In 1994 the band signed a deal with Noise Records; the release of their debut album Eternity followed in 1995. The next album, Dominion, was released in 1997.
Later that year, two of the band's members were replaced; drummer and founder Richard Warner and lead vocalist Mark Vanderbilt. Respectively, their replacements were Casey Grillo and Roy Khan (Roy Sætre «Khan» Khantatat from Elverum in Norway - formerly of Conception). With the two new members, Kamelot released their third studio album, Siege Perilous. The new line-up undertook an extensive tour through 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, to the greatest critical success yet. Their sixth album, Epica was released in 2003. Both Epica and the band's seventh effort, The Black Halo, which was released in 2005, are based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's version of the legend of Faust, a man who sells his soul to the devil. To support the new album the band went on tour through Europe and Japan during the first leg of the "Black Halo World Tour 2005", with special guests Epica and Kotipelto in Europe and support Silent Force in Japan. They also played on the Bang Your Head!!! Festival in Germany and the Graspop Metal Meeting in Belgium.
In 2005 they shot their first music videos ever, for the songs The Haunting (Somewhere in Time) and March of Mephisto from the album The Black Halo. Both videos were shot by acclaimed director Patric Ullaeus. The 5th of October 2005 saw the addition of Oliver Palotai as the fifth official band member. Oliver will handle both keyboards and (additional) guitars.
On the second leg of the "Black Halo World Tour" they visited North and South America (USA, Canada, Brazil) as well as Europe (The Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden and Norway). During this part of the tour the bands first live DVD was shot, with the main concert being shot on February 11th, 2006 at Rockefeller Music Hall in Oslo, Norway. The shoot was again handled by Patric Ullaeus. The DVD (and live CD) called One Cold Winter's Night was released in November 2006.
Ghost Opera is the eighth studio album from Kamelot. It was released on June 1st, 2007 via SPV/Steamhammer Records, in Germany and then followed by releases on the fourth and fifth in Europe and the USA, respectively. The album was recorded and mixed at Gate Studios and Pathway Studios in Wolfsburg, Germany with producers Sascha Paeth and Miro. The first video from the album is for the track Ghost Opera, and can be seen on the band's official MySpace site. A video for the song The Human Stain was shot and released later.
Following this was their ninth studio album, Poetry for the Poisoned. It was released on the earMUSIC label, a subdivision of Edel, on September 10, 2010 in Europe, and four days later in North America by the band's own label, KMG Recordings. The release sees the return of founding member Sean Tibbetts (who formerly used the stage name Sean Christians) on bass guitar. A video was recorded for the song The Great Pandemonium and released on the band's official YouTube channel on September 6 (it's also included on the Special Edition DVD release of the album). Simone Simons returns to supply guest vocals on a few songs. Amanda Somerville, Gus G. and Björn "Speed" Strid are also featured.
On September 6, 2010, Kamelot announced that Khan wouldn't be able to perform with the band on their North American tour, just a few days before its scheduled start, and had returned to Norway. While it was initially reported that the band would continue the tour with the Norwegian vocalist Michael Eriksen of Circus Maximus in Khan's place, the band later announced that it would postpone the tour with Khan, though one show was performed with Eriksen at the ProgPower USA XI festival in Atlanta, Georgia, on September 10, 2010. However, on December 16, it was announced that Fabio Lione of Rhapsody of Fire would replace Khan for the remaining and rescheduled dates on the Pandemonium over Latin America, Europe and North America tours in 2011, and later the 70,000 Tons of Metal Cruise in 2012. Other guest singers appeared on selected shows, such as Simone Simons singing The Haunting (Somewhere in Time) and Don't You Cry, Tommy Karevik singing Center of the Universe, EdenEcho or The Human Stain, Snowy Shaw as Mephisto on March of Mephisto, Alissa White-Gluz also as Mephisto on March of Mephisto and Atle Pettersen on Karma.
Following a period of uncertainty, Khan and Kamelot released separate statements on April 21 and 22 2011 respectively, announcing Khan's departure from the band for burnout and religious reasons.
On June 22 2012, Kamelot introduced Seventh Wonder's Swedish vocalist Tommy Karevik as their new official vocalist. Karevik had previously appeared as one of the guest singers on the 2011 Pandemonium World Tour, and was thrilled about his new position: “I am so honored to now be a part of this family and I can't wait to move into the new era of the band together with the guys. I fully understand that this comes with great responsibility and that it will be a big challenge for me as a singer as well as a person, but you can rest assured I will give it my all. From this day, a new journey has begun and I am really eager to meet you all along the way to share my passion for this music!”. Their first show with Karevik was on July 12, 2012 at Masters of Rock.
Kamelot returned to the German label SPV GmbH to release their tenth record, which was unveiled as "Silverthorn" in July 2012. Silverthorn was released on October 30th in North America, October 26th in Germany, and October 29th in the rest of Europe via Steamhammer/SPV. The CD marked the band’s first release with new singer, Tommy Karevik.
Silverthorn went directly to the top, debuting at the #1 position on Amazon’s Heavy Metal Chart. Along with this accomplishment, KAMELOT also impacted major charts in other categories including the #9 position on Billboard’s Hard Rock Chart, #24 on the Rock Charts, #79 on Billboard’s Top 200 Chart, as well as appearing on multiple international charts.
A music video was released for the first single from Silverthorn, Sacrimony (Angel Of Afterlife). The band joined Nightwish on their North American tour as special guests during September and October 2012 in the period leading up to the release of Silverthorn, along with guest vocalists Elize Ryd and Alissa White-Gluz. Following the North American tour, Kamelot embarked on a headlining European tour during November 2012, with support on the tour coming from Xandria, Triosphere and Blackguard. The band also toured new countries on the Silverthorn world tour including Australia, Korea and Taiwan.
On February 23, 2015 the title, artwork, track listing and official release dates for Kamelot's new album were revealed. The new album titled "HAVEN" will make Kamelot's history as it will be released worldwide (excl. Asia) on Napalm Records/Universal and Napalm Records/ADA/Warner as an exclusive licensing deal through the band’s Kamelot Music LLC on May 5, 2015 (North America) and May 8, 2015 (Europe and rest of the world).
Produced by acclaimed music producer Sascha Paeth and mastered by Jacob Hansen, Haven "features all the signature elements of KAMELOT but the band steps out to add new and modern elements along with bringing some amazing emotions that harken to the band’s earlier days." (Source: official press release). Additional guests include Alissa White-Gluz (Arch Enemy), Troy Donockley (Nightwish) and Charlotte Wessels (Delain).
Following the release of HAVEN, Kamelot will embarque on a massive world tour, starting with North America in April/May 2015 followed by European shows in the Summer 2015 and with The Haven European Tour in September/October 2015 the band will return to Europe for their biggest headliner tour to date.
Current Members:
Current members
Thomas Youngblood – guitars, backing vocals (1987–present)
Oliver Palotai – keyboards, additional guitars (2005–present)
Sean Tibbetts – bass (1991–1992, 2009–present)
Tommy Karevik – lead vocals (2012–present)
Alex Landenburg – drums, percussion (2019–present)
Former members
Rob Beck – lead vocals (1987–1991)
Dirk Van Tilborg – bass, keyboards (1987–1991)
Richard Warner – drums (1987–1997)
Mark Vanderbilt – lead vocals (1991–1998)
David Pavlicko – keyboards (1993–1998)
Glenn Barry – bass (1992–2009)
Roy Khan – lead vocals (1998–2011)
Casey Grillo – drums, percussion (1997–2018)
Johan Nunez – drums, percussion (2018–2019)
Live/Session members
Howard Helm – keyboards (1998–1999)
Günter Werno – keyboards (2000)
Michael Eriksen – lead vocals (2010)
Fabio Lione – lead vocals (2011–2012)
Sascha Paeth – additional guitars (1999–present)
Michael "Miro" Rodenberg – keyboards, backing vocals, orchestral arrangements (1999–present)
Live guest musicians
Elisabeth Kjærnes – additional vocals (2006)
Mats Olausson – keyboards (2003; died 2015)
Heather Shockley – additional vocals (2005)
Mari Youngblood – additional vocals (2005–2007)
Anne-Catrin Maerzke – additional vocals (2007–2009)
Amanda Somerville – additional vocals (2009)
Jake E Berg – vocals (2010–2011)
Charlotte Wessels – additional vocals (2010, 2018)
Elize Ryd – additional vocals (2010–2015, 2017, 2018)
Edu Falaschi – lead vocals (2011)
Simone Simons – additional vocals (2006–2012)
Alissa White-Gluz – additional vocals (2011, 2012–2016, 2018)
Coen Janssen – keyboards (2013)
Linnéa Vikström – additional vocals (2012, 2015)
Floor Jansen – additional vocals (2013)
Marcela Bovio – additional vocals (2013–2014)
Kobra Paige – additional vocals (2015–2017)
Aeva Maurelle – additional vocals (2016)
Noora Louhimo – additional vocals (2018–2019)
Lauren Hart – additional vocals (2018–2019)
Session guest musicians
Dirk Bruinenberg – drums, percussion (1999)
Robert Hunecke-Rizzo – drums, percussion (1999)
Cinzia Rizzo – vocals (1999, 2001, 2003, 2005–2007, 2012)
Mari Youngblood – vocals (2003, 2005–2006)
Luca Turilli – guitars (2003)
Amanda Somerville – vocals (2005–2012)
Simone Simons – vocals (2005–2008, 2010)
Shagrath – vocals (2005)
Jens Johansson – keyboards (2005)
Elize Ryd – vocals (2012)
Anne-Catrin Märzke – vocals (2008)
Jon Oliva – vocals (2010–2011)
Chanty Wunder – vocals (2010–2011)
Björn "Speed" Strid – vocals (2010)
Gus G – guitars (2010)
Alissa White-Gluz – vocals (2012, 2015)
Charlotte Wessels – vocals (2015)
Troy Donockley – uilleann pipes, tin whistle (2015)
Jennifer Haben – vocals (2018)
Lauren Hart – vocals (2018)
Studio albums:
1995 - Eternity
1997 - Dominion
1998 - Siege Perilous
1999 - The Fourth Legacy
2001 - Karma
2003 - Epica
2005 - The Black Halo
2007 - Ghost Opera
2010 - Poetry for the Poisoned
2012 - Silverthorn
2015 - Haven
2018 - The Shadow Theory
Live Albums:
2000 - The Expedition
2006 - One Cold Winter's Night
2020 - I Am the Empire – Live from the 013
Live DVDs:
2006 - One Cold Winter's Night
Demos:
1991 - Demo
2) Kamelot is a czech folk/rock band from Brno found in 1982. The only member who has been in the band the whole time is its founder, Roman Horký.
Current Members:
Roman Horký
Viktor Porkristl
Jiří Meisner
Pavel Plch
Discography:
Studio albums:
1990 - Zachraňte koně
1991 - Tajný výpravy
1992 - Vyznavači ohňů
1993 - Roman Horký a jeho hosté
1994 - Duhová cesta
1995 - Zlatá ryba
1996 - Cesta do ráje
1997 - The Best Of
1997 - Vyhaslý oheň
1998 - Země antilop
1999 - Větrné město
2000 - Vzpomínka na kamaráda
2001 - Paměť slonů
2001 - Pozdní návraty
2002 - Valerie
2004 - Zvláštní svět
2005 - Dlouhá pláž
2006 - Modrá planeta
2007 - 25 - Výběr největších hitů
2009 - Mořská sůl
2010 - 19 ztracených písní Wabiho Ryvoly
Singles:
1995 - Tomáš
1996 - Rio/Hardegg
2004 - Island
March of Mephisto
Kamelot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Me duce tutus eris
Vox populi vox dei
Ad maiorem dei gloriam
Adinfinitum
You know just who I am
Don't be so distant
I am solely there to share your grief
Wailing your sorrow
Is only my way to comfort you
Reminders of innocent youth
Waiting for morrow you're lonely
I name your solitude
I speaketh the truth
Now tell me all about your pain
Down to the detail
Don't say it's love
Your fragile heart feeds my contempt
Wailing your sorrow
Is only my way to comfort you
Reminders of innocent youth
Waiting for morrow you're lonely
I name your solitude
I speaketh the truth
Una persona non grata
Chase the heathen call
We belong you and I
Unison in all you deny
Wailing your sorrow
Is only my way to comfort you
Reminders of innocent youth
Waiting for morrow you're lonely
I name your solitude
I speaketh the truth
I am the thorn in your side
That seeks accomplishment
Reminding the mortal of death
I am the spore of your pride
An angel heavensent
The master of all
I am the urge of the flesh
Reminding the mortal of death
Death
The lyrics to Kamelot's song "March of Mephisto" are complex and filled with metaphors, all while invoking a sense of darkness and pain. The opening lines, "Aspirat primo fortuna labori / Me duce tutus eris / Vox populi vox dei / Ad maiorem dei gloriam / Adinfinitum" roughly translate to "The first effort is lucky / With me as your guide, you will be safe / The voice of the people is the voice of God / For the greater glory of God / Endlessly." These lines set the tone for the song, indicating that the singer is a guide or protector of sorts, but one who may have a more ominous purpose.
Later in the song, the singer is revealed to be Mephistopheles, a demonic figure from German folklore. He is shown to be a manipulative force, comforting those in pain in order to feed on their suffering. He revels in his own power and sees himself as the "master of all," while also warning of the inevitability of death. The phrases "I am the thorn in your side / That seeks accomplishment" and "I am the spore of your pride / An angel heavensent" further reinforce this duality, as Mephistopheles presents himself as both a destructive force and a savior figure.
Overall, the lyrics to "March of Mephisto" are a complex mixture of themes and metaphors, exploring the nature of pain, power, and mortality through the lens of a demonic figure. The song itself is a standout track from Kamelot's 2005 album "The Black Halo," and has become a fan favorite in the years since its release.
Line by Line Meaning
Aspirat primo fortuna labori
Success seeks those who work hard from the beginning
Me duce tutus eris
You'll be safe under my guidance
Vox populi vox dei
The voice of the people is the voice of God
Ad maiorem dei gloriam
For the greater glory of God
Adinfinitum
To infinity
You know just who I am
I am familiar to you
Don't be so distant
Don't keep your distance from me
Cause when you're lost
During those times when you feel lost
I am solely there to share your grief
I'm there to listen and empathize with you
Wailing your sorrow
Crying and lamenting your sorrows
Is only my way to comfort you
It's how I try to make you feel better
Reminders of innocent youth
Things that remind you of a time when you were innocent
Waiting for morrow you're lonely
You're waiting for the future but feel lonely in the present
I name your solitude
I acknowledge your loneliness
I speaketh the truth
I am telling the truth
Now tell me all about your pain
Share with me all the details of your pain
Down to the detail
Leave nothing out
Don't say it's love
Don't try to sugar-coat it by calling it love
Your fragile heart feeds my contempt
I have disdain for your weakness
Una persona non grata
An unwelcome person
Chase the heathen call
Pursue the call of the non-believers
We belong you and I
We are together in this
Unison in all you deny
We are in agreement in everything you reject
I am the thorn in your side
I'm the constant source of discomfort for you
That seeks accomplishment
I'm constantly striving to achieve my goals
Reminding the mortal of death
Warning humans of their mortality
I am the spore of your pride
I am the cause of your arrogance
An angel heavensent
Sent from heaven like an angel
The master of all
I am the one in control
I am the urge of the flesh
I am the desire for physical pleasure
Death
Inevitable end of life
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Lmfenhir
Lyrics
ASPIRAT PRIMO FORTUNA LABORI
ME DUCE TUTUS ERIS
VOX POPULI VOX DEI
AD MAIOREM DEI GLORIAM...
AD INFINITUM
You know just who I am
Don't be so distant
Cause when you're lost
I am solely there to share your grief
Wailing your sorrow
Is only my way to comfort you
Reminders of innocent youth
Waiting for morrow you're lonely
I name your solitude
I speaketh the truth
Now tell me all about your pain
Down to the detail
Don't say it's love
Your fragile heart feeds my contempt
Wailing your sorrow
Is only my way to comfort you
Reminders of innocent youth
Waiting for morrow you're lonely
I name your solitude
I speaketh the truth
Chase the heathen call
We belong... you and I
Unison in all you deny
I am the thorn in your side
That seeks accomplishment
Reminding the mortal of death
I am the spore of your pride
An angel heavensent
The master of all
I am the urge of the flesh
@AshlandTalos
Is this not one of the most amazingly well written power metal songs ever made? IT IS TO ME!
@serebruss1
Probs the best 1 i've heard too , in saying that i don't listen to much of this type of metal , but if i can find more stuff like this i would be happy .
@xp33dozx
Hells to the yeah!!!!!!
@BotShox
Will M i Agree yeah this is, i was so sry Roy Khan left the band, the guy singing now is really god at Kamelot but Roy was so great unforgotten.
@jessica123765
Will M it's one of the most well crafted! Shagrath is also a perfect match for this song too!
@LittleAngel9612
It's actually part of a two-story concept album (Epica & The Black Halo). The story is loosely based on the novel 'Faust' by Goethe. In this song Mephisto(a fallen angel) tries to increase his power over Ariel's mind and intruduces him to Marguerite, a woman that looks like his dead lover.While Marguerite seduces Ariel's body,Mephisto seduces his mind.Mephisto's power over Ariel is represented by the growled vocals.
@mathiasschnell
Definitely one of the best bands I've had the pleasure of listening to. Seems like all the instruments blend together so well for an excellent harmony of music. It's Heavy Metal in my eyes, but it's also so much more. The singer is also the icing on the cake; he is incredible. I will surely recommend Kamelot to anyone interested.
@OuttaEgypt
I'm relatively new to Kamelot, but I immediately realized their talent and uniqueness as band after just one listen. I mean, it doesn't even take multiple listens to realize how amazing these guys are. The music just grasps you from beginning to end without letting go, and the voice seduces you to the point of no return; and then you find yourself asking for more. And if they keep making songs like this one...
@pixelbow
I've been listening to metal since the beginning.... I can say that Kamelot has got something gong on..... It's big, large, dirty, soft, quiet, lifts you and slams you down.... I don't how much more metal you can get. They have a good produced sound and can do it live. I'm not sure where the attitude comes from that you have to sound bad and be unheard of to be good. More metal bands should take notes learn the difference between sound pressure and loudness and VOLUME!
@SruthiSamraj
This is definitely one of those songs you can never get enough of !! One of my all time favorites !!