Modern heavy symphonic metal leaders KAMELOT continue to celebrate their latest top-charting full-length album “The Awakening” in grandiose style. Today, the band is thrilled to announce the North American “Awaken The World Tour 2024”, featuring direct support from Swedish heavy metal frontrunners HAMMERFALL. Fast-rising modern symphonic metal band and Napalm Records labelmates AD INFINITUM will kick off each enchanting night, featuring KAMELOT touring guest vocalist Melissa Bonny.
The tour will begin on April 25 in Baltimore, Maryland and will cross North America and back, coming to an end a month later in Tampa, Florida on May 25.
A special BLABBERMOUTH.NET presale will begin on Wednesday, January 17 at 10:00 a.m. EST and end on Thursday, January 18 at 10:00 p.m. local time. Check back here on Wednesday for ticketing links for individual shows. When prompted, type in the presale code to access tickets before the general public. General on-sale will be Friday, January 19 at 10 a.m. EST.
KAMELOT guitarist/founder Thomas Youngblood says: “We are beyond excited about the upcoming North American tour with our friends HAMMERFALL and AD INFINITUM! We have been to Europe, Japan and South America as part of our ‘Awaken The World’ tour, and we will come back to North America for some cities we didn’t get to visit on the first leg. Get ready for some amazing nights on this epic symphonic metal package!”
KAMELOT‘s “Awaken The World” 2024 North American tour dates:
Apr. 25 – Baltimore, MD – Rams Head **
Apr. 26 – Huntington, NY – Paramount **
Apr. 27 – Boston, MA – Big Night Live **
Apr. 28 – Quebec City, QC – Theatre Capitole **
Apr. 30 – Harrisburg, PA – HMAC
May 01 – Montclair, NJ – Wellmont Theatre
May 03 – Columbus, OH – The Bluestone
May 04 – St. Louis, MO – Delmar Hall
May 06 – Fort Worth, TX – Tannahill’s
May 07 – San Antonio, TX – Vibes Event Center
May 09 – Albuquerque, NM – El Rey Theater
May 10 – Tucson, AZ – Encore
May 11 – Anaheim, CA – City National Grove
May 12 – Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues
May 14 – Denver, CO – The Summit
May 16 – St. Paul, MN – Myth
May 17 – Milwaukee, WI – Eagles Ballroom/Milwaukee Metal Fest (no AD INFINITUM)
May 18 – Cleveland, OH – House of Blues
May 20 – Pittsburgh, PA – Roxian
May 21 – Richmond, VA – The National
May 23 – Cincinnati, OH – Bogarts
May 24 – Atlanta, GA – Heaven – Masquerade
May 25 – Tampa, FL – Jannus Landing
** Featuring SEVEN SPIRES; no HAMMERFALL
Having reigned supreme with the release of internationally top-charting melodic metal pinnacles such as “The Fourth Legacy” (1999),“The Black Halo” (2005),“Silverthorn” (2012),“Haven” (2015) and most recently 2018’s acclaimed “The Shadow Theory”, “The Awakening” enters the KAMELOT legacy as their most massive and diverse offering yet — mixing symphonic, gothic, melodic, progressive and power metal styles while yielding some of the heaviest tracks in the band’s history.
Youngblood previously stated: “With ‘The Awakening’, we have one of our most diverse albums in years. We’ve fused elements from progressive, power and gothic metal to symphonic and melodic metal on this one. Working with incredible guest artists from around the music industry and having producer Sascha Paeth and Jacob Hansen mixing gave us another step up on overall sound. This album offers everything to KAMELOT fans and also reaches beyond borders to new metal and hard rock legions.”
KAMELOT is one of few bands in the symphonic genre to fully embrace the dark, but of course, there can be no light without it. Inspiring, engaging lyrical themes of determination, strength, overcoming personal battles and growth are abound on “The Awakening”, provoked by extreme societal shifts and the overwhelming realization that we have such a brief time to be true to ourselves and live life to its fullest.
With crystal clear modern production helmed by the band and longtime producer Sascha Paeth, plus mixing and mastering by Jacob Hansen of Hansen Studios, KAMELOT‘s score-like 13th studio album is accented by guest contributions from the likes of Melissa Bonny and renowned instrumentalists like violinist Florian Janoske and Tina Guo.
Showcasing the incomparable, stage-seasoned vocal acrobatics of Tommy Karevik and increasingly airtight, renowned technical teamwork of Youngblood, drummer Alex Landenburg, keyboardist Oliver Palotai and bassist Sean Tibbetts, “The Awakening” embraces enlivening themes that every listener can relate to. KAMELOT‘s intense brand of ultramodern gothic and symphonic theatricality is amplified further and with more emotionality than ever on this inspiring, anticipated addition to the KAMELOT legacy.
Tracks honoring KAMELOT trademarks like cinematic “The Great Divide” and darkly hopeful eternal farewell to a loved one, “Eventide”, prove that while “The Awakening” stays true to the aural foundations fans have embraced for decades, equally addictive outputs like “One More Flag In The Ground” — a radio-ready anthem about overcoming seemingly unbeatable illness and the mental challenges we all face, featuring additional vocal layers from Juno Award-winning musician and producer Brian Howes — showcase a band devoid of sonic stagnancy. Profound compositions are plentiful, like stage-ready, operatic “Opus Of The Night (Ghost Requiem)”, which features a hair-raising dual solo from Youngblood and the Grammy-nominated, soundtrack-featured cellist Tina Guo, as well as epic, synth-laden “New Babylon”, elevated by the dynamic vocal attack of Karevik and Bonny. Further balancing darkness with light, grooving, heartfelt “NightSky” and ode to conquering one’s adversities “My Pantheon (Forevermore)” boast some of the album’s heaviest moments and most complex guitar solos, while pensive hymns such as Celtic-infused “Midsummer’s Eve” and ebbing-and-flowing hymn of cherished memories “Willow” provide necessary balance to an album fittingly primed for spectacular performances to come.
Photo credit: Tom Couture