AVANTASIA - Epic and Wild

20. January 2016

Avantasia

AVANTASIA - Epic and Wild

Originally founded by Tobias Sammet as an all-star side project of the band Edguy, Fantasia have since served him as an outlet for his "Metal Opera" fantasies. But Avantasia have long since become an independent, permanent fixture. "Ghostlights" is the name of her most recent, all-round convincing work. It comes up with a lot of illustrious guest vocalists as usual.

In 2001 Avantasias first concept work "The Metal Opera" was released. With this and the sequel the following year, Tobias Sammet fulfilled his dream of thinking, composing and playing musically more multi-faceted, symphonic and progressive than Edguy's power metal allows. He can also work with some of his favorite vocalists in Avantasia, including Michael Kiske (ex-Helloween), Jorn Lande and currently Geoff Tate (ex-Queensrÿche) and Sharon den Adel (Within Temptations) and once again Bob Catley (Magnum). Several times Sammet wanted to bury his project, but "by public demand", but also because he has merged with the producer and guitarist Sascha Paeth (among others Heavens Gate, Gamma Ray, Rhapsody) in the course of the years to an ideal team, the side project became a second solid pillar. "Ghostlights" is the seventh complete Avantasia concept work from Sammet's smithy.

eclipsed: Tobi, when you record a concept album, you have to explain what it's about. So what's holding it all together?

Tobias Sammet: Then I want to bite the bullet and explain what it was all about. (laughs). The point is that some power-hungry and unscrupulous scientists want to manipulate man's individual perception of time in order to gain control over humanity. A young scientist is caught in a dilemma of moral concerns and his scientific claim to perpetual progress and development. In addition, the omnipresent acceleration in our everyday life is one of the main topics.

eclipsed: Do you see the whole thing rather as a song cycle, which you can also divide apart, or as a fixed unit, which only functions or makes sense in the context of the other parts?

Sammet: The album itself is already closed and builds on each other, but it is always important to me that each track can also take place as a single song. Each piece should also be well audible for itself.

Lesen Sie mehr im eclipsed Nr. 177 (Feb. 2016).