If there’s one thing in particular that comes out of this interview with Thomas Youngblood, Kamelot’s guitar player and mastermind, it’s their complete control of the boat despite the chaos. In 2010, the band has indeed lost its emblematic singer, composer, and other half of the duet of composers, Roy Khan, just before starting touring in the U.S. But still, what Youngblood is telling us is that he managed to keep in mind a clear view of the direction in which the band was meant to go and the choices he had to do. One of these choice is a singer, Tommy Karevik, whose style undeniably works well together with Kamelot’s aesthetic, even if Youngblood doesn’t say that his voice’s similarity with Kahn’s – whether it be in terms of tone or in terms of melodic approach – has been a key element in the decision. Another one is the growing importance of keyboarder Oliver Palotai who’s now taking Kahn’s place in the composer duet, a relevant choice hearing a result that’s extremely coherent with the rest of the band’s discography. It’s also the choice to refocus its music on melody that payed.

So there: even if the guitar player admits the difficulties they had to face – whether it be Roy Khan’s departure that left them in a very difficult situation or before, the morose recording of the record Poetry For The Poisoned – the band admirably bounced back. We can hear that in the album Silverthorn, a record that reached a consensus in both the band’s die-hard and casual fans.

At the end of the interview, Youngblood also evokes his ambitious solo project that, if he manages to take it to an end the way he wants to, may be able to compete with metal operas like Avantasia and Ayreon.

Read the interview…