New Avantasia album details - "The Mystery of Time"

[Power_Metal_Dom]

Tobi's website is straining under a lot of traffic right now but here's his statement:

Today we have breathtaking news for all AVANTASIANS: The new album will be called “AVANTASIA - THE MYSTERY OF TIME“, and as previously reported is set for release in March 2013.

Immediately after the release of this new Metal Opera, based on a story written by Tobias Sammet, the band will embark on a full-fledged indoor-tour, during which the band and special guests will bring the epic undertaking to the stage.

As previously reported, Avantasia will begin a concert journey in April 2013. The band will set off on a venture on their own without other bands in order to deliver an extended and epic full scale and never before seen Metal-opera experience. Additionally, and despite the ongoing rumors Avantasia will definitely not appear at Wacken Open Air 2013. The only festival confirmed for Germany so far is the Rockharz festival. We expect to announce the complete list of tour dates next week at tobiassammet.com, and if you subscribe to our newsletter you will be the first to find out the details! Ticket pre-sale for the tour will start before Christmas!

http://www.tobiassammet.com/

 

[Kingface]

Great stuff. Like the name of the album, looking forward to it and I'm all but definitely going to Bloodstock, with the prospect of seeing Avantasia being one of the main reasons for being so desperate to go.

 

[1928]

Meh. I'm sure it'll be great in its own right, but until I actually hear something that sounds like Metal Opera, I won't believe it. I believe that's what they touted the last two albums as sounding like, and, well, yeah. Good albums but nothing like the Metal Operas. I do love the name though, I hope they bring back a lot of the cast from the last two albums, specifically Russell Allen. I'm sure Kiske, Jorn, and Bob Catley are givens. Would love to see Jens Johansson return for more than just one song, too - and Andre Matos again...

 

[Kingface]

Needs more Amanda Somerville.

 

[Power_Metal_Dom]

Meh. I'm sure it'll be great in its own right, but until I actually hear something that sounds like Metal Opera, I won't believe it. I believe that's what they touted the last two albums as sounding like, and, well, yeah. Good albums but nothing like the Metal Operas. I do love the name though, I hope they bring back a lot of the cast from the last two albums, specifically Russell Allen. I'm sure Kiske, Jorn, and Bob Catley are givens. Would love to see Jens Johansson return for more than just one song, too - and Andre Matos again...

Very much my sentiments also. More Kai too. No Timo is a safe assumption. Ripper would be welcome back.

 

[1928]

Yeah, if they really want this to sound like a Metal Opera, they need Kai and Timo. It's a shame Timo wasn't even asked for any of the last three albums. Kai thinks Tobi is a class act though, IIRC I talked with him about Avantasia for a brief moment when I met him a couple years ago. Would LOVE to have Timo contribute at least another solo, though - the one on Seven Angels is SO good.

Also curious why Timo Kotipelto has never been a part of one of these...

 

[Kingface]

Biff Byford confirmed to guest on this album. Great stuff!

 

[Power_Metal_Dom]

I love Bill Byford and even more so live!

 

[Power_Metal_Dom]

Just thinking about it I'd love to see these people be involved with Avantasia at some point:

Fabio Lione (Rhapsody, Labyrinth, Vision Divine), Ralf Scheepers (Gamma Ray, Primal Fear), Piet Sielck (Iron Savior), Olaf Hayer (Dionysus, Luca Turilli, Magic Kingdom), Timo Kotipelto (Stratovarius, Cain's Offering), Tony Kakko (Sonata Arctica), Eric Adams (Manowar), Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian, Demons & Wizards), Ritchie Blackmore (Rainbow, Blackmore's Night, Deep Purple), Joe Satriani, Luca Turilli (Rhapsody), Attila Dorn (Powerwolf), Szymon Kostro (Pathfinder), Andrea Martongelli (Power Quest, Arthemis), Alessio Garavello (Power Quest, Arthemis, A New Tomorrow)

Also the big names go without saying - Bruce Dickinson, Rob Halford, Ozzy, Ian Gillan...I could go on and on here!

 

[1928]

I've always wondered why Tony, Timo, Hansi, Fabio, and Luca have never been on Avantasia. I've been wanting to hear them in the group forever.

 

[Power_Metal_Dom]

Cover Art

Track Listing

1. Spectres
2. The Watchmakers' Dream
3. Black Orchid
4. Where Clock Hands Freeze
5. Sleepwalking
6. Savior In The Clockwork
7. Invoke The Machine
8. What's Left Of Me
9. Dweller In A Dream
10. The Great Mystery

So the tracks have been released as well as some cover art, they've also since announced another guest singer - Joe Lynn Turner (Rainbow, Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force, Deep Purple). Also the release date is now confirmed as 30th March 2013.

 

[1928]

Neat titles. I wonder if Spectres is an intro track or a full-length song. Artwork is cool!

 

[Kingface]

Loving the artwork and just generally really looking forward to this!

 

[Cronopio]

Neat titles. I wonder if Spectres is an intro track or a full-length song. Artwork is cool!

It is a full song of about six minutes.

http://www.nuclearblast.de/de/produkte/tontraeger/cd/cd-digi/avantasia-the-mystery-of-time.html

(sometimes knowing German is good)

 

[Power_Metal_Dom]

Just thinking about it Kai Hansen hasn't starred since playing guitar on Scarecrow, only vocally contributed way back in 2002 on Metal Opera pt 2 (not counting live appearances). Would've really liked to see Kai return on The Mystery of Time

 

[Kingface]

So anybody got their copy and given it one or more listens yet?

I received my copy today and just finished my first listen of it. I'm rather impressed and am quite amazed that I was seeing a fair amount of criticism of it before it even officially got released!

In terms of the general sound production, it still sounds closer to all the other post-Metal Opera albums, but I think this album is a significant improvement over all those albums. I particularly enjoy the closing track 'The Great Mystery" and I'm confident that my opinion of this album will only improve with further listens. A couple of songs didn't do much for me but again will perhaps improve with further listens.

I think a big part of the problem with a lot of people is that they just want The Metal Opera Pt.3. I actually like the fact that with Avantasia Rock, as well as Metal, is explored, played with and expanded upon as genres. I hear a fair amount of Magnum tendencies with this album and that is good for me because I bloody love Magnum!

 

[1928]

I'm afraid this album is a massive disappointment to me, moreso than any other Avantasia album. Stagnation is all too apparent to me, the change to a generic rock/metal direction (that typical Sascha Paeth style riffing just irks the hell out of me), the noticeable lack of interesting orchestral accompaniment (when I expected far more involvement on that side of the music), some very boring/bland songs to me... I do really, really like the chorus to Where Clock Hands Freeze, but it's starting to become predictable that the Michael Kiske song is the one with the shimmering, soaring chorus... Maybe I need to give it another couple of spins, but even Angel of Babylon had more songs that I enjoyed and thought were interesting - and overall I can't stand that album!

 

[BodomGaiden]

^ I have the opposite opinion of yours Mr Nippleson. While it is bringing nothing new to the table whatsoever I find that it is a decent mixture of everything Avantasia has ever done. I suppose this is because my opinion of Angel of Babylon is that it is the most anti-climactic album released by one of my favorite bands. Not that I hate poppy rock songs especially that of Tobias Sammet's craftmanship but the first two albums felt as is they were building up for something amazing. After that let down this gets more points in my book. However, while this was executed very well, I felt it could have returned to form a little more. Its not perfect and definitely not as fulfilling as their past albums (except for AoB) but I love it still.

 

[Power_Metal_Dom]

I was hesitant sharing my opinion because unfortunately I think I'm in the same boat as Mike Bit disappointed by this album.

I've given my copy dozens of spins by this point and although it is growing on me little by little I can't get over that initial impression - this is an unexciting hard rock opera.

Don't get me wrong I like the album a lot, and though it took a while I even love the post-Metal-Opera-hard-rock-progression of the Wicked Trilogy but this album definitely seems the weakest offering of them all. Where the others were 9s and 10s, this feels more like a 7. I think Kingface has it spot on "people...want The Metal Opera Pt. 3" but this is "Avantasia Rock". The album has some great songs I really enjoy (melody, compositions, feel and performances are all impressive) but it really feels like the metal aspect has been significantly downplayed. Truthfully, I even think the line-up has affected the variety and intrigue of the album, the guests are good but I wasn't blown away by stellar performances like I was with the previous albums - with the possible exception of Kiske, though even his vocals are getting a bit same-y and played out at this point. In that regard I think I'm on the opposite of BodomGaiden, I thought AoB & WS were the climactic peak of Sammet's song-writing. Truly beautiful songs on those two albums whereas with this one...it's not a million miles off from more of the same but instead of that being a good thing, the song-writing feels unoriginal and a little half-hearted.

The album is growing on me anyway and I highly recommend it but for seasoned Avantasia followers I think this fell a little short of expectations.

 

[BodomGaiden]

I loved The Wicked Symphony as a whole but Angel of Babylon while having mostly good tracks (i.e. Death is Just a Feeling, Stargazers, Angel of Babylon) wasn't very metal at all and made what little story was on the previous two albums seem so anti-climactic. Definitely the guests on this current release aren't too special (I want Roy Khan [or Tommy Kerevik], Kai Hansen, Jorn Lande, Hansi Kursch and Klaus Meine on another future release by Mr. Sammet) but I feel like a kid in a candy store with this one which AoB didn't even do for me at all. This one has a decent use of orchestra and at least wasn't too poppy all around. That's really all I have to say about it. I can't praise it too much because it isn't ground breaking in the slightest, but I can't stop listening to it for some reason and it makes me wanna go back and listen to the previous albums even more.