International symphonic metal legends Kamelot — renowned for their infectious melodies, cinematic storytelling, and electrifying live performances — return with their haunting new studio album “Dark Asylum”, arriving on August 28th, 2026, via Napalm Records.
Now 14 albums deep into a genre-defining career — including “Haven” (#1 Billboard Hard Rock), “The Shadow Theory” (#2 Billboard Hard Rock, #1 Amazon Hard Rock & Metal), and most recently “The Awakening” (#2 Billboard Hard Rock and Top 10 on the German charts) — the band continues to stand as a commanding force in modern metal after more than three decades.
Set within a shadowed Neo Victorian-era world, “Dark Asylum” invites listeners beyond the gates of RavenHill Asylum—an imposing institution once built as a grand cathedral, now repurposed into a place where science, faith, and madness uneasily coexist.
Kamelot founder and guitarist Thomas Youngblood about the record:
“‘Dark Asylum’ follows a soul trapped inside a world of masks, fractured memories, and psychological torment, wandering the endless halls of RavenHill in search of truth, identity, and redemption. What begins as a descent into darkness gradually transforms into a journey of awakening, where beneath the fear, illusion, and chaos lies the possibility of healing, hope, and ultimately a path out of the shadows into Sanctuary. The album explores the duality between despair and salvation, blurring the lines between reality and madness through theatrical storytelling, haunting atmospheres, and deeply emotional themes”.
Frontman Tommy Karevik adds:
“‘Dark Asylum’ invites listeners into the hidden chambers of the human mind. A journey where every door reveals a different story, yet all remain deeply connected. At its core, the album explores the duality of human nature: the constant tension between fear and hope, chaos and stillness, destruction and healing. ‘Dark Asylum’ reflects the struggle to remain sane within a cold and barren world, while ultimately discovering that salvation is not something found externally, but something that already exists within us all. Through self-exploration, awareness, and inner peace, healing becomes possible. This concept opened the door to a more cinematic and haunting sonic landscape, allowing us to experiment with darker, more eerie musical themes”.
Longtime Kamelot producer Sascha Paeth returns to helm the album, alongside Jacob Hansen, who oversees mixing and mastering.
Karevik concludes:
“The imagery was intentionally painted with delicate strokes, capturing the fine line between beauty and disorder, and the way chaos and tranquility coexist within the same space. The result is an immersive experience that feels both unsettling and deeply human. A descent into darkness that ultimately searches for light”.
Deepening the immersion of RavenHill, “Dark Asylum” will be released on a plethora of exciting platforms including standard gold, solid silver, and classic black vinyl editions, certified vinyl with the white label, white splatter, and blood filled variants, the latter of which are each paired with an official 24 page booklet! Multiple CD digipak available, with the 2 disc version including an instrumental version of the album, alongside cassette and digital options!
Kamelot pushes further into cinematic and atmospheric territory on “Dark Asylum”, diving deeper into theatrical darkness while preserving the signature hooks that define their sound. Candlelight trembles along towering arches and cold stone corridors as you are greeted familiar spectres: Avantasia mastermind Tobias Sammet, Eluveitie’s Lea-Sophie Fischer, Visions of Atlantis’s Clémentine Delauney, Decessus frontwoman and current reigning Miss World Chile champion Ignacia Fernández, Rannveig Sif Sigurðardóttir and Sólveig Sara Leupold, and Billy King! Identity fractures, reality bends, and control slips into unseen hands, guiding its central figure through a descent into psychological darkness that ultimately leads toward transformation… and perhaps sanctuary. From the cinematic sweep of “Ashen World” to the introspective depth of “Sanctuary”, and the layered mystique of “Ivy, My Dear”, “Dark Asylum” unfolds as a fully immersive journey, blending orchestral grandeur, haunting melodies, and theatrical storytelling into one cohesive vision.
Will you find sanctuary? Or will you wander its halls for eternity?
“Dark Asylum” will be available in the following formats:
• Digipak CD
• 1-LP Black Vinyl
• 1-LP Solid Silver
• 1-LP White Label Edition – LP-Sized Booklet 24 pages, Certificate
• 1-LP White Splatter Vinyl – LP-Sized Booklet 24 pages
• 1-LP Solid Gold Vinyl
• 1-LP Liquid BLOOD FILLED Vinyl – LP-Sized Booklet 24 pages, Certificate
• 1-KP Marbled Vinyl
• 1-LP Zoetrope Vinyl – LP-Sized Booklet 24 pages, Certificate
• 2-CD 36 pages Earbook Instrumental Album
• Cassette
Pre-order “Dark Asylum” here.
Tracklist:
1. Sanctorium
2. Ashen World (feat. Ignacia Fernández)
3. Dark Asylum
4. Sanctuary (feat. Clémentine Delauney & Ignacia Fernández)
5. Nocte Veritas
6. One Last Masquerade (feat. Tobias Sammet)
7. Ivy, My Dear
8. Godlike Alchemy
9. The Sleeping Mind (Orphic Paradigm)
10. Kaleidoscope
11. Enigma (Think of Me)
12. Cassandra’s Disease
13. Beneath the Moon (Tunglið) (feat. Rannveig Sif Sigurðardóttir, Sólveig Sara Leupold, Lea-Sophie Fischer)
14. The Puppet King
15. Sanctum Requiem
Always committed to bringing their worlds beyond the studio, Kamelot will take RavenHill Asylum on the road this fall with the immersive Dark Asylum World Tour, spanning North America and Europe. Once you step inside RavenHill… there is no turning back.
North American Tour Dates 2026:
08/28/26 – Orlando, FL – Hard Rock Live
08/29/26 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade (Heaven)
08/31/26 – Dallas, TX – The Studio at the Factory
09/02/26 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
09/03/26 – Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues
09/04/26 – Anaheim, CA – House of Blues
09/05/26 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
09/07/26 – Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theatre
09/08/26 – Seattle, WA – Neptune
09/10/26 – Salt Lake City, UT – Rockwell at The Complex
09/11/26 – Denver, CO – Summit Music Hall
09/12/26 – Kansas City, MO – The Truman
09/14/26 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
09/15/26 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave
09/17/26 – St. Charles, IL – The Arcada Theatre
09/18/26 – Cleveland, OH – Globe Iron
09/19/26 – Toronto, ON – Phoenix Concert Theatre
09/20/26 – Montreal, QC – MTELUS
09/22/26 – Quebec City, QC – Theatre Capitole
09/24/26 – Glenside, PA – Keswick Theatre
09/25/26 – Worcester, MA – The Palladium
09/26/26 – New York, NY – Palladium Times Square
09/27/26 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore Silver Spring
(w/ Visions of Atlantis, Frozen Crown)
KamFest Dark Asylum 2026:
30/10/26 – O13 – KAMFEST – Tilburg, NL (Xandria, Leaves Eyes, Elegy)
31/10/26 – O13 – KAMFEST – Tilburg, NL (Black Briar, Exit Eden, Temperance)
European Tour Dates 2026:
01/11/26 – London, UK – O2 Sheperd’s Bush Empire
03/11/26 – Manchester, UK – O2 Ritz Manchester
05/11/26 – Oberhausen, DE – Turbinenhalle
06/11/26 – Pratteln, CH – Z7 Konzertfabrik
07/11/26 – Lyon, FR – La Rayonne
08/11/26 – Stuttgart, DE – LKA
10/11/26 – Krakow, PL – Klub Studio
11/11/26 – Warsaw, PL – Progresja
13/11/26 – Zagreb, HR – Boogaloo
14/11/26 – Budapest, HU – Barba Negra Red Stage
15/11/26 – Belgrade, RS – Hangar
17/11/26 – Trezzo sull’Adda, IT – Live Club
18/11/26 – Padova, IT – Hall
20/11/26 – Toulouse, FR – Metronum
21/11/26 – Barcelona, ES – Razzmatazz 1
22/11/26 – Madrid, ES – Sala La Riviera
(w/ Exit Eden, Temperance)
Get tickets here.
Line-up:
Tommy Karevik – Vocals
Thomas Youngblood – Guitars
Oliver Palotai – Keyboards
Sean Tibbetts – Bass
Alex Landenburg – Drums
Weblinks:
kamelot.com
www.facebook.com/kamelotofficial
