Consistency pays off. Kamelot celebrates their unmistakable brand of melodic metal for six years and counting in this constant line-up consisting of Khan (Vocals), Thomas Youngblood (Guitar), Glenn Barry (Bass) and Casey Grillo (Drums). The especially close and creative collaboration between the Norwegian singer Khan and his American colleague Youngblood has brought forth very fruitful results since The Fourth Legacy (1999). The release of Karma in 2001 gained raving reviews from all over the world and was rounded off by a very successful European tour. Karma exceeded sales of all previous Kamelot releases and garnered new fans to the band¹s already impressive following. Now here comes Epica, a thrilling and varied new step in the evolution of the majestic Kamelot sound. Over the past year Kamelot has composed thirteen new songs that can be classified as Melodic Powermetal, also adding elements from progressive Rock and epic influences. These songs cover the whole musical ground between brisk up-tempo grooves, aggressive riffing and quiet introverted parts. The opener, Center of the Universe, is a quick up-tempo song that hits you from the first note after an epic introduction. The direct successor Farewell is a perfect example of the effortlessness with which Kamelot combines great melodies with gripping rhythms and fascinating sounds. Edge Of Paradise opens with Gregorian elements slamming into a hypnotic groove that is being carried out by a vigorous guitar riff crowned by Khan´s charismatic voice. The entire song moves through different atmospheres as well as tempo and rhythm changes. Like the two previous releases The Fourth Legacy and Karma, Epica was produced at Gate and Pathway studios in Wolfsburg, Germany under the careful supervision of Sascha Paeth and Miro. The two are among the world´s most renowned international melodic metal producers. Their studios are known to be creative forces of a special kind that earned acts like Rhapsody and Angra worldwide recognition. On Epica, Miro functioned once again as co/producer and engineer, and he contributed the main keyboard parts as well as the orchestral arrangements. Luca Turilli (Rhapsody) can be heard as a guest with a brief guitar solo on Descent of the Archangel, the voice of Ian Parry (Elegy) appears in the interlude Dawn, and classical singer Mari (Titania) performed the female lead on Helena¹s Theme as well as several parts throughout the album. Kamelot brought in singers Robert Hunecke-Rizzo (Virgo, Heavens Gate), Herbie Langhans (7th Avenue), Annie, and Cinzia Hunecke-Rizzo as the backing choir. Kamelot has once again enriched the sound of traditional Metal, this time incorporating unusual instruments like the jembe, d-bass and bandoneón. In content Epica offers an exciting concept, which works on three different levels and is inspired by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe´s Faust. There is a storyline with actual events and real human beings. At the same time Epica sends you through the world of ideas of the main character, Ariel, who is searching for truth and inner peace. The third level would be the musical execution of the concept, which takes the listener to places that words alone cannot describe. Welcome to the epicentre of the Universe, welcome to Epica! The first edition of the album will be issued as a limited digipack featuring a bonus track, special interactive multimedia tracks and a few more surprises. Tours of Europe, South America and Japan are in the planning stages. Thomas Youngblood and drummer Richard Warner founded Kamelot in Tampa, Florida back in 1991. In 1994 the band signed a deal with Noise Records, and the release of the debut Eternity followed in August of the next year. Press praised the album as one of most promising debuts of all time. In 1996 the successor Dominion hit the stores, an opus that was even more diverse and varied than the debut. Then in 1997, drummer Warner as well as singer Mark Vanderbilt had to be replaced. Kamelot found more than just mere replacements in Casey Grillo and former Conception singer Khan, who had already joined the band during the production of the third album Siege Perilous. The new line-up undertook an extensive tour of Europe during the fall of the same year only to return to the Gate Studio in Wolfsburg twelve months later to produce the fourth studio effort The Fourth Legacy. The summer of 2000 brought the New Allegiance Tour through Germany, Austria, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Greece and Spain during which the recordings for Kamelot´s first live album The Expedition were made. Only a few months later the band presented their fifth album entitled Karma, which took Khan, Youngblood, Grillo and Barry on yet another European tour. Now the new opus Epica follows seamlessly; here Kamelot combines all the fortes of the previous productions with new ideas and majestic sounds.
