Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Avantasia
Label: AFM Records
Release: 2002
Avantasia is the project of a power metal enthusiast who refuses to accept that the old Helloween are dead and that the best thing to do is leave them buried in their grave. Tobias Sammet, otherwise the singer of the German power metal band Edguy, is convinced that Helloween deserve at least two tributes, if not more (I’m pretty sure another sequel to this project is on its way). Tobias already got plenty of praise for the first part of this conceptual metal opera, and many even called his project a sort of legitimate continuation of the Helloween saga about the “keeper of the seven keys”. The key to its success lay mainly in the wide cast of well-known melodic metal musicians and in Sammet’s knack for making good use of their talents.
This time around, too, he roped in a whole bunch of power metal heavyweights, with Michael Kiske (ex-Helloween), Kai Hansen (Gamma Ray, ex-Helloween, ex-Iron Savior), David DeFeis (Virgin Steele), Andre Matos (Shaman, ex- Angra), Bob Catley (Magnum), Rob Rock (Warrior,solo,ex-Impelliterri) and Oliver Hartmann (ex-At Vance) standing out on vocals. The main instrumentalists are Henjo Richter on lead guitar (Gamma Ray), Markus Grosskopf on bass (Helloween), Alex Holzwarth on drums (Rhapsody) and Sammet on keyboards. Timo Tolkki (Stratovarius) also tosses in a few guitar solos. It’s a seriously impressive lineup, and the best part is definitely hearing Kiske back in his true form and in superb shape.
Unlike on the first record, Sammet’s vocals are much more front and center this time, while the other vocal contributions are little more than a taste, which is certainly a considerable letdown in some ways. With the exception of Sammet, Matos and Kiske, who often sound like identical twins, the individual singers are easy enough to recognize, since they all have pretty distinctive voices. Personally, I expected a bit more from Kiske, whom it’s been really hard to coax out of his creative rut in recent years and steer back to where he was always strongest: power metal. Sammet could hardly have found a better guitarist for this project than Richter. His monumental guitar solos instantly drag you toward Gamma Ray, where the influences of the old Helloween mix with those of other power metal bands, above all Sammet’s own Edguy. Atmosphere-wise, the album is a bit darker and less cheerful than the first part, which “The Final Sacrifice” and “Memory” testify to most eloquently, with DeFeis shining especially bright with his operatic, romantic-barbaric vocals. Credit is also due to Catley (“Tree of Knowledge”), whose more classic melodic-rock voice brings some much-needed freshness compared to the first part. Of course, creatively speaking the whole thing doesn’t offer anything new, which is something that has always bugged me about similar power metal projects. Still, unlike most such projects, Avantasia this time put the 14-minute epic “The Seven Angels” at the start rather than at the end, as power metal tradition usually dictates. In my opinion, that piece is also the best and most innovative work on the album, since it packs in the widest variety of vocal lines and tempo changes on top of that typical high power metal melodicism.
Many will also be won over by the fairy-tale story, which revolves around forbidden religious secrets, church intrigues and a journey to the fantasy land of Avantasia, where “miracles are at home” and which must be saved from ruin. The story is a sort of cross between Eco’s cult novel “The Name of the Rose” and Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings”, and it really doesn’t offer anything new, although it isn’t as cheap and naive as most power metal concepts. Like many Edguy works, this concept is steeped in Christian tradition alongside a critique of the Catholic Church and its representatives, who would like to claim the exclusive right to the one and only “true” truth. And of course, the fairy-tale number seven is ever present (seven books, seven revelations, seven seals, seven rings, seven keys…). Hm, where have we seen all that before?
The second part of Sammet’s metal opera is another ambitious album and a solid follow-up to its predecessor. It will surely enchant all the power metal fanatics, while leaving most of the more musically demanding crowd pretty cold, despite the excellent technical execution and rich melodies, since in terms of musical innovation it offers nothing new and quickly starts to get boring accordingly.
Line-up
Vocalists:
Tobias Sammet (Edguy)- Gabriel Laymann
Michael Kiske (ex-Helloween) – Lugaid Vandroiy
David DeFeis (Virgin Steele) – Bruder Jakob
Ralf Zdiarstek – Bailiff Falk von Kronberg
Sharon den Adel (Within Temptation)- Anna Held
Rob Rock (Warrior, ex-Impellitteri) – Bishop Johann von Bicken
Oliver Hartmann (ex-At Vance) – Pope Clement VIII
André Matos (Shaaman, ex-Angra)- Elderane the Elf
Kai Hansen (Gamma Ray, ex-Helloween, ex-Iron Savior) – Regrin the Dwarf
Timo Tolkki (Stratovarius) – Mysterious Voice of the Tower
Bob Catley (Magnum) – Tree of Knowledge
Instrumentalists:
Henjo Richter (Gamma Ray) – guitar
Jens Ludwig (Edguy) – guitar
Norman Meiritz – guitar
Timo Tolkki (Stratovarius) – guitar
Markus Grosskopf (Helloween) – bass
Alex Holzwarth (Rhapsody of Fire) – drums
Eric Singer (KISS, ex-Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper)
Tobias Sammet (Edguy) – keyboards
Frank Tischer – piano
Production
Sascha Paeth
Tracklist
1.) The Seven Angels – 14:17
2.) No Return – 4:29
3.) The Looking Glass – 4:53
4.) In Quest For – 3:54
5.) The Final Sacrifice – 5:02
6.) Neverland – 5:00
7.) Anywhere – 5:29
8.) Chalice of Agony – 6:00
9.) Memory – 5:44
10.) Into the Unknown – 4:29
Running time: 59:17
