Kamelot’s new album, The Awakening, was released this past Friday (17th) via Napalm Records. We caught up with drummer Alex Landenburg to discuss the record.

In the press release, you mentioned the new album, The Awakening, is the most diverse in years. Can you elaborate on that statement and how it differs from your previous efforts?

Well, this is my first studio album with the band, so in a way I can bring in both an outside and inside perspective here. One of the things that kept Kamelot relevant is that the band has always tried to reinvent themselves from record to record instead of being repetitive. On the Awakening though it feels to me like we took all of these new elements from past records to bring them together in a way that truly feels like the best of all periods to me.

Can you tell us about the writing process for the album and how everyone collaborated creating the tracks?

The majority of the songwriting is on Thomas, Tommy and Olli, but I still had a lot of freedom in creating my drum parts for example. We really tried to find new ways of doing things, while still maintaining that Kamelot sound.

This year mark’s the twentieth anniversary of the album, Epica. While having no part of the recording, how has this record personally influenced you or challenged you with your time in Kamelot?

I personally love that album. Everytime we play “Center of the Universe” I get goosebumps cause it just feels so special. 

What was it like collaborating with Ad Infinitum’s Melissa Bonny for the song “New Babylon,” as well as having her join you at this year’s 70000tons of Metal?

She is great. On top of being a fantastic vocalist who can actually really do both the clean vocals and the growls, she is also funny and generally a nice person to be around.

With Kamelot being around for 30 years, let’s talk about the overall evolvement in the music industry. From cassettes to streaming services, what significant changes have you seen and how have you adapted to it?

Certainly the rise of social media changed almost everything. Back in the day, there were a few important mags and once you were in them with your tour dates for example, people would actually see that. Nowadays, it’s much harder to get your information to your fans in many ways. Of course, there are also positive sides to SM. 

The album features a diverse range of tracks from the heavy “One More Flag in the Ground” to the reflective-piece “Willow.”How did you balance these different styles during the creative process?

That was one of the things I enjoyed most about recording the drums for this album. It is really musically diverse and interesting.

What plans do you have coming up this year that you can reveal to us?

Well, obviously lots of touring for this album. It’s so good to finally get out on the road again. We will tour the US in the late summer/early fall and we are also working on Japan dates. 

Is there anything else you want to say or add about the new album?

We took a lot of time to write and record this album and there are many many details. I would love for people to get themselves a great pair of headphones and take the time to really listen to everything. Thank you for listening to our music and supporting our band!