Kamelot – interview met Thomas Youngblood (guitars)
Thomas Youngblood: “Film scores and metal. We wanted to be able to marry those two worlds into what we do”
Een nieuw album ‘Dark Asylum’, een tournee in Noord Amerika en aansluitend een uitgebreide Europese tournee waarbij de band tweemaal optreedt in Nederland onder de noemer Kamfest. Dat is het drukke schema dat de heren van Kamelot tegemoet zien in deze herfst. Lang voordat ze de baan opgingen, praatten we met gitarist/componist en mentor Thomas Youngblood over de band die hij in 1997 oprichtte (als Camelot, later Kamelot) en nu triomfen viert als symfonische metal act. De neerslag van deze conversatie is te vinden in dit interview.
Vera Matthijssens Ι 23 september 2026
Three years have gone by since we talked for the previous album ‘The Awakening’. How do you look back at those three years?
It was extremely busy. ‘The Awakening’ was our biggest record so far. We were able to tour Europe two times, The US, North America two times, Japan, South America and it was also great to come out of the whole covid-19 situation and get back to work, play music and see people alive and in person. So all these things combined were making it great, thus we are looking forward to the next step.
In which year did you start writing and thinking about a new album?
We started about two years ago with this concept about this abandoned cathedral that was converted to an asylum and then we started to think about the stories within this asylum. We worked on that from that point. We worked on the music firstly in our home studios, sending ideas back and forth and then probably about a year ago, we had all the songs that we wanted. It was a pretty smooth production actually, considering we were so busy.
So the concept was there in the first place and then you got the inspiration for the music, do I see that right?
Yes, that is the way we usually work, music to support the lyrics. Sometimes I have a song idea which is interesting to create lyrics about or sometimes I just have a title. ‘The Sleeping Mind’ for instance, was a catalyst to create a song.
I can imagine the mind goes in every direction and at a certain point you have to decide… that’s not so easy…
It is a great honour to work with people like Tommy (Karevik – vocalist) and Oliver (Palotei – keyboards) and Sascha (Paeth – producer) and all the rest of the band. It is great to work with people who are creative and they understand how to convey feelings in the songs.
The concept takes place in the Victorian Age. Are you interested in that age?
Yes, absolutely. It can be based in Victorian times, but it is also the story of a modern kind of era. There is a Victorian kind of influence, but it can be reflected on current times.
And then you probably discover that some things of that time aren’t changed and still current in this age…
Indeed, so much. There is always this parallel to the society from today, whether it is corruption or dictators or social changes. The social changes in the Victorian Age were kind of parallel with what’s happening today. The Victorian Age was definitely defined by industrialisation, but the difference is the rise of the middle class and now it is the opposite: the middle class is shrinking, so…
Indeed, all the things our forefathers were fighting for, we are losing again…
Yes. There are many interesting kind of parallels and I wanted to bring back the storytelling trend of Kamelot, bringing back this new age folk parts here and there. Look at ‘Beneath The Moon’, that’s a kind of folk Icelandic song with vocals from Rannveig Sif Sigurðdardottir and Solveig. Rannveig was also on ‘The Fourth Legacy’ album. In the same song ‘Beneath The Moon’ we have Lea-Sophie Fischer from Eluveitie on violin and she did an amazing job. It was great to work with her. Hopefully one day we can perform together live. Yes, we have some amazing special guests on the album.
How does that Icelandic song fit into the whole concept for you?
So the concept is about an asylum. Every story is about a different room in this asylum. So this particular character is looking out at her window, looking at the moon and she is able to kind of transport herself outside of that asylum into a life that she probably wish she had.
It is almost a soundtrack for a movie…
Definitely, which is kind of what we are hoping to achieve. It is a lot of information musically, but I think it came out great, we are happy with it.
Was it your initial dream to write a soundtrack for a movie once in your life or do something with theatre, because Kamelot goes in that direction?
That is something which is running through my veins. We always had a lot of this film score influences in our music. From the very first album, ‘Eternity’, I have always been a fan of film scores. That is part of the Kamelot DNA. Film scores and metal. We wanted to be able to marry those two worlds into what we do.
Another guest appearance on vocals can be found in the song ‘One Last Masquerade’. We hear Tobias Sammet from Avantasia. You remain in the magic circle of Sascha Paeth and co… Can you tell something about the role of Tobias in the song?
I had written the song ‘One Last Masquerade’ and after that I worked on the song with Tommy. We had a strong beat, something we did in the past, and it also had a small Avantasia vibe, maybe because Sascha was one of the writers. As soon as I heard the song, I thought ‘this would be so cool to invite Tobi as a guest and he luckily and graciously accepted to be on that song. He did an amazing job, it is such an honour to have him on the record.
In addition to that, there are two female guest singers. Ignacia Fernández and Clémentine Delauney… I know Clémentine, but not Ignacia…
She is in a Chilean band called Decessus. She is kind of new to the scene, but we knew her for ten years already, coming to a show. She was a fan, so we met her before about ten years ago. At that time she was a model for four agencies and over the years she became really interested in performing and she did an amazing job.
‘Ashen World’, the song in which she has a guest spot, is the first video clip unveiled to the world….
That is kind of a summarizing of the concept, in that asylum they try to escape these sort of things that keep us from being happy. We just want a kind of house or a type of car, but that is something I have learned as I get older, to simplify things through the years. My wife and I only focus on things that are meaningful and can make you happy, not on things that ‘I think’ are important, just because it looks successful. So there is a kind of message that I want to bring with this song.
That is a smart message, because as an artist, there is a risk of becoming vain…
Well, you can always be jealous to other people who are richer or I can moan because I have to go on tour instead of being on holidays. It is important to just focus on simple things in life and appreciate that.
What are things that you do to free your mind from stress?
I take the time, whenever I am travelling, to enjoy nature. That is one thing more people need to realize, just touching grass or trees are healing and some people just live in a bubble. When we go on holidays, nature is always important. It brings you back to the essence of life. That is the reality, at least it should be. I think many countries are kind of averse to nature and that is wrong.
Working in the studio I was wondering: isn’t it difficult, with so many layers and so many elements, to say at some point: ‘this is finished, no more small changes’? Where do you throw the line?
(laughs) Yeah that is definitely difficult. Well, you have to trust yourself. After thirty years, fourteen albums, I think we come up with a way of working. You have a certain amount of time for the album to do and you just work as hard as you can. You live with the final result. The search for perfection sometimes kills everything and at some point, you just have to trust yourself. Trust your instincts and let it go…
Where did you shoot the video clip?
We shot that video in Belgrade, Serbia with people we worked with for many years and they are really great in giving a cast and the visual presentation of a song. We worked with them since ‘Ghost Opera’.
Do you have many contacts with the other members when not touring?
We talk all the time, surely Tommy and I. It is easy these days, even if we living far from each other.
Are there other plans for video clips?
Yes. Next we are going to release a video clip for ‘Sanctuary’. We will also release a lyric video for ‘Godlike Alchemy’. A fourth video will probably come right before the North America tour or before the European tour.
Let us resume your tour plans for the near future?
We will be touring in North America in August and September with Visions Of Atlantis and Frozen Crown. For Europe, in November, we have Exit Eden and Temperance. And there is Kamfest!
Indeed, that is your own fest and it will happen in the Netherlands, thus important to go a bit deeper into this…
It is the first time we organize Kamfest under that moniker, but we were going to do two shows in the Netherlands at 013 anyways, but I thought it would be cool to have a different line-up those two days for fans who come to both nights. I think that would be more interesting for them, so. We are excited about it. Tickets are selling great and the Netherlands is one of our favourite countries to tour. So yes, we are excited about it.
Do you still go to concerts in private or are you curious for some new bands at festivals?
I definitely go to concerts still. It just depends on how far it is and when. The thing is, I am touring so much and the bands I want to see come to Tampa when I am not home. Well, that is another aspect of having success, but I definitely still go to concerts.
Famous last words…
Thanks everyone for the support and I cannot wait to see everyone at the EU tour and it is always going to be a massive show for the European fans.
I am looking forward to it…
