A young Swedish singer by the name of Tommy Karevik has officially been selected as the new singer of one of our favorite bands here at the PiercingMetal Command HQ and of course you long time readers should know that I am speaking of the one and only Kamelot. Karevik is a member of the Swedish Metal band called Seventh Wonder, and while I think that I might have one of their CD’s in my massive library, I do not recall them off the top of my head. This is not a slight at all, but just the sign that we have far too much music at our fingertips in this collection of mine.
I’ve been a fan of Kamelot since I first got my attention turned to them back in 2005 and while they were around for a few years before that, I caught up on their earlier stuff and always tried to be on point when they would visit our region because I just enjoyed them so much. It was horrible to find their singer Khan leaving for personal reasons a couple of years ago because I felt he was such an amazing presence, but lucky for the Metal fans of the world, this would not be the end of the band and they would soon enough press on with Rhapsody Of Fire’s Fabio Leone on vocals for their touring commitments. After seeing them deliver the goods together in NYC last year I will admit that I was one of the many people who had hoped that Leone would be offered the position in Kamelot and bring the bands next chapter. Obviously this would not be the case.
Online quotes from founder/guitarist Thomas Youngblood cite
“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! (on YouTube) “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.”
Since Thomas referenced some YouTube clips, I went online and did the same thing to get a quick refresher course in what Mr. Karevik brings to the Metal table and I will say that he does sound pretty damn good. He just might be the perfect fit for Kamelot but of course only time will tell if the larger fan base will embrace him in the lineup as he aims to execute their much loved tunes. Either way, I wish him the very best of luck and will surely be on point supporting the band when they return to our region so I can bring the scoop to our readers. Apparently he will remain a member of Seventh Wonder as well which will be interesting to see if its possible given Kamelot’s rigorous touring schedule.
Official Website: http://www.kamelot.com
