Kamelot is one of metal’s most unique, influential and
prestigious acts to come along in decades. The group’s reputation among fans and
media alike is marked by enthusiasm as well as esteem, each of their seven
studio albums to date surpassing its predecessor in terms of songwriting and
production. As one of the most difficult-to-categorise artists on the metal
scene, Kamelot are poised to assault the planet with their most insightful and
ambitious project to date, Ghost Opera. Ready to continue their ascension to the
pinnacle of metal royalty, founding guitarist Thomas Youngblood, bassist Glenn
Barry, new keyboardist Oliver Palotai and drummer Casey Grillo join lead singer
Roy Khan to complete this journey to systematically alter the face of metal.
Throughout the recent years, their releases have achieved cult status around the
world. Ghost Opera will once again raise the bar for others to follow.
“With the worldwide success of The Black Halo, we knew the follow-up had to be
special”, Youngblood confesses. “With Ghost Opera, we wanted to try some new
things and also work with new people. I enjoyed the camaraderie very much and it
has refuelled my love for this band. It gave me some perspective.” Musically,
Kamelot combine different styles which they blend into their own homogenous,
distinctive trademark. “We have fans in many musical camps,” Youngblood
characterises the band’s unique standing. “We play power metal as much as
progressive metal and gothic metal.” All these elements come to bear on Ghost
Opera. “Our music is pure versatility - double bass rhythms, progressive
arrangements, but also ballads and straightforward mid-tempo numbers. We don’t
care what you want to call this mix. To us, the most important criterion is our
own style which can’t be compared to any other band.” “Our goal is always to top
ourselves” states Khan.
Youngblood and Khan can rely on longstanding comrades-in-arms in Casey Grillo
and Glenn Barry, while Oliver Palotai is a new addition to the Kamelot fold. In
2006, Kamelot added the German keyboardist as a permanent member. Fans of the
bands Doro and Blaze know Oliver’s skills very well, and he proved to be a force
live, on Kamelot’s Black Halo World Tour. “We have been using guest keyboardists
for several years now, but Oliver was different and special. We had to ask him
to join us as a permanent member and would not take no for an answer,” adds
Youngblood.
The production team: Sascha Paeth and Miro with Olaf Reitmeier engineering has
repeatedly proved its worth. “Sascha and Miro understand us on a musical and on
a personal level,” Khan and Youngblood praise the producers from Wolfsburg.
“They always succeed in getting the best out of us without taking away our
typical trademarks. As a result, our earlier albums still sound contemporary and
fresh.”
In the first video, ‘Ghost Opera’ the band goes over the top visually with
actors, choirs, orchestral members and incredible graphics seldom seen in the
genre. Kamelot tell the (fictitious) story of a young-and-hopeful opera singer
who is attacked, raped and injured on her way to her great debut, she could
never recover from this traumatic event and every day and night she wonders what
that night would have been like on her debut. This somewhat sinister story is
underlined by the dark, melancholy basic mood of the song. The song features
astonishing riffs and soaring melodies that surely will make it another Kamelot
metal classic. “The new tracks are heavier and more complex than many of our
earlier compositions,” says Youngblood. “We aimed at a tougher sound in
connection with lugubrious melodies that are still extremely catchy.” Listening
deliberately to Ghost Opera, you will discover a total of ten
monolithic-sounding, self-contained numbers. “Some lyrics are very personal
whilst others are interpretations of historical events & myths as well as
comments on the world we live in. They all have a spiritual dimension to them,
but these are ten songs that tell ten very different stories.” says Khan.
Now they can’t wait to present their new offering live on stage to convince
their fans of its qualities. The band begin their world tour in Europe in June
and return to the States for a headlining run in August/September.