The Awakening Kamelot

• 1Overture (Intro)01:18
• 2The Great Divide04:08
• 3Eventide04:14
• 4One More Flag In The Ground04:07
• 5Opus Of The Night (Ghost Requiem)05:47
• 6Midsummer's Eve04:27
• 7Bloodmoon04:50
• 8NightSky03:23
• 9The Looking Glass04:51
• 10New Babylon04:18
• 11Willow03:51
• 12My Pantheon (Forevermore)04:33
• 13Ephemera (Outro)02:56
• Total Runtime52:43

Info for The Awakening

As one of the most innovative and prestigious bands in modern symphonic metal, heavy icons KAMELOT have reigned supreme with the release of internationally top-charting melodic metal pinnacles such as The Fourth Legacy (1999), The Black Halo (2005), Silverthorn (2012), Haven (2015, #1 US Hard Rock Albums), and most recently 2018’s acclaimed The Shadow Theory (#2 US Hard Music Albums, and an album Metal Hammer dubbed, “so epic it could be a film soundtrack”), and by headlining tours worldwide and delivering massive performances at top festivals around the globe. Now, the quintet set their sights beyond formulaic confines with their most introspective, uplifting, vital release to date - their first full-length in five years, 2023’s aptly titled The Awakening. The album shines as a massive and diverse offering mixing symphonic, melodic and power metal styles, yielding some of the heaviest tracks in KAMELOT’s history.

KAMELOT is one of few bands in the symphonic genre to fully embrace the dark, but of course, there can be no light without it. Inspiring, engaging lyrical themes of determination, strength, overcoming personal battles and growth are abound on The Awakening, provoked by extreme societal shifts and the overwhelming realization that we have such a brief time to be true to ourselves and live life to its fullest. With crystal clear modern production helmed by the band and longtime producer Sascha Paeth, plus mastering by Jacob Hansen of Hansen Studios, KAMELOT’s score-like 13th studio album is accented by guest contributions from the likes of Melissa Bonny (Ad Infinitum) and renowned instrumentalists like violinist Florian Janoske and Grammy nominated, soundtrack-featured cellist Tina Guo.

Tracks honoring KAMELOT trademarks like cinematic “The Great Divide” and darkly hopeful eternal farewell to a loved one, “Eventide”, prove that while The Awakening stays true to the aural foundations fans have embraced for decades, equally-addictive outputs like “One More Flag in the Ground” - a radio-ready anthem about overcoming seemingly unbeatable illness and the mental challenges we all face, featuring additional vocal layers from JUNO Award winning musician and producer Brian Howes - showcase a band devoid of sonic stagnancy. Profound compositions are plentiful, like stage-ready, operatic “Opus of the Night (Ghost Requiem)”, which features a hair-raising dual solo from guitarist Thomas Youngblood and guest cellist Tina Guo, as well as epic, synth-laden “New Babylon”, elevated by the dynamic vocal attack of frontman Tommy Karevik and Ad Infinitum’s Melissa Bonny. Further balancing darkness with light, grooving, heartfelt “NightSky” and ode to conquering one’s adversities “My Pantheon (Forevermore)” boast some of the album’s heaviest moments and most complex guitar solos, while pensive hymns such as Celtic-infused “Midsummer’s Eve” and ebbing-and-flowing hymn of cherished memories “Willow” provide necessary balance to an album fittingly primed for spectacular performances to come. Showcasing the incomparable, stage-seasoned vocal acrobatics of Tommy Karevik and increasingly airtight, renowned technical teamwork of guitarist Thomas Youngblood, drummer Alex Landenburg, keyboardist Oliver Palotai and bassist Sean Tibbetts, The Awakening embraces enlivening themes that every listener can relate to. KAMELOT’s intense brand of ultramodern gothic and symphonic theatricality is amplified further and with more emotionality than ever on this inspiring, anticipated addition to the KAMELOT legacy.

"With "The great divide" and a great, fanfare-like guitar/keyboard melody as well as Tommy Karevik's powerful, emotional vocals, the symphonic power metal stars get off to a first-class start on their 13th album, which was first announced in 2020. This track, which has a very positive atmosphere, is followed by "Eventide", which is rather melancholic, and "One more flag in the ground", which is even quite dark and hymn-like. Kamelot longplayers have never been monotonous, but the men around guitarist and band founder Thomas Youngblood have probably never presented themselves as varied and multi-layered as on this work. The brilliantly integrated parts of classical cellist Tina Guo in the wide-walled ballad "Midsummer's eve" as well as the guest appearances of Simone Simons (Epica) and Melissa Bonny (Ad Infinitum) in "New Babylon" effectively contribute to this. Further highlights of the disc, which nevertheless comes along as if from a single mould, are the driving "Bloodmoon", the atmospheric power ballad "Willow" and the monumental "My pantheon (forevermore)"." (Oliver Kube, EMP Editorial)

Tommy Karevik, vocals
Thomas Youngblood, guitars
Sean Tibbetts, bass
Oliver Palotai, keyboards
Alex Landenburg, drums, percussion
Additional musicians:
Tina Guo, cello (tracks 5, 6)
Florian Janoske, violin
Simone Simons, vocals (on "New Babylon")
Melissa Bonny, vocals (on "New Babylon")

Camelot
is a rather atypical American melodic power metal band with a progressive twist and orchestral/classical influences.

The band was formed in 1991 by Thomas Youngblood and Richard Warner. In 1994 Kamelot signed a record deal and released their debut album Eternity in August the following year. Dominion followed in 1996. In the spring of 1997, drummer Richard Warner and singer Mark Vanderbilt were exchanged. Kamelot found replacements in Casey Grillo and former Conception singer Roy Khan joining ongoing production on Siege Perilous. In 1999 the newly formed band returned to the Gate Studio in Wolfsburg to produce their fourth album The Fourth Legacy. In 2001 the band presented their fifth studio work Karma. The live CD One Cold Winters Night, released in 2006, contains live excerpts from the concert in the Rockefeller Music Hall in Oslo. Guests at this gig include Simone Simons (singer of symphonic metal band Epica), Thomas Frau Marie and Snowy Shaw (ex-King Diamond/Dream Evil). The Ghost Opera album was released in the summer of 2007 and is stylistically a bit darker. The video for the Ghost Opera theme song was shot in Serbia. Ghost Opera received top ratings worldwide, the German Hardline Magazine awarded e.g. B. 10 out of 10 points. In the fall of 2010, they released their ninth studio album, Poetry for the Poisoned.

On April 21, 2011, lead singer Roy Khan announced that he was leaving the band due to health reasons. He had previously missed the Poetry for the Poisened tour and was replaced by Rhapsody of Fire's Fabio Lione.

This album contains no booklet.