Delusion-Elle

Kamelot announced this morning that their new vocalist is none other than Tommy Karevik from Swedish progressive metal band Seventh Wonder. And I couldn't be happier! (Okay, well, maybe if Khan had said "j/k i'm back for good now that was all just jokes k?" and rejoined Kamelot as their vocalist, that would top this, but...)

Oh baby, you can stay my alley cat for ever and always~

Of course, with the addition of Tommy to the band, our secret hopes that Khan would return have been thoroughly dashed to the ground, and this does lead to some naysayers and bad feelings. But, dear anti-Karevik-ians, do not hate on Tommy so soon! Granted, the response has been positive for the most part, but there will be those who are apathetically neutral or against this choice of vocalist. "He doesn't sound like Khan," some whine. "His voice isn't as deep." Alright, the thing is that of course no one is going to sound like Khan. He was one helluva vocalist, and his unique vocals were one of the biggest draws about Kamelot's music. But you don't want someone who sounds like Khan. If Kamelot had recruited a singer who had the same tone and timbre to his voice as Khan, then it would be easier to compare the two and to state that the new one was doing a poor job of copying. When it is obvious that a band is trying to capture that same sound from vocalist to vocalist, whoever the current vocalist is will never measure up. By choosing Tommy Karevik, Kamelot avoids this and, sure, there are some folks who will still try to compare the two very different singers, but the comparisons ring hollow; they're just too different (and insanely good in their own ways) to compare.

So if you're one of the Kamelot fans going, "wait, who is this Tommy Karevik guy exactly?" let me give you the lowdown...

Tommy Karevik is, as I stated earlier, the singer of Swedish progressive metal band Seventh Wonder. The band has released 4 studio albums, two of which I have listened to, and let me tell you, this is technical virtuosity in prog metal form. Kamelot did not pick Tommy Karevik out of the blue; Tommy had performed as a guest vocalist with the band on tour mostly doing back-up vocals, but also stepping up and singing lead vocals on "EdenEcho" and "Center of the Universe":
As you can see, Tommy is more than capable of singing Kamelot's songs. No, he doesn't sing them exactly the same way that Khan did, but you know what? Those were songs that Khan helped write. They were made for him. There is no way that any other singer singing them can compare, but Tommy does a damn good job of it, and of all the choices the band could've made for a new singer, I don't think that there is a better one out there. Remember, they didn't want someone who would be a Khan clone. They wanted someone who would merely fill his shoes, talent-wise, and get along with the rest of the band -- fitting in is a big part of any job. And those are some big shoes. If these above videos don't convince you, then listen to some of his studio work off Seventh Wonder's latest release, The Great Escape (which is a great album, by the way, that you should check out if you even remotely give a damn about Kamelot and/or enjoy progressive metal):

Personally, I'm extremely excited. I enjoy Seventh Wonder's music and I adore Kamelot with all of my heart. Seeing this crossover is great. In my opinion, there aren't any already-established singers better suited for the job. Congratulations to Tommy, and I look forward to catching the band live -- with Tommy -- in Seattle this fall!

Look! He's already got the facial hair thing DOWN. Perfect.