Kamelot's First Australian Tour - "Your Nagging Worked!"

A tour of Australia has been a long time coming for dedicated fans of US-based melodic metallers Kamelot, aptly dubbed “grand masters of symphonic power metal” by Kerrang! magazine. The Aussie division of the Kamelot Nation has made a lot of noise over the years in a bid to secure a Down Under tour, and Kamelot’s guitarist and co-founder Thomas Youngblood laughs over the phone from his home in Florida when I mention the incessant nagging the band has been subjected to. “Well, it worked,” he says, proudly. “We’re very excited about finally coming down to Australia.”

Kamelot, who fuse elements of power, symphonic and progressive metal, have been around since the early ’90s and have released acclaimed records such as Karma and The Black Halo. Silverthorn, their 10th studio album, was released in October last year to rave reviews and was voted Best Power Metal Album of 2012 by Metal Storm. Based on an original story about a girl called Jolee, the concept album is an elaborate and profound musical composition; one that you would expect from a band as respected and influential as Kamelot. An aural feast of luscious melodies and vocals, Silverthorn features the divine voice of new frontman Tommy Karevik of Sweden, who was named Kamelot’s official vocalist in 2012 after the departure of long-time singer Roy Khan.

Karevik, a former firefighter, co-wrote the songs on Silverthorn and his arresting stage presence and friendly countenance have made him extremely popular amongst fans. Speaking exclusively to Music Feeds from Sweden, where he is preparing for the next leg of Kamelot’s Silverthorn tour kicking off in Japan on 28th May, Karevik says he is looking forward to having the opportunity to perform for Kamelot’s Aussie fans: “I am super excited! From what I have heard, Australia has some of the greatest fans in the world!” he says.

As an added bonus, accompanying Kamelot on their tour of Australia will be The Agonist’s Alissa White-Gluz of Canada, who was a guest vocalist on Silverthorn. Gluz will also perform the female vocals that have appeared throughout the Kamelot catalogue over the years by acclaimed singers such as Simone Simons of Epica and Elize Ryd of Amaranthe. “It’s pretty cool the way everything worked out,” says Youngblood. “She toured with us and Nightwish in the US and when Nightwish had a problem with Anette [Olzon, vocalist] in Denver, Alissa and Elize Ryd sang the Nightwish set. She has these amazing growls, she’s a great singer, she looks amazing and she’s got a great stage presence. We’re pretty fortunate to have such a talented person with us.”

Another coup for Aussie fans is that Kamelot are offering exclusive VIP packages to their shows; an experience the band enjoys immensely. “It’s cool for us because we get to meet the fans a little bit more up-close and a lot of times they’ll talk to us about a song or something that might have meant something to them,” Youngblood explains. “It’s just a little bit more of an intimate experience and it’s nice to be able to hear personal stories. We still try to meet fans after shows if we can, if we don’t have to leave right away for the next city, but it’s there for fans to do if they want to do it; if they don’t want to do it they don’t have to. It’s the show that’s the main thing, the VIP is just a little icing on the cake kind of thing,” he says.

Although Kamelot is on a tight schedule while in Oz, Youngblood says they will be sure to see as much of each city as possible, and of particular interest to him as an enthusiast of architecture is the Sydney Opera House. “We’re definitely going to make sure that we have time to do something in each city and to try to get some video too because we’re trying to archive all of these tours for the upcoming DVD. We want to show our fans a bit of each country we visit,” he says.

Perhaps there will be footage of a koala here, or a crocodile there? “A koala here, a crocodile there, and The Wiggles over here,” he laughs. And as to the question of whether Australian audiences will be treated to the keyboard, bass or drum solos that have become a popular staple on Kamelot’s Silverthorn tour so far, Youngblood laughs and replies coyly, “Well…you’ll have to wait and see!”