Written By Caine Blackthorn
Kamelot “Sanctuary” arrives today as the final single from the symphonic metal veterans’ new album, Dark Asylum, released August 28 via Napalm Records. The track brings together Kamelot vocalist Tommy Karevik with Visions of Atlantis frontwoman Clémentine Delauney and Decessus vocalist Ignacia Fernández for a three-voice performance built around driving riffs and sweeping orchestration.
Kamelot “Sanctuary” Opens the Door to Dark Asylum
“Sanctuary” marks the final glimpse into Dark Asylum following previously released singles “Ashen World” and “Godlike Alchemy.” The album is Kamelot’s 14th studio record and follows 2023’s The Awakening, continuing a career that now stretches beyond three decades.
This time, however, Kamelot have built an entire world around the music.
Dark Asylum takes place within RavenHill Asylum, a fictional institution in a shadowy Neo-Victorian setting. Once constructed as a cathedral, RavenHill has become a place where science, faith and madness collide. According to founder and guitarist Thomas Youngblood, the album follows a soul navigating fractured memories, psychological torment and questions of identity while searching the asylum for truth and redemption.
That theatrical concept stretches across a substantial 15-track record. Along with Delauney and Fernández, Dark Asylum features several guests, including Avantasia mastermind Tobias Sammet on “One Last Masquerade.” Eluveitie violinist Lea-Sophie Fischer appears on “Beneath the Moon (Tunglið),” which also features vocalists Rannveig Sif Sigurðardóttir and Sólveig Sara Leupold.
Longtime Kamelot collaborator Sascha Paeth returned to produce the album alongside the band and contributed additional guitars. Jacob Hansen handled mixing and mastering at Hansen Studios. The current Kamelot lineup features Karevik, Youngblood, keyboardist Oliver Palotai, bassist Sean Tibbetts and drummer Alex Landenburg.
The release of Dark Asylum also coincides with Kamelot taking RavenHill out of the studio and onto the stage. The North American leg of the Dark Asylum World Tour begins tonight, August 28, at Hard Rock Live in Orlando, with Visions of Atlantis and Frozen Crown joining the tour. The run continues through September before Kamelot heads to Europe later this fall.
With Kamelot “Sanctuary” unleashed, a new album arriving and a major tour beginning on the same day, August 28 effectively marks the opening of the Dark Asylum era.
Watch the official video for “Sanctuary” below.
NEW ALBUM DARK ASYLUM OUT NOW AUGUST 28 VIA NAPALM RECORDS ALONGSIDE WORLD TOUR KICKOFF – ORDER NOW!
DARK ASYLUM
Release date: August 28, 2026
Label: Napalm Records
Tracks: 15
Produced by: Sascha Paeth & Kamelot
Mixed and mastered by: Jacob Hansen
DARK ASYLUM TRACK LISTING:
1.Sanctorium
2.Ashen World(feat. Ignacia Fernández)
3.Dark Asylum
4.Sanctuary (feat. Clémentine Delauney & Ignacia Fernández)
5.Nocte Veritas
6.One Last Masquerade (feat. Tobias Sammet)
7.Ivy, My Dear
8.Godlike Alchemy
9.The Sleeping Mind (Orphic Paradigm)
10.Kaleidoscope
11.Enigma (Think of Me)
12.Cassandra’s Disease
13.Beneath the Moon (Tunglið)(feat. Rannveig Sif Sigurðardóttir, Sólveig Sara Leupold, Lea-Sophie Fischer)
14.The Puppet King
15.Sanctum Requiem
Produced by Sascha Paeth and Kamelot – Mixed and Mastered by Jacob Hansen
KAMELOT’s Dark Asylum World Tour:
North America Pt. 1:
With Visions of Atlantis + Frozen Crown:
8/28 — Orlando, FL — Hard Rock Live
8/29 — Atlanta, GA — The Masquerade (Heaven)
8/31 — Dallas, TX — The Studio at the Factory
9/2 — Phoenix, AZ — The Van Buren
9/3 — Las Vegas, NV — House of Blues
9/4 — Anaheim, CA — House of Blues
9/5 — San Francisco, CA — The Fillmore
9/7 — Vancouver, BC — Vogue Theatre
9/8 — Seattle, WA — Neptune
9/10 — Salt Lake City, UT — Rockwell at The Complex
9/11 — Denver, CO — Summit Music Hall
9/12 — Kansas City, MO — The Truman
9/14 — Minneapolis, MN — First Avenue
9/15 — Milwaukee, WI — The Rave
9/17 — St. Charles, IL — The Arcada Theatre
9/18 — Cleveland, OH — Globe Iron
9/19 — Toronto, ON — Phoenix Concert Theatre
9/20 — Montreal, QC — MTELUS
9/22 — Quebec City, QC — Theatre Capitole
9/24 — Glenside, PA — Keswick Theatre
9/25 — Worcester, MA — The Palladium
9/26 — New York, NY — Palladium Times Square
9/27 — Silver Spring, MD — The Fillmore Silver Spring
All Tickets and VIP links for North America are here.
KAMFEST DARK ASYLUM
10/30 — Tilburg, NL — O13 (Xandria, Leaves Eyes, Elegy)
10/31 — Tilburg, NL — O13 (Black Briar, Exit Eden, Temperance)
EUROPE PT. 1
With Exit Eden + Temperance:
11/1 — London, UK — O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
11/3 — Manchester, UK — O2 Ritz Manchester
11/5 — Oberhausen, DE — Turbinenhalle
11/6 — Pratteln, CH — Z7 Konzertfabrik
11/7 — Lyon, FR — La Rayonne
11/8 — Stuttgart, DE — LKA
11/10 — Krakow, PL — Klub Studio
11/11 — Warsaw, PL — Progresja
11/13 — Zagreb, HR — Boogaloo
11/14 — Budapest, HU — Barba Negra Red Stage
11/15 — Belgrade, RS — Hangar
11/17 — Trezzo sull’Adda, IT — Live Club
11/18 — Padova, IT — Hall
11/20 — Toulouse, FR — Metronum
11/21 — Barcelona, ES — Razzmatazz 1
11/22 — Madrid, ES — Sala La Riviera
All tickets and VIP Links for Europe are here.
More tour dates are coming in 2027.
KAMELOT IS:
Tommy Karevik — Vocals
Thomas Youngblood — Guitars
Oliver Palotai — Keyboards
Sean Tibbetts — Bass Guitar
Alex Landenburg — Drums
About The Author
Caine Blackthorn writes music news, trending topics, commentary, and feature pieces for Metal Lair with a focus on the shifting culture surrounding rock and heavy metal. From rising ticket prices and touring collapse to legacy artists, industry absurdity, and the changing soul of live music, his work blends sharp observation with the grit, humor, and frustration of the scene itself. Whether covering modern chaos or metal history, Caine approaches heavy music as something lived through, not simply reported on.
Read More From This Author:
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