Helmed by Tobias Sammet (Edguy), Avantasia is an all-star rock opera project that is now, remarkably, in its twentieth year. Having collaborated, over the course of eight albums, with the likes of Dee Snider, Biff Byford, Bruce Kulick and Alice Copper, Tobias’ ambitious arrangements continue to attract high-profile guests and Moonglow is no exception. With typically expansive arrangements, a remarkable cast of supporting artists and a conceptual framework that ties the music together, Moonglow is a passion project, some two years in the making, that sees Avantasia continue to astound.
Opening with the bombastic ghost in the moon, a track that recalls Jim Steinman at his most grandiose, Tobias starts out as he means to go on, with surging power metal guitars colliding head-on with soaring strings and choral arrangements. Its wonderfully over-the-top and it’s easy to imagine such a track bothering the charts if Meat Loaf had been fronting the outfit. Things take a heavier turn as Avantasia find themselves joined by Hansi Kursch (Blind Guardian), Ronnie Atkins (Pretty Maids), Jorn Lande (ex-Masterplan) and Mille Petrozza (Kreator) for the thrilling book of shallows. Reminiscent of Therion at their heaviest, book of shallows sees guitarist Sascha Paeth flexing his muscles as he unleashes a series of ferocious riffs that reach a frenzied peak just in time for Mille’s brutal entrance. An early album highlight, book of shallows is a masterclass in how to combine the worlds of theatre and heavy metal, and it takes some time for the ensuing adrenalin surge to wear off. In contrast, the album’s title track is closer to pop rock with its yearning vocals and restrained riffing. Featuring a split vocal between Tobias and Candice Night (Blackmore’s Night), it’s an altogether calmer affair than the dense, metallic assault of its forebear, and it’s another track that would have had no trouble bothering the charts had it been released in the mid-eighties. Hansi Kursch and Jorn Lande return for the monstrous epic, the raven child, which was released as the album’s first single back in December. A vast, sprawling piece of music, the raven child is allowed to unfold at a leisurely pace, the opening passage drawing more on the music of Howard Shore than metal, with nary a guitar in sight for the first two minutes. It makes for greater impact when the track finally does unload on the listener, Felix Bohnke’s pile-driving percussion as crisp and brutal as Autumnal thunder, but it’s the jaw-dropping performance of Hansi and Jorn that really draws the attention. The perfect foils for one another, they inhabit the parts Tobias wrote for them, and the result is an operatic masterpiece that stands as a perfect summation of Avantasia’s strengths. After so gargantuan a track, Tobias sensibly aims for the stratosphere with the tautly-paced starlight (with Ronnie once again at the helm). An easy choice for a future single, starlight features an aptly soaring vocal that dashes headlong into a gloriously ebullient chorus that will have fans singing for their lives when the band tours in the months to come.
Having taken the listeners to the stars, Tobias finally brings the listener back to earth. The first of three tracks to feature the undisputed skills of Geoff Tate (Operation Mindcrime), invincible recalls the heart-felt beauty of Queensryche classic silent lucidity and Geoff offers up a powerful performance in response to the simple strength of the material. A subtle, ethereal song, it allows for a moment of reflection before segueing into the blistering alchemy. A track built around dark synths and a huge riff, alchemy lights a fire under Geoff (who delivers a bravura performance) and the track proves to be another highlight of the album thanks to the irrepressible energy that flows through it from start to finish. Geoff returns, alongside Ronnie, Jorn, Eric Martin (Mr Big) and Bob Catley (Magnum) for the five-way face-off of The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. A synth-led track delivered at a brisk pace, Piper is one of those tracks that just feels like it was a whole lot of fun to record, and the blazing energy effortlessly engages the listener as Tobias leads his band into a chorus worthy of a Broadway musical. Bob returns to shine with a solo vocal for lavender, a shorter, more romantically-minded piece that recalls the chart-storming music of Europe and even Queen with its bristling guitars and massed-harmonies. A track with a sombre introduction, Requiem for a dream (featuring Michael Kiske of Helloween) appears is as reflective as its title implies, the orchestral overture tugging at the heartstrings, only for a rampant riff to suddenly streak across the horizon and send the whole thing skywards once more. Strangely, the album ends with a cover in the form of Maniac (written by Michael Sembello for the 1981 hit movie Flashdance), although when you hear the brilliantly tongue-in-cheek arrangement, it all makes perfect sense and it ties the album together perfectly.
It is not possible to be ambivalent about the music of Avantasia. Either the listener gives themselves up heart and soul to the sheer ludicrousness of it all, or it is dismissed out of hand as over-the-top grandstanding. For those prepared to embrace the epic, a treat awaits. The assembled cast give fantastic performances across the board, devoting themselves to the sheer scope of Tobias’ vision. The production, handled by Tobias himself alongside guitarist Sascha, is perfect, capturing all the opulence of the arrangements in astonishing detail. In short, jaw-droppingly ambitious arrangements, brilliant musicianship and a sense of adventure can all be found on Moonglow, and for those willing to embrace the excess, it is a joyful experience indeed. 9
