

I’m sorry, I will use some labels, but Kamelot’s sound is of course rooted in Power and Symphonic Metal since its beginning. Please don’t hit me. Are there any bands you could quote as influence?
Thomas: I had quite a few starting out, like the band Rush, for example, was a big influence for me in the beginning. That’s one of the kind of genesis for me wanting to play like some classical stuff and cause Alex Lifeson would play  a nylon acoustic on some of the earlier records. I grew up really liking Michael Schenker, bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest. So all of those were kind of like some of the earlier influences, but growing up in Tampa, one of my main influences was Savatage, they were from Tampa and they kind of showed me that there was a path outside of Florida to get to international waters, so to speak. So I would list those as my influences.
Raven: Thank you, that’s really interesting. Sorry, my cats…
Thomas: Yeah, my cat’s over there too!
Raven: I have both the male and the female, so…
Thomas: Let me see the cat! Awesome.

So which song is your personal favorite on Dark Asylum?
Thomas: It’s difficult. I think the song Dark Asylum is one of my favorites because it mixes a little bit of this Progressive elements, but with a very melodic chorus. Godlike Alchemy, which is a single we just released, it’s one of my favorites. The chorus is very melodic and it also has a lot of meaning, lyrically. And of course Ashenworld is one of my favorites as well.
Raven: To be honest, my answers would have been close to yours. It’s quite difficult to tell that one is better than the other because all are good. But Dark Asylum, there is something inside the song that I don’t know, it’s saying something to me. I don’t know what.
Thomas: Yeah there’s something about that chorus and I don’t know, every time I listen to that song, I got the chorus stuck in my head for days, which is a good thing.

Which song was the hardest one for you to complete? To write or just to play?
Thomas: Probably Cassandra’s Disease. That’s a very Progressive, there’s a lot of musical parts on that song. So to really get that one to sound perfect and to make the production of that. It seems that it was probably the most difficult. But you know, in general, we’ve been doing this for a long time, so we’re kind of able to produce these songs and record them. I don’t wanna say easy because it’s all hard work, but it’s all pretty much a very similar process, but Cassandra’s Disease was definitely more than difficult.
Raven: Yeah, I understand. Sorry, the cat is doing stupid thing (laughs).

There are a few guest vocalists and a violinist on the album. How did you reach them and ask them to participate?
Thomas: Clementine from Visions of Atlantis – and she’s also in Exit Eden – has been a longtime friend, so we really wanted her on the album and she’ll be touring with us quite a bit. We have Ignacia Fernández from Chile, who’s been a friend of ours for over 10 years, um. And Tobias Sammet from Avantasia is on the album, he’s the mastermind behind Avanasia and Edguy, and it was just awesome to have him join us on One Last Masquerade. So a lot of these, they’re all friends of ours that we just wanted to have this kind of extra spice on some of the songs.
Raven: That’s nice, and you’re smiling, thinking about them!
Thomas: Yeah, absolutely. It’s always cool to include some of your friends that are super talented and they can add, and it was nice having Ignacia Fernández from Chile become part of the Kamelot family now, which is really cool.

Do you think you improved yourself as a guitarist?
Thomas: I think we added some different elements on the guitar, a little more kind of some of the guitar parts are a little more Progressive and more Neoclassical. Some are more Blues. So yeah, I would say that there’s some some new things. I wouldn’t say improved. I don’t really like that description, but it’s definitely there’s some new twists and turns to the guitar playing.

So let’s talk about live show now: how do you do for a live Kamelot show? What happens inside of you and in which mindset do you jump on stage?
Thomas: We always tried to transport the listener and ourselves to a different place  when it comes to the live show. And that’s Dark Asylum is gonna be fun to try to recreate for the live experience. And obviously, I mean I’m personally an introvert, but on stage, I am someone else, which is fun!
Raven: You don’t look like an introvert, you’re friendly and smiling, but maybe it’s the distance! Just maybe because I’m saying stupid things, it makes you laugh (laughs).

One thing that I’m curious about is maybe you have some rituals or habits before or after a show?
Thomas: Yeah, before a show, I definitely sit and warm up with a practice amp in the dressing room for like 30 minutes, go over the different parts of the songs. I try to visualize the show, the beginning of the show, where I’m gonna be, things like that. And then once we’re on stage, it’s all about the connection between ourselves and the fans, and we’d like to get as close to the people as possible. So we really hate barricades. But a lot of times it’s a rule that you have to have a barricade, but we do not like barricades. We want the people right against the stage where we can high five them and do whatever, so there’s always a little bit of ritual. It’s, it’s mostly having a little drink and practicing and then getting on stage and, and kicking ass, you know.

I was unfortunately not lucky enough to catch the band on stage yet, but I know you have a North American tour, two KAMFEST shows, and then a European tour scheduled for the end of the year, how do you get ready for such events?
Thomas: It takes a lot of planning of course. Before every tour, everyone flies in and we rehearse for a week before and go through the show. That’s what you have to do, to make the show great from the first show on. But we’re excited. I mean, we have North America coming up in about 2.5 weeks and a month later we have Europe, which will include a couple of shows in France. I think the venue in Paris that we wanted to play was booked already, but we’ll come back to Paris.
Raven: How do you work on the setlist? How do you choose the songs that will be on the setlist? And is the, or are the setlists different from one concert to another?
Thomas: Well, we have like a kind of a with every new album we play 4 to 5 new songs on the setlist. We always try to balance the setlist with mostly new songs and some older kind of classics. But that’s the difficult thing having 14 albums. How do you pick a setlist, right? But in general, you know, we try to stay with a more modern newer albums, and then we just sprinkle on some older songs because we don’t really rest on the past, we don’t play songs like it’s not like a 20 year tribute band, you know, so we always try to focus on new material.

And so what can we expect for the KAMFEST shows?
Thomas: That’ll be a massive production. We have 2 different lineups for day 1 and 2. We’ll be playing slightly altered sets between the two shows. Different special guests, it’s gonna be exciting for our very first KAMFEST, so we have fans coming from all over the world, which is exciting as well. 

What comes next for Kamelot after this year? Do you already have some plans?
Thomas: We’re gonna be doing festivals, of course. We’re gonna be adding some new countries to our touring, going back to some countries that we haven’t been to in a while, like Australia. Well, we’re gonna add China to our tour cycle. We’ve never been to China, so there’s a lot of fun and exciting things happening around the Dark Asylum and so we’re, we’re excited about the next 2 to 3 years. It’s gonna be a lot of travel, but it’s gonna be fun.

Something is itching me: how do you come up with the name Kamelot and how do you link it to the music you play together? Because I know the Arthurian legend.
Thomas: It’s really interesting, I hardly ever get asked that question, which is good on you for asking that because it’s usually never has. When we were starting the band, we were kind of into this whole medieval thing, like the medieval fairs and things like this. And my mom was a big fan of John F. Kennedy, which was one of the presidents, and his reign during the time was called “Camelot”.
Raven: What?
Thomas: Yeah, they called his time in the White House was called “Camelot”. So my mom said “why don’t you call the band Kamelot?” And at the time there was a record store named Camelot in, in the US and it was spelled with a C, so I changed it to a K and the rest is history, I guess you could say!
Raven: Well, I didn’t know that, but thank you for this, I will be less stupid this night!
Thomas: That’s how it came about.

Have you ever heard of the French Metal scene? Are there any bands you know and like?
Thomas: Honestly, not really. I know there was a Power Metal band in the 90s, I think that Fred was part of, he’s now in Kreator, but no, not really. Sorry.
Raven: The French Metal scene is really diverse, so it’s difficult to tell. We have a lot of Black Metal bands. We have a lot of small bands. Maybe, maybe you have heard of Gojira.
Thomas: Yeah, of course, this one, at least. I’ve definitely heard of them. 

Are there any bands you would love to play with? I let you create your dream poster with headlining and three other bands, even unrealistic answers are accepted.
Thomas: We’ve been able to play with Iron Maiden, we’ve supported them 3 or 4 times, so that would have been my number one, but since we’ve already done that, you know, I would love to do something with the band Muse, for example. I love them. I would say Kamelot, Iron Maiden, Metallica, and Muse.

Last and funny question: which dish or drink would you compare Kamelot music with?
Thomas: I would say a nice pasta with a really nice cognac. I love pasta and I love cognac, so I mean that’s okay.

That was the last question for me, so thank you very much for your time and your music, last words are yours!
Thomas: Well, hopefully we’ll see you at one of the shows and if we can add Paris, we’ll definitely see you, please!