Y'all are nuts, this is a high point for Avantasia.
But your opinion has mostly been opposite of the majority in this thread so this is just another example
I was an Avantasia fan before it was cool, damn it!!
I guess this might make it tough for me with later Avantasia. Each album I do love but has taken so long for me to warm to, especially the last 3. This one may grow but a found Edguy just before Avantasia was even a thing and loved them both instantly, when the Metal Opera came out it was so exciting and fresh and I just feel less and less excited and impressed with each release.
Tobi is just going through the motions here and we've heard everything before. And Sascha's guitar solos are just repetivive, uninspiring and grating. Everything here just feel like Tobi going 'meh.' Heart was actually one of the ones I thought was a bit different and had a bit more though put into it. Everything else is the same thing over again. And the Maniac cover can just fuck off.
I'm hoping my view changes, but I'm just not interested in listening to it again right now. I will come back to it. That's what I did with the last 3 and it made me appreciate them more. Tobi needs to work with a more talented guitarist. Jens has always been solid enough but his solos just always miss the mark and are nothing spectacular, they just do their job, and Sascha is well, a hack. If he worked with like a Romeo, Petrucci type guitarist, it would be amazing. We saw how well him and Henjo worked together, but that's just my personal gripe.