International symphonic metal legends Kamelot have announced that their new album, Dark Asylum, will arrive on August 28 via Napalm Records and have shared a music video for the first single, “Ashen World,” featuring Decessus frontwoman and reigning Miss World Chile 2025 Ignacia Fernández.
From its opening moments, “Ashen World” delivers signature Kamelot grandeur: expressive lead guitar from founding guitarist Thomas Youngblood, soaring orchestration, and the symphonic arrangements that have become the band’s hallmark. “‘Ashen World’ captures that moment of standing at the crossroads between darkness and hope, where the journey forward begins,” says Youngblood. “It’s classic Kamelot at its core, while opening new doors into the world of ‘Dark Asylum.’”
Vocalist Tommy Karevik adds: “It’s a deep dive into the topography of the human mind, exploring its valleys, peaks, and the void in between. It’s about breaking free from the limiting beliefs that hold us captive and creating a new reality that allows us to expand and realize our full potential.”
Dark Asylum is set within a shadowed Neo-Victorian world, inviting 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. “‘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,” Youngblood says. “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.”
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. Through self-exploration, awareness, and inner peace, healing becomes possible.”
The album was produced by longtime Kamelot collaborator Sascha Paeth, with mixing and mastering handled by Jacob Hansen. Among the guest vocalists featured across the record’s 15 tracks are Avantasia mastermind Tobias Sammet, Eluveitie vocalist Lea-Sophie Fischer, Visions of Atlantis vocalist Clémentine Delauney, and Fernández, alongside Rannveig Sif Sigurðardóttir, Sólveig Sara Leupold, and Billy King.
Dark Asylum will be released on CD digipak — including a two-disc version with an instrumental edition of the album — as well as vinyl in multiple colors, cassette, and digital formats.
Kamelot is Tommy Karevik on vocals, Thomas Youngblood on guitars, Oliver Palotai on keyboards, Sean Tibbetts on bass, and Alex Landenburg on drums.
