Singer FABIO LIONE 'Would Love' To Join KAMELOT Permanently

Austria's Stormbringer.at webzine recently conducted an interview with RHAPSODY OF FIRE and current KAMELOT touring vocalist Fabio Lione. An excerpt from the chat follow below.

Stormbringer.at: How is the tour with KAMELOT going so far?

Fabio: Great! I have to say that the guys are very nice, I love the songs and the band and everything is going in the best way. I'm also very happy to see that the KAMELOT fans are with me and the band. Every show we have a great time, it's a great experience for me. We feel like old friends, I have to say that we are having a great time and great shows together.

Stormbringer.at: Currently you are a temporary replacement of Khan in KAMELOT. Would you ever consider a permanent place in KAMELOT should the guys of the band ask you?

Fabio: Well, I would love it!!! The KAMELOT songs are great, I really like the style and [former KAMELOT vocalist Roy] Khan is probably one of the few singers that I like. So, of course, I would consider that. But first let's do the European tour and the North American one, Then if they will ask me, I'll be more than happy to join the band permanently. Since the first time we met and played together, we had a very good feeling. Everything was easy and natural like we knew each other for years and everybody who saw the band in South America or Europe said we did great shows. I'm happy for the guys and the fans, so let's see what the future will bring for us. Never say never!

Stormbringer.at: Where are the differences or challenges in singing for your own band in comparison to being a guest singer in another well-established band like KAMELOT?

Fabio: It's not easy, I have to say, but in this case I knew Khan since [his pre-KAMELOT band] CONCEPTION era and I know his voice, style and way to sing; he's great!!! So it was a little bit more easy for me 'cause I knew the songs and especially the singer very well, but you have to be in front of many people, fans that are used to see and hear someone else, it's not really an easy job. The best is [to] do it with passion and make people happy. Anyway, I don't think I do something easy in RHAPSODY OF FIRE or VISION DIVINE, I always liked to do not easy things and this new experience it's very good for me. I just try to do it in the best way I can.

In a May 11, 2011 interview with Metal-Trails.com, KAMELOT guitarist/mainman Thomas Youngblood stated about Fabio Lione, "Our producer, Sascha Paeth, he also does RHAPSODY's records and he suggested Fabio because he knows the guy can sing anything. He sings totally different than he does with RHAPSODY with us. He's an amazing singer. I mean, technically, he's probably the best singer that I've ever worked with. So I think he was the perfect choice to finish this tour, to fulfill our obligations to ourselves and the fans. And he's actually a new dynamic to the show, which I think is really cool."

When asked if there is a possibility that Fabio will be the new permanent lead singer of KAMELOT, Youngblood said, "There's always possibilities, you know?! He's got his band, but I think what I wanna do is do this big audition process where we have as many people as possible to choose from and then we'll make a decision."

Regarding possible candidates for the singer position in KAMELOT and what the band will be looking for in a new vocalist, Youngblood said, "I definitely don't wanna say any names right now, but we've gotten a lot of e-mails from people that are known, people that are unknown. Obviously they have to have a certain charisma, they have to understand the dynamics of what KAMELOT is and also what we're gonna be on the next record. Vocally, they have to be a master at what they're doing. So there's a lot of elements. There's also a social part of it making sure they have no religious restrictions, no addiction issues, they don't have a girlfriend or a wife that says, 'You can't tour,' or something like that. All I can say is that so far a lot of the e-mails I've gotten have been very encouraging."

On whether KAMELOT wants someone who will sound very similar to Roy or a singer with his own style, Youngblood said, "The new guy should have his own thing going on. Of course, he has to be able to sing the old songs and do it properly give it justice and respect. But to bring in a clone makes no sense; that's not our goal."