KAMELOT

Living With a Ghost Opera
by Matt Coe

In 2007 the last frontier for melodic metal bands to conquer has been one of the biggest territories in the music world: the United States. For years bands domestic and abroad have had to search for sales and fan adulation in all other countries, with Europe, South America and the Far East gaining numerous tours and festivals dedicated to the cause. Florida’s Kamelot would be one of the upper tier acts due to their succession of studio albums and forging headway through their most recent live DVD. Calling from home with his daughter in tow, guitarist Thom Youngblood eagerly talked with me as my topics went all across the Kaemlot board.

GASP: In the early days of Kamelot you helped form the band in 1992 along with drummer Richard Warner. Tell us what it was like playing melodic power metal in Tampa, Florida when death metal seemed all the rage? Was it hard back in those days to get a club owner to give the band a chance to play live?

Thom Youngblood: We had some role models for playing melodic metal or power metal, bands like Savatage and Crimson Glory, there were a lot of different bands that were trying to break out like we were. And in terms of shows we never really played out much, just a few local shows here and there. Back then hair metal was the rage, we stuck to our guns and went for the European market right away.

GASP: Early on in your career Kamelot constantly would gain comparisons to fellow Florida band Crimson Glory- especially in terms of the darker power chords and high pitched vocals both bands have. Did you think those comparisons were fair and accurate at the time- as I believe you had your own take on this style?

TY: There was some elements of Midnight’s vocals with our old singer Mark, musically there was a few common elements but I think it was more of our influences back then like Queensryche and Helloween, classic metal bands. I think Crimson Glory had some of the same influences that we did - they used special guitar harmonies, but classic acts like Iron Maiden and even Boston were doing this well before our time. I think the biggest comparison was more in the vocals and I can see that. I think with Dominion that changed quite a bit and of course when Roy came in all of those comparisons were gone.

GASP: Roy Khan came into the picture with your third album Siege Perilous- is it true that former vocalist Mark Vanderbilt had trouble with some of the melodies you wrote for the songs on this album, and how long did it take from contacting Roy initially until he finally decided to take the vocalist slot? You were obviously a fan of Conception (being on the same label as Kamelot)… what album impressed you the most from them?

TY: Actually Mark was gone before we even started working on the new songs for Siege Perilous- that had nothing to do with it. We had a guy from Chicago that we flew down that had started tracking the record with us and we were never really 100% satisfied- we heard about the split up of Conception so I gave Roy a call and it was 3 weeks later he was sitting in my living room working on vocal melodies. The vocals were done within a week. I had heard some songs of Conception, I didn’t own any albums at the time but I really liked his voice, he had a uniqueness and elements of Geoff Tate plus a lot of the traditional Norwegian singers that I’ve liked in the metal genre.

GASP: I’ve also read that you took Roy skydiving before he was a full fledged member of the band- where did this skydive take place and was it a group skydive or was this a test of faith purely on his part?

TY: Our keyboard player went, but Glenn Barry (bass) wouldn’t do it, he was too afraid and Casey Grillo (drums) wouldn’t do it- so it was Roy, myself and our keyboard player at the time Dave Pavlic. We did it near Tampa, we video taped it so we have that in our archives and one day we will release that as a DVD bonus. Roy was probably thinking that this is not what he wanted to do was die by joining the band, but he went through with it.

GASP: Siege Perilous happens to be a personal favorite Kamelot album of mine, especially with songs like Providence and King’s Eyes, but I know the production values leave a little to be desired based on previous interviews I’ve read. What exactly happened in the mixing or mastering process that caused the tones to be so compressed- was it a time/money issue?

TY: No actually, I chose Tommy Newton based on his work with Helloween and Conception, we were going to mix the album at Morrisound but they were so booked up that we had to make a different plan. The actual production sound at the studio was great, when it came to getting mixed and mastered everything got compressed, I don’t know exactly what happened. I like the record, it’s got something special about it and a lot of newer fans from The Fourth Legacy on don’t really like this album but I think it’s a cool album.

GASP: The Fourth Legacy was a big break through for the band in terms of popularity in Europe, giving you the chance to tour extensively and increase your album sales. What elements do you think in retrospect caused this breakthrough to happen? Did the initial writing sessions away on vacation in Virginia help to hone in on making this the ideal Kamelot record to date?

TY: At the time we focused all of our efforts into writing the record where in the past it was more kind of a hobby. We spent 3 or 4 writing sessions on the album, some of it in Virginia, some of it in Norway, plus 3-4 months in Germany recording the record. A different way of working, we put all our time, effort and money into that record and we looked more at the fine details that made a big difference in the end product from that point on.

GASP: I’ve also read that your favorite album in the Kamelot discography would be 2001’s Karma- what do you believe about this record still holds up today for you- is it the songwriting, the performances, the production, the overall packaging, or a combination?

TY: For my personal tastes in music- I listen to all kinds of music- to me it’s got the perfect blend that I personally like. There were a lot of personal things going on in my life for me at the time of making that album, it has a special meaning. Songs like Elizabeth are integral to our history, I think  every record has some sort of significance.

GASP: 2003’s Epica seemed to be a continuation of the concept album Karma, while I believe 2005’s The Black Halo set a new standard for the band in terms of expanding your influences within the Kamelot sound scope. Did you plan these changes or do you let things happen naturally as you’ve gotten older and more advanced in your songwriting abilities?

TY: "Epica" was the first part of the Faustus epic concept, so there wasn’t really anything to do with Karma, but Epica and The Black Halo are a part one and two of this Faustus concept. As far as a master plan, we really do what we do and everything kind of falls into place or it doesn’t. We just try to do the best that we can with the time that we write and record, we try to put everything we can into the packaging. We didn’t have a big master plan when it came to the sound of the band at the time.

GASP: Last year you released the DVD One Cold Winter’s Night along with a live CD of this same special night in Norway. How much planning and detail went into this concert, and did you have any particular worries/fears regarding the final outcome?

TY: A lot of planning and time went into it- mostly after the show. A lot of times bands will do two different shots or film before the fans come in- we didn’t do that, we only had one take to make things happen which can be a bit risky. It was our first time playing in Oslo, Norway- for the show to be sold out that made it a bit nerve wracking. Once we knew the outlay we relaxed and did the show. After that you have a lot of work that goes into the post production. We looked at the final footage and had some changes to make after the director got a hold of it- making sure it was as good as possible. We are really glad we took our time with it because we are very pleased with the outcome.

GASP: Are you happy with the overall sales for this DVD- as I’ve read in a recent interview conducted with Roy for Imhotep webzine that you actually haven’t recouped all the expenses put forth in terms of this production/release?

TY: I don’t know how much was put into promoting that DVD. In hindsight I think we would have liked the record company to push it a little more. We put all the money that we got producing that and put it back into the production to make it better. That’s not that normal for people to do but we wanted to make sure the final product was a killer. I really don’t have a good idea of the sales but for sure it was worth the investment. A lot of people who didn’t know the band or might have had a conception now know what we are about live, they know the music that we play and I think that in itself is worth it, we’ve opened ourselves up to a lot of new markets around the world and that never happened before.

GASP: Ghost Opera sees Kamelot move into shorter song structures but I believe still packing the dark progressive and ethnic elements we’ve come to enjoy through the years. What was the game plan going into this release and what are some of your favorite memories regarding the writing and recording for this album?

TY: Again there was no super master plan- we didn’t think about making shorter songs or longer songs. It’s real easy to make a long song but I don’t want to make one unless it’s interesting from point A to point B. We had a few different twists on the vocal melodies but there’s still the classic Kamelot elements like you said- the ethnic parts, the classical/orchestral things, we always try to test ourselves and the fans and we experiment. In terms of the songwriting, I think the first song we wrote was Up Through The Ashes and being downstairs in Roy’s basement in Norway, everything went really quick. The songwriting and pre-production, everything just flew by really fast. So far the response has been great, the sales have been incredible and the record is charting all over the world, so I think we did something right with it.

GASP: Does Roy ever consult you in terms of his lyrics so that you can work on special arrangements to fit his topics?

TY: We discuss what every song is going to be about. I might have an idea of what the song might be about and then let him write the lyrics. I have to stand for what is being said in there so that’s why we have discussions about the lyrics whether he writes them or I write them. We don’t want any surprises for either one of us.

GASP: The opening of The Human Stain contains more of an industrial vibe in the bass/drum interplay- and there are other times on the album where Roy uses distortion vocal techniques. How do you incorporate these new elements without forsaking the trademark Kamelot sound and disappointing your long time followers?

TY: I think the last record we experimented with distorted vocals- it’s a little more prominent on this record. Each record we do is different, it’s what we do at the time. Live it’s very seamlessly- we go from playing Soul Society into Human Stain song to song and there’s no weird feel in terms of the differences of the songs. I think our fans expect us to not have one single style of a song.

GASP: Was it hard at first to translate this music in a live situation when you were touring? There are a lot of elements going on with the records and I imagine you have to decide what you will recreate live and what you have to used as backing?

TY: Of course, you have to decide what songs you want to do live and then adapt them to a live setting. I’ve got two guitar tracks or two rhythm tracks going on so we have to re-arrange the way we play them. Sometimes there are melodic guitar lines- in general if we can do a song like Nights Of Arabia which we’ve been doing for years I don’t think there’s anything since then that is more elaborate than that.  We have orchestral parts that we have to sample through or choir parts sometimes- every band does that, it’s more to enhance the live performance but we don’t go overboard with it?

GASP: Do you believe the videos you’ve done have helped increase the profile of the band, even stateside as Headbanger’s Ball and YouTube seem to keep potential newcomers informed of your development?

TY: I think the videos are a humungous part of the growth of the band in the past three years. Like I said with the DVD release it’s about people who maybe would have never saw the band and giving us a chance based on pre-conceived notions of who we are. They get to see the band in videos and they maybe thought we were a band about dragons and they see through the videos that we are a metal band. Nowadays we have videos like The Black Halo and Ghost Opera we spend money and put our time and effort into releasing strong videos for the fans.

GASP: How much of your day is spent working on the music side of Kamelot and how much do you have to spend sorting out business dealings?

TY: Probably like 50/50 to be honest. We stay on top of the whole business side of things, that’s for sure. That’s why I think we are still around- you can get gobbled up and spit out if you don’t. First and foremost its about the music and the art we are trying to do, we have an artistic point of what we try to do and that integrity is very important. More important than selling records- I would say maybe it’s 40 % business, 60 % music these days. Anybody out there in a band, it’s really important to learn how the business end of things work, you understand the contracts and what they provide.

GASP: Are you seeing a big difference between the new contract you have with SPV versus your long contract with Noise?

TY: There’s not a huge difference in terms of the contract about the approach of the contract or the belief in the band. The video thing is really important and we didn’t have that support with Noise, they weren’t willing to spend money on videos. SPV understands the importance of that.

GASP: You recently completed a European tour in preparation for the worldwide release of Ghost Opera- how did these shows go and how long does it take the band to get the wind back in their sails as far as touring, given the demanding nature of your music and stage shows?

TY: The tour went amazing- they were our best shows ever. Everything was sold out or nearly sold out. And the record wasn’t even out yet, so we are actually going back in September and October to do some more shows. We are pretty much to a point where we only need a few rehearsals and with the adrenaline from the touring we hit the ground running. It’s really nice when your sound guy comes up to you after the first show and says, I can’t believe it’s sounding so good for the first show. Those kind of things make you feel good about the preparation and also we feed off the crowd.

GASP: At this point what are some of your favorite countries to play?

TY: It’s hard to say, there’s something special about each one of them. I can’t speak for other bands but our fan base is pretty similar across the board. We played a show for the first time in Belgrade, Serbia which was great- the crowd was louder than the band at some points during the show. It was one of those nights where everybody looked at each other and couldn’t believe it.

GASP: How does your family view your role with Kamelot?

TY: Yeah- I’m very humble when it comes to myself so she’s the one that talks about what I do. It’s really important and whenever I have a chance I like to bring them out on tour. The last shows we did in Sweden they were over there with me and I brought my daughter out for the bows so she was throwing out guitar picks. It’s really cool because to her it’s just Daddy on stage - Anna Lisa enjoys having her own bunk on the bus, it’s a lot of fun.

GASP: You’ve assembled a team of people that stay the course with Kamelot from album to album, using the same production team of Sascha Paeth and Muro for instance. How important has consistency been in keeping the quality of Kamelot’s music and presentation at a high level?

TY: I think it’s important for anybody that puts together a band that’s successful has to have a team of people. I’m never afraid to bring in people that have talent or more talent than myself in certain areas. That’s been my philosophy whether it’s in a band or any kind of business. With Muro and Sascha we’ve been asked why we don’t change but we talk about why change something if it’s really working? It’s the same with the band- we’ve had Casey and Glenn for all these years and we love those guys, it’s about loyalty.

GASP: How does it feel to finally have a permanent keyboard player instead of using session musicians?

TY: It’s great- we are getting ready to do some festival shows in Europe and we don’t have to go back and do any more rehearsals. He brings us a super killer dimension to the live show and he has a lot of great ideas for future albums musically. His personality really meshes with the rest of the guys in the band- we asked him to join the band after the first leg of The Black Halo tour and he accepted.

GASP: Through the years have you placed importance on being together all the time or do you place emphasis on doing your own thing during down time outside of band activities?

TY: After touring and working on the records we don’t really hang out much together but while doing those activities we are together 24/7, from that aspect it’s sort of mixture. When we aren’t touring we will call each other every once in a while, but we enjoy our alone time.

GASP: Do you believe a festival like ProgPowerUSA (which you’ve had the good fortune of playing) spurred the popularity of power and progressive metal stateside at the same time as the internet/ message board and file sharing development?

TY: Yes I think that was part of it- I think the internet was a huge part of it, Myspace and YouTube has been making things bigger. He’s been able to bring over a lot of international bands and they now can tour the US.

GASP: Will the setlist change in the United States compared to Europe- especially considering the popularity of your latest albums at home?

TY: It’s going to be slightly different, we haven’t discussed the US part of the tour too much. We are doing some acoustic things in Europe so the set lists may be different. We have to think about the set list concerning Ghost Opera, the sales and soundscan numbers are doing well, Ghost Opera will be on Headbangers Ball as well.

GASP: What are your overall views on the music scene in 2007- what types of improvements would you make to help the great good of all parties involved- record labels, distributors, fans, and bands?

TY: We need to be careful, not Kamelot, the record companies and bands need to not make metal one of these parodies like the 80’s and 90’s where it was a joke. That will be the death of it all, bands need to take it seriously, we don’t need the bands looking like clowns.

                        Kamelot, from left to right: Oliver Palotai, Glenn Barry, Thom Younglood, Roy Khan (crouching), and Casey Grillo.