KAMELOT Guitarist Thomas Youngblood - "The First Few Records Were Basically Just Us Trying To Find Our Identity"
October 11, 2012, 11 years ago
KAMELOT guitarist Thomas Youngblood is featured in a new interview with The Great Southern Brainfart discussing the band's forthcoming album, Silverthorn, and new singer Tommy Karevik. An excerpt is available below:
Q: As opposed to sounding like a lot of the more modern symphonic metal bands, Kamelot seems to have this old school vibe that really connected with me.
Youngblood: "At first, we really didn’t know what we were doing. The first few records were basically just us trying to find our identity. When we got to the album Karma, we really found our niche and our own sound. We were blending those classical influences with some new age influences and making the record really melodic yet also dark and melancholy. Those were the key identifiers with the band from that point on and with each record we just wanted to grow and try different things. We have the luxury of having open minded fans who are open to change and that’s important especially with the changes that have happened recently."
Q: The change you’re talking about is the changing of lead vocalists from Roy Khan to Tommy Karevik. That’s a huge change for any band to undergo. Has the addition of Tommy to the band opened doors to some new fans that may have been somewhat on the fence before?
Youngblood: "When a band has to change a singer, it’s hard. It is becoming more common now and I think people accept it more than they would have say 15 years ago. From the day we knew we had to make this change, we looked at it as an opportunity to not only continue at the same level but to grow as a band. Bringing in a guy like Tommy is not only going keep a good percentage of the older fans but he’s going to be part of building a new fan base for Kamelot for the future. We didn’t want to just rest on our laurels. We wanted to keep the door open and grow."
Go to this location for the complete interview:
In preparation for their European headline tour, Kamelot recently issued the following update:
"Here are the only venues allowing VIP ticket sales due to regulations and time restraints. Please note that you must have already purchased a show ticket before you can purchase a VIP Upgrade below. We are looking forward to meeting you!"November
2 - Eindhoven, Netherlands - Effenaar3 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
4 - Paris, France - Le Bataclan
5 - Stuttgart, Germany - LKA/Longhorn
6 - Antwerp, Belgium - Trix
7 - London, UK - HMV Forum
9 - Barcelona, Spain - Sala Razzmatazz 2
10 - Lorca, Spain - Metal Lorca Festival
11 - Madrid, Spain - Sala Caracol
13 - Bologna, Italy - Estragon
14 - Vienna, Austria - Szene
15 - Praha, Czech Republic - KC Vltavska
16 - Berlin, Germany - C-Club
17 - Geiselwind - Musichall
18 - Cologne - Essigfabrik
20 - Hamburg - Markthalle
21 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Vega
22 - Stockholm, Sweden - Göta Källare
23 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Trädgarn
24 - Oslo, Norway - Sentrum Scene
Kamelot's complete live itinerary can be found at this location.
The band's new album, Silverthorn, is due out on October 30th in North America, October 26th in Germany and October 29th in the rest of Europe via Steamhammer/SPV. It will receive its Japanese release October 24th via King Records.
Album samples can now be heard at this location.
Silverthorn tracklisting
'Manus Dei'
'Sacrimony (Angel of Afterlife)'
'Ashes to Ashes'
'Torn'
'Song for Jolee'
'Veritas'
'My Confession'
'Silverthorn'
'Falling Like the Fahrenheit'
'Solitaire'
'Prodigal Son'
'Continuum'
The video clip for the song 'Sacrimony (Angel Of Afterlife)' will debut soon and features guest appearances by Elize Ryd (AMARANTHE) and Alissa White-Gluz (THE AGONIST).
The Silverthorn LP and limited edition will have one version of the art, while the standard version of Silverthorn will have a different but equally exquisite version of the artwork. The standard version is presented as an Ecolbook. The limited edition contains the Ecolbook, a bonus CD with nearly 60 minutes of music, a 44 page book and an exclusive poster. The double LP version is a gatefold on colored vinyl and includes the CD.
