Khan officially quits Kamelot

[Harvester]

Martin posted this in the Fabio/Kamelot thread, but I thought it deserved its own thread:

http://www.myspace.com/roykhanofficial/blog/542719606


Quote:
Dear fans & friends,

There have been a lot of speculations around why I am not touring with Kamelot and I want to make a statement although it may not prevent further guessing as to what's actually going on. It is a fact however that I told the guys in the band already last fall (well after my burnout) that I was leaving the band. Naturally enough they were shocked (as was the label and everyone else working with Kamelot). In addition to risk of dropping ticket sales they wanted to give me time to think things over, and so I did. My decision still stands; It is finished.

I am currently spending time with my family in Norway taking it easy and wondering profoundly what the future is going to bring. Communication with the outer world has been so and so, but I have had several talks with Thomas along the way although I am still called in sick. I am terribly sorry that my decision is affecting so many others and I want you to know I wish the band & associates all the best for the future and that I enjoyed every second in the spotlight. How could I not...they were nourished by the best fans in the world! I am eternally thankful for everything you and Kamelot have given me and equally sorry that it has to end here. The good news is; God was there after all...

Love you to death!!!

All the best & so long,
Roy Khan

***





A few folks not on this forum deserve this:

 

[TwizstedJesus]

All I can say is...Khan was a distinct voice for Kamelot, but he had a weak voice live, and I can't wait to hear the Kamelot V3.

 

[Palabra de Dios]

I refuse to look at official Kamelot forums or their Facebook page on this. The cult of personality around Khan is interesting at best and sickening at worst. The fans that think that Kamelot was Khan's band are terribly mistaken. This is, and always will be, Thomas Youngblood's labor of love, and his artistic legacy. The unfortunate thing for Thom is that Khan was such a marketable voice and face...to continue on will be difficult without someone comparable. We've seen Fabio and Michael Eriksen fill in and kill it...but it will be difficult to satisfy the Khan faithful post-departure. But the strength of the music is still there and has been for quite some time.

And Thom is such a nice and humble guy. I wish nothing but the best for him. I don't pray, but I do hope that Kamelot continues on. I trust their judgment on finding a replacement for Roy if that's the path they choose.

 

[DuchessOfDork]

Well, at least he was civil about it.

 

[AngraRULES]

I know for a fact Kamelot will continue on its path of success. Thomas Youngblood truly is the driving force behind the music. Khan is an unique, talented, amazing singer. I love his voice very much (when it's on). That being said, he's not irreplaceable.

Best of luck to both parties. May Khan continue doing whatever it is that will make him happy. I've met him before in several occasions and he was always a very nice guy to be around. And may Thomas and the rest of Kamelot continue doing what they do best - write fantastic music.

And to all of those who didn't believe us, guess what? We were right. You're a douche.

 

[Mardoch]

Not unexpected, but still unfortunate. Khan's voice was what originally drew me to Kamelot. After having heard Mike and then Fabio performing Kamelot songs live, though, it became apparent that the reason to stay a fan of Kamelot was not actually Khan, but Thom's writing. I hope Khan doesn't leave metal, or music in general, but I would rather him do what makes him happy, whatever that is.

 

[MartinW]

Like I said on the Kamelot forums:

I mostly feel bad for all the people who never got to see him live. I've seen them five times, it's easier to accept for me.

I hope he returns to music someday.

That said, Khan was a composer as well as a vocalist, so this will most likely mean a change in Kamelot's sound. It will be interesting to see where they go next.

 

[Mynock]

After having heard Mike and then Fabio performing Kamelot songs live, though, it became apparent that the reason to stay a fan of Kamelot was not actually Khan, but Thom's writing.

This.

 

[Hal9000]

The saddest thing in life is wasted talent.

 

[Midihell]

I guess I posted this at the same time. Glenn, can you kill my post since it's a dupe of this one?

 

[AMBR]

Like I said on the Kamelot forums:

I mostly feel bad for all the people who never got to see him live. I've seen them five times, it's easier to accept for me.

I hope he returns to music someday.

That said, Khan was a composer as well as a vocalist, so this will most likely mean a change in Kamelot's sound. It will be interesting to see where they go next.

Same here. I've seen him many times live, and while I'd love to again, I can live with it. I feel bad for those who did not get the opportunity.

I'll also reiterate what I said on FB, if the man feels he needs to give up the Rock and Roll life to be a better husband and parent, than that's what he should do. Yes, his fans will miss him, but if you're a parent, family should come first, IMO.

 

[nailz]

Maybe I can finally enjoy Kamelot.

 

[spag]

Same here. I've seen him many times live, and while I'd love to again, I can live with it. I feel bad for those who did not get the opportunity.

For those people that never got to seem them live, they're never going to do better than watching the "One Cold Winter's Night" DVD, as Kahn was in great form for that. First time I saw him live was amazing, so I don't really understand all the detractors. I know what he was capable of, even if he had problems later.

I hope he's happy with his life now.

 

[Tenaris]

This is the second time I've had my favorite singer from my favorite band quit before I got to see them live; the first time around, it was Tarja.

That said, even though I'm definitely bummed about this, I want to see Kamelot march on and keep kicking ass. Michael Eriksen did a terrific job filling in for Khan last year, so as long as they can find a new singer of that caliber, I think they'll do just fine.

Which reminds me of something from ProgPower last year that I hadn't thought about much in a while. I had brought Poetry for the Poisoned to the signing table, and was shaking everyone's hand, telling them how glad I was to see them at the festival, etc. I got to Mr. Eriksen and he somehow seemed surprised that I wanted his name in the album as well. Can't remember the exact words, but I said something like "Yeah dude, you're the one who I'm going to hear sing these songs for the first time!" I think/hope that he liked that.

 

[Harvester]

Official Kamelot Statement:

With a heavy heart we can now announce that Roy Khan has chosen to
leave the band. We wanted to give him ample time for this kind of
decision, due to his recent burnout and also the amount of amazing
times we have shared with him in Kamelot. We respectfully accept his
resignation from the band and wish him the best in his future
endeavors. The timing is actually good since we feel the uncertainty
the fans have had can now be laid to rest and the band can move on to
finding a new singer. "The tour is going great so far and the fans
have been amazing throughout this entire process" adds keyboardist
Oliver Palotai. With the new tour already in progress, Kamelot has
already begun the search for a new vocalist. "I have a few guys in
mind," said band founder Thomas Youngblood. "And as you can imagine,
it is a very important decision. There are some amazing singers that
have already contacted us on this but we will take our time to find
the right person". Due to the overwhelming success of the recent shows
in South America, we are pleased to announce new shows in
November/December for Europe (stay tuned).

*The band headlines the Print de Temps Festival tonight and will play
a Amsterdam (nearing sold-out) concert tomorrow followed by a full
headliner tour with special guests Evergrey, Amaranthe and Sons of
Seasons. (*Guest vocalists Fabio Lione and Tommy Karevik)
Thank you for your support and see you on tour!!

Thomas, Casey, Oliver and Sean

 

[Dominick_7]

The saddest thing in life is wasted talent.

Do we really know he won't use his talents elsewhere or in some other capacity?

 

[AMBR]

With the new tour already in progress, Kamelot has already begun the search for a new vocalist. "I have a few guys in mind," said band founder Thomas Youngblood. "And as you can imagine, it is a very important decision. There are some amazing singers that have already contacted us on this but we will take our time to find
the right person".

After putting the disappointment over Kahn in the back of my mind, I am very excited to consider the possibilities here. Can't wait to see who they pick. Shall we start a pool as to whether they announce their new vocalist before DT announces their new drummer?
Either way, I doubt will see a cheesy video about it.

 

[mitchgx]

I do agree with the idea that Kamelot wasn't all about Khan, but also about Thom Youngblood. And while Thom's writing has been mentioned, I think his guitar playing gets overlooked at times...I think he's really underrated, and he has a real knack for coming up with memorable solos that fit perfectly within the song.

Having said that though, I have a hard time believing that Kamelot will ever be as good as they were with Khan. Khan brought a special image and voice to the band that I don't think can possibly be replaced. They may be able to find a great singer, maybe even one who is *technically* better than Khan, but I don't think the special chemistry and magic can be recreated. From The Fourth Legacy up through Poisoned, Kamelot made music that gave me goosebumps and reminded me how much I can love heavy metal when it hits me just the right way. I wish Thom and the rest of the band the best, and I'll be first in line to buy their next CD. But I'll desperately miss Roy's contributions.

 

[Thorn23TX]

I'm a fan of Kamelot with Khan, but as others have said I do not think he's irreplaceable - especially after seeing Mike step in last year, and the few videos I've seen of Fabio on YouTube.

As I told SeeYouInHell earlier today, my only hope is that the search for a new singer does not destroy one of our other favorites (Circus Maximus or Seventh Wonder immediatley come to mind)

 

[Yippee38]

Do we really know he won't use his talents elsewhere or in some other capacity?

That's what I was thinking. Kind of like what Matt Barlow did before his first return to IE.