International symphonic metal legends KAMELOT have announced their 14th studio album, "Dark Asylum", set for release on August 28, 2026 via Napalm Records. The record marks another milestone for one of the genre's most enduring forces, now more than three decades into a career that has produced landmark albums including Haven, The Shadow Theory, and The Awakening.
"Dark Asylum" plunges listeners into the fictional RavenHill Asylum — a towering institution once constructed as a cathedral, now repurposed into a place where science, faith, and madness uneasily coexist. The narrative follows a soul trapped in a world of masks, fractured memories, and psychological torment, wandering the endless halls of RavenHill in search of identity and redemption.
KAMELOT founder and guitarist Thomas Youngblood explains the concept: "What begins as a descent into darkness gradually transforms into a journey of awakening, where beneath the fear, illusion, and chaos lies the possibility of healing, hope, and ultimately a path out of the shadows into Sanctuary."
Frontman Tommy Karevik adds: "'Dark Asylum' invites listeners into the hidden chambers of the human mind. At its core, the album explores the duality of human nature: the constant tension between fear and hope, chaos and stillness, destruction and healing. Through self-exploration and inner peace, healing becomes possible."
Longtime KAMELOT producer Sascha Paeth returns to helm the record, with Jacob Hansen overseeing mixing and mastering — a proven combination that has shaped the band's signature cinematic sound.
The album will be available across multiple formats, including standard gold, solid silver, and classic black vinyl editions, as well as limited certified white-label, white splatter, and blood-filled vinyl variants — each paired with an official 24-page booklet to deepen the RavenHill world.
"Dark Asylum" is KAMELOT at their most conceptually ambitious: dark, theatrical, and emotionally unfiltered — a descent into shadows that ultimately searches for light.