The official Avantasia and Edguy thread v Moonflower Society - Oct 21st

[The Walrus]

Would anyone mind if I post my thoughts on each album and song leading up to the release of Moonglow? I've had a big Avantasia itch the last week or so and it's been a while since I went through every album (probably years since I listened to Babylon or Mystery from start to finish). I'll be fair to Mystery too Could make for some fun discussion looking back on all the guests and such over the years.

[TAC]

Go for it K-Lox. That'd be great!

[Evermind]

Sounds fun indeed!

[cramx3]

I don't see why not

[Ben_Jamin]

Do it up. It'd be an interesting read.

[wolfking]

I listened to TMOT yesterday in the car.  Was great to hear after such a long time.  A very well written, polished and classy album.

[TAC]

It's great album. Tobi worked a fucking miracle with Joe Lynn Turner. Kiske is amazing and it was great to get Biff on for a couple of  songs.

Savior In The Clockwork was my track of the year.

[cramx3]

Savior In The Clockwork was my track of the year.

Might be my favorite of theirs overall

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Song sounds good. Mostly it sounds pretty typical Avantasia, which is good, although there's not much that really makes it stick out except for the cool deep chanting near the end, and of course Hansi sounding great.

Seems like it'll be better than TMOT but probably not as good as Ghostlights.

[ErHaO]

Would anyone mind if I post my thoughts on each album and song leading up to the release of Moonglow? I've had a big Avantasia itch the last week or so and it's been a while since I went through every album (probably years since I listened to Babylon or Mystery from start to finish). I'll be fair to Mystery too Could make for some fun discussion looking back on all the guests and such over the years.

I haven't really listened to a good chunk of the Avantasia discography all that much, so I will definitely read and listen along. I have long been planning to do a proper listen-through of this artist. I know all albums, but I kind of sticked with my favourites (mainly Wicked Symphony and recently Ghostlights) and never returned to the other ones, save for the songs I really loved.

[The Walrus]

Would anyone mind if I post my thoughts on each album and song leading up to the release of Moonglow? I've had a big Avantasia itch the last week or so and it's been a while since I went through every album (probably years since I listened to Babylon or Mystery from start to finish). I'll be fair to Mystery too Could make for some fun discussion looking back on all the guests and such over the years.

I haven't really listened to a good chunk of the Avantasia discography all that much, so I will definitely read and listen along. I have long been planning to do a proper listen-through of this artist. I know all albums, but I kind of sticked with my favourites (mainly Wicked Symphony and recently Ghostlights) and never returned to the other ones, save for the songs I really loved.

That's awesome, I hope you find some new songs to enjoy along the way and most importantly have fun doing so! I think I'll get something on Metal Opera Pt. I up this week.

[TAC]

I, for one, definitely need to dust off some of their albums. It will be good to do so while following along.

[wolfking]

I will follow too even.  Will be interesting to see if Metal Opera 1 is still my fav.

[bosk1]

Would anyone mind if I post my thoughts on each album and song leading up to the release of Moonglow? I've had a big Avantasia itch the last week or so and it's been a while since I went through every album (probably years since I listened to Babylon or Mystery from start to finish). I'll be fair to Mystery too Could make for some fun discussion looking back on all the guests and such over the years.

I love that kind of stuff.  Especially for bands where I am just kind of a casual fan because it gives me some incentive to listen to the stuff I am not familiar with.

[Samsara]

Would anyone mind if I post my thoughts on each album and song leading up to the release of Moonglow? I've had a big Avantasia itch the last week or so and it's been a while since I went through every album (probably years since I listened to Babylon or Mystery from start to finish). I'll be fair to Mystery too Could make for some fun discussion looking back on all the guests and such over the years.

Go for it. Would love to read that. I'm a bit of an Avantasia noob, as I got into them with Ghostlights and haven't examined the back catalog closely yet.

[Lowdz]

Count me in the group that hasn’t got a clue what it’s all about. Ireadall thestuff In the booklet for the first album but it was complete bollocks so I didn’t bother reading the others. Plus the print inthe booklets is too small for my fogey eyes these days😱🤓

[The Walrus]

Let's do this! I can stagger 'em out at just over once a week for each release.



Avantasia, The Metal Opera - Pt. I

1. Prelude
2. Reach Out For The Light
3. Serpents In Paradise
4. Malleus Maleficarum (This song samples the song The Kingdom from Edguy's debut album Kingdom of Madness)
5. Breaking Away
6. Farewell
7. The Glory of Rome
8. In Nomine Patris
9. Avantasia
10. A New Dimension
11. Inside
12. Sign of the Cross
13. The Tower

Lineup:
Tobias Sammet (vocals, keyboards, piano, orchestrations)
Henjo Richter (guitars)
Markus Grosskopf (bass)
Alex Holzwarth (drums)

Guest musicians:
Jens Ludwig   Guitars (lead) (additional) (track 12, 13)
Norman Meiritz   Guitars (acoustic) (track 6)
Andre Matos   Vocals (lead) (tracks 11-13) (as Elderane, the Elf)
Kai Hansen   Vocals (lead) (tracks 11, 12) (as Regrin, the Dwarf)
Frank Tischer   Piano (track 11)
Ernie   Vocals (lead) (tracks 2, 5, 6, 9, 13) (as Druid Lugaid Vandroiy)
Timo Tolkki   Vocals (additional) (track 13) (as Voice in the Tower)
David DeFeis   Vocals (lead) (tracks 3, 13) (as Friar Jakob)
Ralf Zdiarstek   Vocals (lead) (tracks 4, 7) (as Bailiff von Kronberg)
Sharon den Adel   Vocals (female) (track 6) (as Anna Held)
Rob Rock   Vocals (lead) (tracks 7, 12) (as Bishop von Bicken)
Oliver Hartmann   Vocals (lead) (tracks 7, 12, 13) (as Pope Clemens IIX)

The story for this album... it's definitely a story. I can't really remember what it's about. Gabriel is off to rescue his stepsister Anna who has been accused of witchcraft (it's 1602, after all). Gabriel meets a guy named Lugaid Vandroiy in jail and this Vandroiy guy offers his assistance in rescuing Anna if Gabriel helps save his realm. Then a portal gets opened and they're off to Avantasia, I think. There's also a dwarf and an elf.

This album is power metal to the max (just look at the core lineup - Edguy, Gamma Ray, Helloween, and Rhapsody represented). This is one of those 'golden age of power metal' albums for me - almost everything here is emblematic of what it should sound like, in my opinion. Incredible vocals, memorable melodies from start to finish (with verses and bridges treated as importantly as the chorus), huge drums and shreddy guitars. The start of Reach Out For The Light is so perfect, it gets me pumped every time I hear it.

I think the guest vocalists on this album are fantastic, all of them. To this day I have a hard time remembering some of them like Rob Rock and Oliver Hartmann, and sometimes mix them up, but there are no poor vocal lines to be found here, everyone's singing their heart out. Tobias in particular sounds amazing here. He was only 24 when this album was released - his sixth overall. That's pretty impressive.

The Tower is one of my favorite Avantasia songs. The layering of the vocals, the clear sustained notes in the verses, the orchestrations and guitar/drum playing, it's soaked in a marinade of Stratovarius-style juices and I love it. Timo Tolkki himself guests (as the Voice in the Tower) on this one. Only thing I don't enjoy is Tobi's narrating at the end.

Reach Out For The Light, Serpents in Paradise, The Tower, etc. - there's so much power metal goodness here. Even the ballad Farewell has an awesome appearance from Michael Kiske at the end, who hilariously demanded to go by the name 'Ernie' on the album. That's another thing Tobi can lay claim to: he pretty much singlehandedly brought Michael Kiske back into metal by nagging him until Kiske agreed to appear on the album (but only if he could hide his identity, as if his voice wouldn't give it away immediately).

I think Part II is a more evenly structured, well-written album, but The Metal Opera Pt. I is still a fantastic piece of art to these ears.

[TAC]

To this day I have a hard time remembering some of them like Rob Rock and Oliver Hartmann, and sometimes mix them up

On my iPod, when I entered the song titles, I put the vocalist in parenthesis. I am not so well versed in Avantasia that I have it all down pat. It helps if I want to find, say, the Kiske tunes.

another thing Tobi can lay claim to: he pretty much singlehandedly brought Michael Kiske back into metal by nagging him until Kiske agreed to appear on the album

Yes, this is totally true. There is video supporting this. Kiske was Tobi's idol. And Tobi showed Kiske that Metal was not a bad thing.



I forgot that Markus Grosskopf was on this. He is Metal's most underrated bassist. He is such a joy to watch perform.
I'd love to see David De Feis come back and do another track on a future album. He's great on these first two albums.

[The Walrus]

And Kiske comes out swinging. He sounds amazing! I especially love his singing at the end of Farewell.

[TAC]

And Kiske comes out swinging.  I especially love his singing at the end of Farewell.

Incredible. The single greatest voice these ears have ever heard.

[The Walrus]

And Kiske comes out swinging.  I especially love his singing at the end of Farewell.

Incredible. The single greatest voice these ears have ever heard.

Have you heard Alessandro Conti (singer of Luca Turilli's Rhapsody)? He sounds a lot like Kiske and they covered March of Time. It's dead on balls accurate. That sound is just *chef fingers*

[TAC]

It's dead on balls accurate.

Industry term.


I'll check the track tomorrow. Thanks!

[wolfking]

Henjo Richter on both these Metal Opera albums is amazing, SOOOO much better than Sascha's wankery.  Well constructed, melodic guitar solos with lots of little melodies and lines running through.

Will listen to this again as it's still my fav Avantasia record.

[The Walrus]

Henjo Richter on both these Metal Opera albums is amazing, SOOOO much better than Sascha's wankery.  Well constructed, melodic guitar solos with lots of little melodies and lines running through.

Will listen to this again as it's still my fav Avantasia record.

I totally agree with this. I'm not sure if there's a term for it but the breakdown in Scales of Justice is an example of Sascha's playing that I do not like at all. I also think the guitars simply sound better on The Metal Opera than they do later on - sharper, more aggressive, I think? I love songs like Ghostlights but the lead guitar doesn't sound powerful enough.

[Evermind]

Henjo Richter on both these Metal Opera albums is amazing, SOOOO much better than Sascha's wankery.  Well constructed, melodic guitar solos with lots of little melodies and lines running through.

Will listen to this again as it's still my fav Avantasia record.

Oh man, don't get me started on that.

There's a funny story about Farewell since you mentioned it, Katt, which I told before but I'm not sure you were around back then. When Kiske agreed to sing on this album, his one condition was "no very high notes", and Tobias decided to prank him and just belted the highest notes he could for the demo of Farewell ending. And Kiske just sang them like nobody's business.

This is one of those albums I know all the lyrics for. Simply incredible. Vandroy is a druid I think. There's also a Pope. And the devil in The Tower which is voiced by Timo Tolkki (whom you mentioned) who just accidentally walked into the studio when they were recording.

[Polarbear]

Henjo Richter on both these Metal Opera albums is amazing, SOOOO much better than Sascha's wankery.  Well constructed, melodic guitar solos with lots of little melodies and lines running through.

Will listen to this again as it's still my fav Avantasia record.

I totally agree with this. I'm not sure if there's a term for it but the breakdown in Scales of Justice is an example of Sascha's playing that I do not like at all. I also think the guitars simply sound better on The Metal Opera than they do later on - sharper, more aggressive, I think? I love songs like Ghostlights but the lead guitar doesn't sound powerful enough.

I dig Sascha Paeth much more but that's just me. The guitars, as well as all the instruments sound great on "The Metal Opera" albums, there's no denying that.

Good insights KLox, will be following this series!

[MirrorMask]

The first Avantasia album was the stars aligning to conjure up the perfect record. Brilliant masterpiece through and through.

Tobi outgrew that musical genre and so did I, I'm perfectly fine with the following albums being more diverse in style. But still, this record is completely brilliant, a power metal masterpiece, and a spiritual successor to the Keeper albums, that defined this genre to begin with.

And I also agree that it was Tobi who brought Kiske back to metal. He made all the metalheads dream come true!

[wolfking]

Henjo Richter on both these Metal Opera albums is amazing, SOOOO much better than Sascha's wankery.  Well constructed, melodic guitar solos with lots of little melodies and lines running through.

Will listen to this again as it's still my fav Avantasia record.

I totally agree with this. I'm not sure if there's a term for it but the breakdown in Scales of Justice is an example of Sascha's playing that I do not like at all. I also think the guitars simply sound better on The Metal Opera than they do later on - sharper, more aggressive, I think? I love songs like Ghostlights but the lead guitar doesn't sound powerful enough.

Yep, glad others agree.  Better, thicker beefier tones.  Sascha's tone as you said is thin and weak and his style is just random noodling with really lack of thought and creativity.  His wanking on something like Stargazers just ruins the songs.  I wish Henjo stuck around or Oli and Bruce did much more leads.

Listening to this in the car, it's still as good as I remember.  Sounds like Savage Poetry/TOS yype Edguy but a perfect start for Tobi and Avantasia.

[wolfking]

Oh man, don't get me started on that.

Do tell.  Not sure if that means you agree with me or not.

[Evermind]

No, yeah, I agree completely.

[wolfking]

No, yeah, I agree completely.

Good.  Listening to what he comes up with on songs like Serpents, Avantasia and Break Away is magical.

And even though it's from the second album, Anywhere could ve the best solo on any Edguy/Avantasia album, beautiful.

[The Walrus]

The chorus to Breaking Away is so good. I love the call and response feel of it, and how there are two distinct rhythms, 'otherwise you will be dying' sounds really cool answering the 'breaking away!' part. Been a long time since I played this album in full and I'm glad I'm doing this 'cause, yeah, TMO 1 is still kickass

[Art]

The Metal Opera pt 1 is one of the best Power Metal records ever.

I remember hearing it for the first time and realising it was Kiske...fucking incredible moment!

I also love David Defeis singing on this record, absolutely BADASS. 

[Destiny Of Chaos]

Have had this album since 2001. Love it, and it's successor. Didn't stick with the band (only own those two and the Wicked Symphony), maybe I'll remedy this...

[bosk1]

Thanks for doing this. I am actively following. I have Within Temptation and the new Neal Morse cued up for this morning, but want to check this Avantasia album out after that.