New KAMELOT Vocalist Revealed!
The American/German symphonic metal band KAMELOT is proud to announce another key piece leading to the release of their new studio album.
A question foremost in every KAMELOT fan’s mind has been: Who is the group’s new lead singer?*
Band mastermind and guitarist Thomas Youngblood has now revealed: “The new man is Scandinavian Tommy Karevik!”
The general public may not be overly familiar with the 30 year old Swede, Karevik, but people in the industry know him as the immensely talented frontman of the Swedish band, Seventh Wonder. Youngblood states: “We had around 800 candidates for the vacant position, among them a number of really renowned musicians, and having to reject them really wasn’t easy. We want to thank all the applicants, thank you for your understanding and we wish you all lots of success in the future!”
The search for Tommy Karevik…..
In their search for a new singer, Thomas Youngblood found YouTube to be an amazing tool: “I listened to a clip of a studio production featuring Tommy and have to confess that his performance really amazed me. His approach to melodies and themes suits KAMELOT perfectly, and during our European shows we had plenty of opportunity to find out what a great guy he is.”
Tommy first appeared as one of the guest singers on KAMELOT‘s very successful 2011 Pandemonium World Tour. Live footage HERE. Tommy states: “The tour was a lot of fun and I met a lot of nice people and got some good experience. The guys were super nice and we had a great time together! By then I was really into the band’s music and had fallen in love with the amazingly loyal and dedicated fans at every show.”
Karevik is thrilled about his new position: “I am so honored to now be a part of this family and I can`t wait to move into the new era of the band together with the guys. I fully understand that this comes with great responsibility and that it will be a big challenge for me as a singer as well as a person, but you can rest assured I will give it my all. From this day, a new journey has begun and I am really eager to meet you all along the way to share my passion for this music!”
KAMELOT‘s new album is planned for a September 2012 release, which coincides with the beginning a massive World Tour that will bring the band to nearly every continent on the planet. See Kamelot.com for already scheduled concert dates!
For More Information Please Visit:
http://www.facebook.com/kamelotofficial
*Former KAMELOT singer Roy Khantatat left the fold in April 2011 due to personal reasons.
Tommy Karevik Bio:
I was born on the 1st of November 1981 just south of Stockholm in a suburb called Botkyrka. Raised with music within the family, my sister Jenny and I were surrounded by the great songs of that time. Growing up I only sang for fun and because it was a natural thing for me. I even joined the school choir as one of the two only boys there…At the age of 12 my mother took me to see “The Phantom of the Opera” and I remember being totally floored by the music, the voices and the ambiance… I guess you could say that this is where it all started…
After elementary school Jenny was accepted into a musical collage but I was more into sports at the time. I was studying Nature and Science in college and it wasn`t until my 2nd year when I was 16 years old, that I “discovered music” for real.
In my class there was a guy called Johan Larsson who was a musician and a guitar player. We instantly became good friends, and inspired by his musicality I picked up the guitar for the first time. During the days that followed I wrote my first song… It was in Swedish and I was really proud. Johan and I wrote a lot of music together during that time and it really helped me to develop my singing as well.
My first contact with metal music was also through Johan. For me it was a new world of music that opened before me. Coming from Musicals and artists like QUEEN, MICHAEL JACKSON and ABBA, I started to interest myself in the more melodic side of metal like DREAM THEATER, SYMPHONY X, SONATA ARCTICA and A.C.T. But my biggest wake-up call was when I heard Jorn Lande for the first time… I couldn`t believe my ears – and I still can`t. I started practicing to sing like all the great artists I loved and somehow found my own style in the middle of it.
In 2004 I was asked to write and sing on a metal project with Stefan Lindholm. The project was called VINDICTIV and the vocals were recorded together with Johan in his home studio. Later that same year I was contacted by the Stockholm based prog metal band SEVENTH WONDER. They had heard the recordings with VINDICTIV and asked me if I wanted to come and audition for the singer position. They were about to release their first studio album and had just parted ways with their previous singer. I did the audition and a couple of days later they called me on the phone asking me if I wanted in. I happily accepted.
Since that day I have recorded 3 studio albums a played a lot of great shows with SEVENTH WONDER and I have a lot to thank the guys in the band for. They are all fantastic musicians and great friends. Apart from the known ones, my musical heroes remain my sister Jenny, Johan Larsson and my SW family. As for today I am still in the band and have no intention of leaving.
In September 2010, we were heading to Atlanta with SW to play the well known festival Progpower USA. One of the headliners of the festival was KAMELOT. Roy had just left the band prior to the North American tour and I was asked by Thomas Youngblood to perform a song with them on the night of their show. So I did, and joined stage with my friend Michael Eriksen of CIRCUS MAXIMUS who covered for Khan that night.
Shortly after, Thomas called me again asking if I wanted to join them on the European tour as a guest vocalist together with Fabio Lione. The tour was a lot of fun and I met a lot of nice people and got some good experience. The guys were super nice and we had a great time together!
By now I was really into the music of the band and had fallen in love with the amazingly loyal and dedicated fans at every show.
We kept contact throughout the whole process of auditioning singers, and I sent some demos of new material their way…
When I finally was asked if I wanted to be the singer in the band I was very happy and gladly accepted the offer!
A lot of time and energy has been poured in the next album to make sure every die hard KAMELOT fan gets what he/she deserves! I can`t wait to share it with all of you!
All the best and here is to the next chapter!
– Tommy Karevik
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