Metal Exiles recently caught up with KAMELOT guitarist Thomas Youngblood. An excerpt from the chat is available below:

Metal Exiles: I have to start out by saying that this is the best work Kamelot has put out to date. The work ethic is amazing.

Thomas: "You know, In a time when bands are selling fewer records we continue to grow in terms of fans and record sales. It’s a testament to our fans and working very hard, growing with album and hopefully doing things right."

Metal Exiles: Speaking of selling records, you are no longer on SPV, correct.

Thomas: "That is true. In Europe we are on Ear Music, a division of Edel which is a major label in Europe. In North America we started our own label called Kamelot Media Group and we are distributed by E1. It is really exciting for us to have our own record label and it may be a sign of the times for other bands in the future."

Metal Exiles: How easy, or hard, is it to do your own thing in America and still have good record sales?

Thomas: "First of all you have to have people working for and with you that believe in the band. We have amazing people working with us that know what they are doing and we got the numbers for the first week of sales of Poetry For The Poisoned and we almost doubled what we did for our last record on SPV. It is a cool thing to do our own label and decide where the money goes. We know our fans better than anybody sitting in a record company office, we know the right ways to market the band."

Metal Exiles: As far as the direction, this is possibly Kamelot’s most diverse album. It seems to me with The Black Halo Kamelot started turing away from traditional Power Metal and with this album it seems to be a darker affair. Did this come out in the writing or was it intentional.

Thomas: "Each record has its own thing and we do not set any goals or directions, it just evolves with the song writing. I will agree with you, it is possibly the most diverse album since Karma, it has every element that makes Kamelot who we are. For some of the newer fans it may take longer to get into this album but for the older fans they love it."

Go to this location for the complete interview.

Kamelot recently revealed new Poetry For The Poisoned top 10/40/100 chart entries:

USA Billboard Hard Charts - #6

Norway - #7

USA Billboard Indie Charts - #15

Sweden - #23

Germany - #32

Netherlands - #43

Switzerland - #48

Austria - #57

Belgium - #64

USA Billboard Top 200 - #74

Poetry For The Poisoned, was recorded at Gate Studios in Wolfsburg, Germany with producers Sascha Paeth and Miro and features guest appearances by Simone Simons (EPICA), Gus G. (OZZY OSBOURNE, FIREWIND), Björn “Speed” Strid (SOILWORK) and Jon Oliva (SAVATAGE, JON OLIVA’S PAIN). The album is available in three versions - Regular CD edition, Digipak CD with bonus DVD and 2LP gatefold vinyl edition.

DVD bonus material:

- Kamelot video 'The Great Pandemonium'
- Exclusive and in depth Interviews with each Kamelot member
- Kamelot “Pick and Play” for the song 'The Great Pandemonium'
- Poetry For The Poisoned background Images
- Exclusive video footage from Norway Rock Festival 2010
- Bonus song 'House On A Hill' (uncut version)

Marquee/Avalon Records will release the album in Japan (date TBC).

Poetry For The Poisoned tracklisting:

'The Great Pandemonium

'If Tomorrow Came

'Dear Editor

'The Zodiac

'Hunter’s Season

'House On A Hill

'Necropolis

'My Train Of Thoughts

'Seal Of Woven Years

'Poetry For The Poisoned':

- Pt. I - 'Incubus'
- Pt. II - 'So Long'
- Pt. III - 'All Is Over'
- Pt. IV - 'Dissection'

'Once Upon A Time'

Check out a track-by-track breakdown of the album from BW&BK;'s Mark Gromen at this location.