1991 - 1995

In 1991 Kamelot was founded by guitarist Thom Youngblood
and drummer/ school mate Richard Warner but it took until
August 1995 for their debut album Eternity to be released.
Signing to Noise Records Germany in Spring 1994. Fans and
critics alike praised Kamelot as being one of the most promising
newcomers in Metal.


In 1996...

...their second album Dominion received even more attention,
because it showed the variety of the band, spanning all the way
from European metal to classical music and progressive.
The fans and sales for Kamelot would grow over the year and
the group was being touted as one the new leaders in Melodic
Metal from the U.S. Not resting on their laurels the group went
back to work on their 3rd and most important release.
But obstacles were ahead...


Kamelot 1997

A year of major changes. After the success of Dominion many
tour opportunities came to Kamelot. Unfortunately drummer
Richard Warner and vocalist Mark Vanderbilt could not tour and
there seemed to be no light at the end of the tunnel for the two to
ever tour. Kamelot's first goal was to find a new drummer.
After one audition Casey Grillo was the man. Local music
veteran at the age of 21, Casey was a perfect fit for the opening.
After listening to between 75 and 100 audition tapes of vocalists
the band was a standstill. A whole record had been written but no
one worthy enough to grab the mic. Enter Norwegian born Roy Khan.
Khan's former group Conception had split up the year before:
That was the genesis of the new Kamelot. Before he was taken on
as a band member though he had to pass a final test - he had to
skydive with the other members of Kamelot. Apprehensive at first,
he came through with flying colors. The chemistry was perfect from
the beginning and it is a great sign of what's to come from this union.


In 1998...

...new vocalist Roy Khan and drummer Casey Grillo were enlisted
and the record Siege Perilous was now a reality. The record
spawned great reviews from fans and critics led to the groups first
tour of Europe in late 1998. Upon returning to their hometown of
Tampa, Florida the band decided to take some time off to write
and relax.


In December 1998...

...the journey for The Fourth Legacy would begin after the
Kamelot tour. Writing began in Tampa, Florida but after a
month of work Thomas Youngblood decided to relocate to
the mountains of Virginia to concentrate on songs and get a
different vibe for the record.


March 1999

After 3 months of ideas, Thomas traveled to the small village
of Sørskogbygda in Norway, home of vocalist Khan. 3
weeks of isolation in the snowy village proved the songwriting
team of Youngblood/Khan to be a new force to reckon with.
Now to find a producer, Sascha Paeth was first on the list.
His work with Rhapsody and Angra called attention to Thom's
wish list and a few phone calls later the deal was set. Final
preproduction would need to be done: Where else but in the
home of Kamelot in Tampa Bay, Florida. For a month the group
worked out the kinks of the new songs with producer Sascha Paeth.


August 1999

Recording began in Wolfsburg, Germany in August 1999 and
continued til October. Choirs, real string sections and guest
keyboardist Miro would round out the final songs to a beautiful
blend. Mixing would be done over the next month and final
mastering complete in November. The new record will set a new
standard for Kamelot and the Melodic Metal genre.



January 2000

The Fourth Legacy is released in January and receives rave
reviews from the media and is touted as album of the year by many.


April 2000

Kamelot tour Europe with Crimson Glory and Evergrey, and
are accompanied by Günter Werno
(Vanden Plas) as guest
musician on keyboards.


September 2000

The live album The Expedition was recorded during Kamelot's
tour through Europe in April 2000. The songs were recorded and
mastered by Sascha Paeth and then the album was completed by
adding three rare tracks: We Three Kings - this instrumental track
hasn't been released before. The song, which is based on the story
of the three kings of Orient that travelled to Bethlehem, was
engineered by Howard Helm who also played some of the string parts.
One Day - this track was the bonus track for the Japanese release
of Siege Perilous . The first ballad that Thom and Roy wrote together.
It was done while sitting in the lounge at Morrisound Studios.
We Are Not Seperate - originally released on the Dominion album.
The remake of this song is with Khan on vocals and Miro playing
keyboards. The song maintains its original fire but has more guitar
and crunch. The string lines add an extra dimension to the composition.



Spring 2001

Thomas and Khan reside in Wolfsburg, Germany from December 2000
til March 2001 to record the latest album Karma . Like The Fourth
Legacy the new album Karma is produced by Sascha Paeth and
Miro in the Gate Studio, Wolfsburg. Miro not only works as a
producer and sound engineer, but also contributes all keyboards
and orchestral arrangements to the album. On top of that, Olaf Hayer

(Luca Turilli etc.), Robert Hunecke-Rizzo
(Virgo, Heavens Gate )and
Cinzia Rizzo
(backing vocals) are engaged. Kamelot present 12 new
songs, among them the opener Forever being the speedy track on the
album, Don't You Cry being an homage to Thomas Youngblood's
father who died when Thomas was 12, and the musically experimental
title track being inspired by New Age and world music.The centre of
the album consists of the trilogy Elizabeth , divided into three parts

( Mirror Mirror , Requiem For The Innocent and Fall From Grace )
and telling the story of Elizabeth Bathori who lived in the 14th century
and is aid to have had more than 600 people killed as she hoped to
gain eternal youth from their blood. Kamelot's approach in this case
can only be called masterly as all tracks on this album are intense and
ambitious in their intention. The new album Karma completes the
band's history and also opens new perspectives for the future. Kamelot
are definitely standing at the beginning of a glamorous year.