Symphonic metal royalty KAMELOT have thrown open the gates of RavenHill Asylum, and the first glimpse inside is nothing short of majestic. The band has unveiled “Ashen World,” the first single from their forthcoming album Dark Asylum, arriving August 28 via Napalm Records. Featuring a guest vocal turn from Decessus frontwoman and reigning Miss World Chile Ignacia Fernández, the track is a sweeping, cinematic reintroduction to the world KAMELOT do better than just about anyone: theatrical, dark, and dripping with melody.

From its opening bars, “Ashen World” wastes zero time reminding you why KAMELOT have spent decades at the top of the symphonic metal food chain. Founding guitarist Thomas Youngblood’s lead work slices through soaring orchestration, while the band’s trademark symphonic arrangements build toward a chorus engineered for arena-sized singalongs. It’s grandiose without being bloated — an impressive feat for a band leaning fully into cinematic territory.

Vocalist Tommy Karevik once again proves he’s one of the most versatile voices in modern metal, shifting from hushed, haunted passages into full-throated power without breaking a sweat. Fernández’s ethereal guest vocal weaves through the arrangement like smoke through cathedral rafters, giving the song an extra layer of atmosphere that suits its themes of descent, resilience, and the flicker of hope that refuses to be snuffed out.

“‘Ashen World’ captures that moment of standing at the crossroads between darkness and hope, where the journey forward begins,” Youngblood says of the track. “It’s classic KAMELOT at its core, while opening new doors into the world of Dark Asylum.”

Karevik adds his own philosophical spin: “It’s a deep dive into the topography of the human mind, exploring its valleys, peaks, and the void in between. It’s about breaking free from the limiting beliefs that hold us captive and creating a new reality that allow us to expand and realize our full potential.”

Dark Asylum unfolds as a fully realized concept album set in a shadowed Neo-Victorian world where a former cathedral has been repurposed into RavenHill Asylum — a place where science, faith, and madness uneasily share the same crumbling corridors. The 15-track journey pulls in a jaw-dropping guest roster that includes Avantasia mastermind Tobias Sammet, Eluveitie’s Lea-Sophie Fischer, Visions of Atlantis’ Clémentine Delauney, Fernández, Rannveig Sif Sigurðardóttir, Sólveig Sara Leupold, and Billy King.

KAMELOT will bring RavenHill Asylum to life on the road this fall with the Dark Asylum World Tour, kicking off August 28 in Orlando, FL with Visions of Atlantis and Frozen Crown, before crossing into Europe in November with Exit Eden and Temperance in tow. In between, the band will headline two nights of their own KAMFEST celebration at O13 in Tilburg, NL on October 30 and 31.

Watch the official video for “Ashen World” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dp_tiMhEv9c

Dark Asylum is available for pre-order now in a dizzying array of formats — including a strictly limited liquid blood-filled vinyl for the truly devoted. Step inside RavenHill, if you dare… just don’t say we didn’t warn you.