Well, this was no surprise. The writing was on the wall for months already. I think Khan knows that he just cannot handle the stretches of touring anymore. At least his voice cannot. Maybe he will teach like Vibeke Steen and Ihsahn.
Khan officially quits Kamelot
- Thread starter Harvester
- Start date
Agreed with all of this. Khan wasn't Kamelot, but he fundamentally changed them. That definitely doesn't mean I won't support Kamelot without him, but ignoring everything he has done for the band in the past is utterly ridiculous.
I'm also hoping for an unknown. Like someone with a background in musical theater or similar. They often have excellent voices and good stage presence too (just look at Elize Ryd).
Jasonic
Doom On!
Yep, Khan took them to that "performance" level they are today.
Good call on someone from theater.
Great post. This whole thread is ticking me off a bit. Khan was what made Kamelot. They weren't going anywhere with the other guy. I am sorry, but they weren't. What is with people not giving Khan credit for writing the damn songs? Thomas helped him in this area, but I believe the songs were more of Khan's vision.
So let's shove this revisionist history. Can Kamelot survive? Yes they can, but it will be difficult. I just wanted to throw my two cents in regarding Khan and his massive importance to the group.
I am glad that he and the group were civil toward each other. So freakin what that Khan released the statement and the group found out about it. He wasn't exactly coming back any time soon. Yes he could have handled it better, but the group did know he was leaving before. This is not shocking news.
The First Church of Khan steps up to the plate!
I'm not going to debate the merits of Khan's contribution to the success of Kamelot. I agree the band went to another level during his tenure. I don't think anyone disagrees. I don't think anyone but the band can truly comment with merit on the individual songwriting contributions. Perhaps we will have a clearer picture after the next disc is released.
Personally, I think Khan's image is what inspired the flock just as much as his musical contributions. He had the look to go along with the velvet voice (well, before he lost it a few years ago..hello studio magic!) Image can be replaced...
The main thing that Khananites are letting slide is what happened with the North American tour. He pulled out days before, not weeks before it started. He cost a lot of people a lot of money....a *LOT* of money. The booking agent, the band, the crew, the promoters & clubs, the label...the list goes on and on.
Khanboys were distraught with worry over his medical condition during that time. They were disgusted with the band for even thinking about soldiering on without their master. Feeding their families and paying the bills? How dare they!! Khan is Kamelot baby!
Regardless, the band essentially kept quiet to give Roy time to sort things out even though they got fucked. They could have told it like it was, but they didn't. Why kill an album that was just released? Why piss off the new label? I'm sure they were also hoping for a change of mind as well.
In the meantime, they have no choice but to tour now to salvage anything from this album cycle...and perhaps even pay a few bills! Now, if you are going out on tour with a temporary vocalist, would you not still want the support of the fans of Khan? I mean you want to play in front of large crowds and maintain any sort of momentum you can muster despite the circumstances. After the tour is over, then you can make some hard decisions if necessary and communicate with the fans in a way to ease everyone's concern. Why cut the cord now and suffer potential backlash that wasn't your fault in the first damn place?
Didn't happen...
If Roy knew he wasn't coming back, then why didn't he communicate this to the public months ago instead of letting the faithful believe he had a brain tumor and every sort of cancer imaginable? Instead, he waited till after the tour not only started, but got glowing reviews AND sold-out shows.
If you waited seven months, why not wait another few weeks and plot a nice exit strategy with the band that supported you through thick and thin? They were your friends and you want them to do well during this difficult time right?
Nah...you catch everyone by surprise and force them to scramble with a statement to save face when their focus is on the tour.
Roy was a nice guy every time I met him. I think he is a fantastic talent and deserved every bit of success that came his way. That said, the way he handled himself during this situation was terrible to say the least.
Very sad, Khan is my favorite vocalist behind Damian Wilson. I looked forward to each and every Kamelot disc just to hear his voice. It really is a shame and I hope he continues to sing in some shape or form. Kamelot will obvoioulsy move on, but they will never be the same for me without Khan.
I am excited to see them with Fabio, but One Cold Winters Night will remain one of my most watched DVD's. Absolutely outstanding performance. Well I guess all good things eventually come to an end.
I am excited to see them with Fabio, but One Cold Winters Night will remain one of my most watched DVD's. Absolutely outstanding performance. Well I guess all good things eventually come to an end.
I like Kamelot just as much as the next metal band, but I never quite got the infatuation with Khan. Hell, I was a Kamelot fan before he was there and I'll still be one when he's gone. This really is not a big deal to me, glad he's found whatever he wanted to find.
SkiBumMSP
Member
This, I have to agree with.
I am bummed that Roy Khan is no longer with Kamelot, as I really did like him. I've met him in person on several occasions and thought he was a really cool guy that seemed to enjoy what he was doing.
Yeah, the way he handled this whole situation was pretty piss-poor. Imagine, I, being a software engineer, just decided to up and quit right before a major product demo/release - leaving the company scrambling around at the last minute to find someone else or have to cancel the whole thing, at the cost of having to deal with a pissed off customer? Basically the same thing what happened with regards to this tour that was supposed to occur this past fall.
We shall see what happens in the future. There is no doubt that Kahn played a large role in the success of Kamelot, but I honestly think, if they can keep the quality of the music up, that they will just do fine. I am still looking forward to what Kamelot does next, with or without Kahn. Like Glenn said above, we will get a clearer picture when the next disk is released.
Glenn-I was just responding to people saying that Khan had a small impact on the product and that he would be so easy to replace. I was not talking about the tour supporting the latest album. I was all for the band going out with a different singer trying to make a living. No problems at all with that. Khan was not going to be on the European or the NA tour coming up. It looks like the last date for the NA tour is in late September. It truly didn't matter at this time when the group found out about this decision. That's my other point. Khan wasn't going to be with them for at least the next 5 months. As I also said, yes Khan could have handled it better. But divorces are never that pretty. I think this is a small quibble in the grand scheme of things. I would have taken a different view if Khan was scheduled to perform with them on the NA tour and he just sprung this on them. That wasn't the case. As way of comparison what Mac did to Threshold was a hell of a lot worse thing to do than what Khan did. So that is my opinion on this matter. I did debate whether to do that first post, but in the end I thought Khan deserved a tad more respect for his contributions to the band.
One more thing. I will see Kamelot when they come to Orlando. I am going to support the band and would like to see what direction they go in. What a horrible fan I am!
Who am I to disagree!
Seriously, I understand your point of view.
However, you lost me on the tour comparison and Khan dropping out. He did cancel at the absolute last minute for the NA tour that was scheduled around ProgPower XI last September. They had sold an assload of tickets with Khan and everyone lost their ass on the cancellation. I salvaged the show, but it cost me as well. That was the total fuck job that I was referencing.
If you meant this year's tour in your post that he is not scheduled for, then I understand and agree. However, that is irrelvant to my original reply citing his behavior.
Who am I to disagree!
Seriously, I understand your point of view.
However, you lost me on the tour comparison and Khan dropping out. He did cancel at the absolute last minute for the NA tour that was scheduled around ProgPower XI last September. They had sold an assload of tickets with Khan and everyone lost their ass on the cancellation. I salvaged the show, but it cost me as well. That was the total fuck job that I was referencing.
If you meant this year's tour in your post that he is not scheduled for, then I understand and agree. However, that is irrelvant to my original reply citing his behavior.
Just our of curiosity, how did it cost you Glenn? I thought last year was sold out. I'm not questioning the veracity of your statement, just trying to understand a little bit more about the workings of a music festival. I know jack shit about the music business, so my question comes from pure ignorance.
Who am I to disagree!
Seriously, I understand your point of view.
However, you lost me on the tour comparison and Khan dropping out. He did cancel at the absolute last minute for the NA tour that was scheduled around ProgPower XI last September. They had sold an assload of tickets with Khan and everyone lost their ass on the cancellation. I salvaged the show, but it cost me as well. That was the total fuck job that I was referencing.
If you meant this year's tour in your post that he is not scheduled for, then I understand and agree. However, that is irrelvant to my original reply citing his behavior.
Yes, I was referring to the upcoming NA tour. I 100% concede the point on the previous NA tour. Khan did not handle that situation well at all. I am just sad about the whole situation. It truly does suck when my favorite singer of all time died in the past year and now one of my favorite singers in one of my favorite bands quits. Just not my favorite year in music. Ok. I've said my peace.
The festival was going to be their first stop on the tour. That meant they would be in/out. Instead....
I had to pay hotels for everyone for 2-3 days. That includes the guest vocalists as well (Elize & Jake).
I had to pay parking for everyone at the hotel since there was no tour bus.
I had to pay additional money to assist with Michael's expenses above what was originally agreed upon in the contract in order to make the show happen.
I generated no additonal money from the show, yet had to pay out all of the above in addition to the established budget.
nomisofsiman
Member
I agree 100 percent. As I said, I was never a big fan of his voice to be honest. I enjoyed it but it didn't grab me. However, a HUGE part in his performance was his charisma and his ability to hold the audience in the palm of his hand. Not only do they need a great singer, they need someone who also can have that charisma. It definitely will be quite a task for them.
Corsair
Member
- Aug 17, 2009
- 550
- 1
- 18
Maybe they could hire Ripper Owens only to fire him a year later?
BURRRRNNN....
Poor ripper.
Dominick_7
Member
Me too. It just seemed like he didn't know what he was going to do, was having issues trying to figure out what he wanted or could do in good conscience, but he didn't add drama to that uncertainty with airing dirt, do some publicity stunt, or engage in some other reality show train wreck like behavior. I can understand fans missing him, as I like him and will miss him, but while he was a staple to a certain chemistry they had, he wasn't their first singer, was not the main creative source of the band and he was burned out which I think you can tell in the work he did. I think though they have a REALLY bright future in seeing the step in replacements, but I just hope they choose someone who both fits in well, but also isn't as limited as Khan was in singing. Also if Khan continues to sing, and do that in a metal band, he could rest in the time being, figure out what he wants to do, but also get some good vocal training (because while I'm no expert but from seeing him live in person and on video I don't know that he sings in a way that was healthy for him) to make sure he doesn't damage his voice (more), and his next band could do some seriously great work. While I'll miss Tarja in Nightwish and regret never being able to see them live before the break up, I like what Tarjas doing now and Khan could have the something like that too if he so chooses. The guy has a very unique and special charisma, talent, and personality about himself which I will always appreciate.
Dominick_7
Member
Good points. He definitely didn't handle it the best way, and I feel sorry for everyone who was hurt by his leaving the band, but from other "breakups" at least with what was being contributed, it didn't appear to be like a big circus. Not Entertainment Tonight worthy, not that they would have covered this, but still. Would you say it was more like a lack of action or communication that hurt them in this case?
Ouch:/ That sounds really painful:/ Sorry to hear this.
