THOMAS YOUNGBLOOD On Next KAMELOT Album: 'Everything Is Fresh, But It Still Has This Signature Sound'

In a recent interview with the "Jones.Show", KAMELOT guitarist and main songwriter Thomas Youngblood spoke about the importance of retaining the band's core sound while continuing to exlore new musical territory. He said (hear audio below): "The thing is we have so many ideas still. I was just working with Tommy [Karevik, vocals] and Oliver [Palotai], my keyboard player, and we have material for the new album right now that we're working on. And everything is fresh, but it still has this signature sound that we want to have and we feel is important. That's the trick for an artist — you've gotta make sure you give fans what they expect, but you don't want to give them the same thing, because then you're not growing and it's just gonna be boring. But we have been able to do that.

"I think part of the longevity is surrounding myself with creative, talented people that contribute," he explained. "I have no problem with anybody taking the lead on anything or taking the source on anything, because, at the end of the day, what I want is the best to come out, and I think that that's one of the philosophies that has helped."

Youngblood also talked about the emphasis on "emotion" in KAMELOT's music, sometimes at the expense of commercial viability.

"The feel part is very important," he said. "I was speaking with Tommy Karevik, our singer, and we were talking about that a couple of weeks ago. Sometimes I have a little A.D.D. and I wanna get to the point on a song or a situation. Like, I don't want the song to be too long in a certain part or verse, and we were talking about a feeling. I said, 'The fans are gonna like this because of the feeling — they're gonna feel it. I know that it might take a little longer to get to the chorus, but…' He mentioned what we did in the past and how certain songs had this breathing that you could get to the chorus at a certain time — you don't have to rush it. And it was a great reminder, because when you've been doing this for so many years, you kind of forget some of that earlier thing that might have been appealing. So if you can make someone feel something, you can never apologize for it, even if it's not totally catchy or not totally fast — whatever it might be — but if you can make someone feel, that's everything."

KAMELOT's latest album, "The Shadow Theory", was released in April 2018 via Napalm Records. The follow-up to 2015's "Haven" was helmed by acclaimed music producer Sascha Paeth and mastered by Jacob Hansen. Guests on the album include Lauren Hart (ONCE HUMAN),Jennifer Haben (BEYOND THE BLACK) and Sascha Paeth. The cover artwork was created by Stefan Heilemann.

The first official book by and about KAMELOT, "Veritas: A Kamelot Legacy", marking the 30th anniversary of the founding of the band, will be released later this year via Rocket 88.