Komodo rock recently conducted an interview with master shredder Thomas Youngblood of KAMELOT.
Check out excerpts below
KR: It's been a long time since you and Richard Warner founded Kamelot in Florida way back in 1991. What did you do before you were musicians, how did you guys meet, and what led to the inception of the band?
TY: My friend David Alvarez and I worked together, he was also a guitar player. He told me he knew a drummer (R. Warner)that was into metal. So we jammed and that started things. We had a different name for a while but it didn't matter because we never played any shows, only rehearsed and rehearsed, 4-5 times a day. It was only a hobby then, so we recorded our demos with our own money and that led to Noise Records hearing the demo and signing us in 1994. I used to work in the apparel business for Vanity Fair and later for Kappa as a product manager.
KR: Did you have a clear musical direction you wanted to follow?
TY: I grew up listening to the big Metal bands like Iron Maiden, Queensryche, Judas Priest and also seeing local bands like Savatage, Crimson Glory, Saigon Kick etc..so we knew we wanted to do some form of metal. Our personal styles and influences would eventually find their way into our sound. I think around Siege Perilous you can hear a change and a unique approach to writing and arranging.
KR: There must have been alot of hard work and late nights went into the making of your debut album Eternity. Did you ever think back then you would reach the kind of international fan base Kamelot now enjoy?
TY: We used to rehearse all the time, 5 days a week. When we went into Morrisound for our demo we were ready for sure. Of course looking back now I hear and think about things I would do different. We hoped Kamelot would grow into something we could be proud of and also grow to become a full time profession. That has happened now, but we are still growing and still hungry to
achieve the next step. Although we are very happy with the level we are at we are not resting on our laurels so speak.
KR: I see that original bass guitarist Sean Tibbetts has rejoined. There have been one or two lineup changes over the years. What impact do you think this has had on the Kamelot sound?
TY: Well I think as long as the core songwriting part of any band remains then
the sound will likely not change too much. Of course sometimes having a new member that is more technically proficient may open the door for new ideas in the songwriting. It was hard to see Glenn leave, he has been with us really since the beginning and we have had some awesome times together on and off stage. We let him finally decide on leaving, the demands of Kamelot have grown to more than he can handle.
KR: Why did you first pick up a guitar?
TY: I think around 14 or 15, I got one for Christmas one year. It was an acoustic guitar and I immediately took some classical lessons. Before that I play saxophone and some drums. I am really a closet drummer, on the last tour we did a jam session and I played drums, Casey played bass, and Oliver guitar. Sean was on the mic doing some serious screamo vocals. It was a lot fun!
KR: What other players do you admire?
TY: In the early days I liked players like Michael Schenker, Criss Oliva, Malmsteen and Alex Lifeson. Some of my friends that are great players are Gus G and Sascha Paeth, both of them can play amazing, with taste and are also very humble and cool people.
KR: Which is your favourite guitar that you own and why?
TY: My new ESP Eclipse Vintage is really awesome, I played it in the "Rule The World" video. I saw one in Japan when we were there last year and told ESP I have to have one...please! Haha, so they sent it over and it has replaced my Custom Horizon as my fave.
KR: How do you approach the writing process?
TY: It usually starts with some kind of riff or melodic figure. Then that idea branches out into a verse, chorus etc...sometimes it comes from an idea from noodling around on the keyboards. I just got a new Korg and it has some very cool sounds and my limited knowledge of the piano is just enough to come up with some ideas for songs.
KR: The one song by Kamelot that simply refuses to stop playing over and over in my head is Soul Society. Tell me how you came to write that song and the album it comes from The Black Halo?
TY: Cool, thanks! That song I believe start from an idea Khan had, he had the opening on his sequencer if my memory is right. The verse part came from me and then the rest we worked on together. The riff in the solo was something I had for a year before but never found the right song for it.
Read the entire interview here
