The Wondrous World of Avantasia

Edguy singer Tobias Sammet founded all-star metal opera project Avantasia in 1999 as a two-album, studio-only project. The German native created Avantasia to indulge his love of huge studio productions, rock operas and concept albums.

Fast forward to 2022 and Avantasia has toured the world and released nine studio albums. In some quarters, Sammet is recognized for Avantasia more than Edguy. Sammet has also recruited world-class vocalists to join him on Avantasia albums. The latest Avantasia opus, “A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society,” was released last month on Nuclear Blast Records.

“Paranormal Evening” shines with Avantasia’s trademark vocal duets and trade-offs, huge melodies and jaw-dropping guitar work courtesy of Sascha Paeth. The impressive guest singer roster on “A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society” is Ralph Scheepers (Primal Fear), Floor Jansen (Nightwish), Michael Kiske (Helloween), Jorn Lande (solo), Eric Martin (Mr. Big), Ronnie Atkins (Pretty Maids), Geoff Tate (solo, Operation: Mindcrime, Sweet Oblivion, ex-Queensryche) and Bob Catley (Magnum).

Album opener “Welcome to the Shadows” brims with anthemic enthusiasm, “Kill the Pain Away” features Jansen’s powerful vocals and dynamic range, the title track includes an orchestra section that works wonders to dramatic effect, and the epic “Arabesque” brings “A Paranormal Evening” to a close.

Avantasia, rival, and it could be argued, surpass, more well-known rock operas such as the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Every Avantasia album is exciting, tells a great story, incorporates light and shade and, overall, is a tremendous listener experience.

It is for all those reasons that we were very pleased to recently speak with Tobias Sammet.

Your joy in what you do in Avantasia is evident. The chorus of “Welcome to the Shadows,” the new album’s opening track, is so uplifting.

I think our music has always been hopeful in a way, even though this album has its melancholic moments. But it also has this epic, uplifting feel. I have always been of the old school of songwriting, to always go toward the light. Some people would even say it’s a bit cheesy but that’s what it is.

The funny thing is that “Welcome to the Shadows,” it’s such a harsh contrast between the introduction and the verse and then all of the sudden the chorus kicks in and it’s like Rocky Horror Picture Show. That is the feeling I wanted. I went into my own studio at home and it really wrote itself. I played it to a friend of mine right after I had written it. And he listened to it and was completely shocked when the chorus came in. He said, ‘you can’t do that.’ I said, ‘oh yeah, I can, because it’s exactly what the song needs.

Is “A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society” a conceptual follow-up to your last album, “Moonglow” (2019)

It is a concept album, but I really didn’t try to stick to a plot this time. It deals with the same basic topics or the roots of the topic. They’re both similar in terms of approach. I approached the album to a visit to a magic theater, a weird, quirky place that would drag you into a different world like Alice in Wonderland. That magic theater approach gave me the opportunity to not only write fairy tales and interesting songs and fantastic landscapes, but to write to get things off my chest. You have to sacrifice that part when you stick to a specific plot. I’ve come to this point at my life where I need it. I still want to take the listener down the rabbit hole with me to club Tobi or planet Tobi, but also need my release.

How did the pandemic affect the writing process for “A Paranormal Evening?”

The pandemic influenced the writing process and production process. We were all facing this crap situation sitting at home. There was some mental pressure in the beginning. I managed to keep the Covid theme and politics out of my music. It’s very important for my daily life but I don’t want those topics to enter my music and my creativity. I don’t want my serious stuff in there.

I’d just built a studio prior to Covid and here I was in a very nice little studio and all of the sudden I had all the time in the world. Nobody expected anything; nobody was asking when I was going to play here or there. Everybody was busy with their own stuff. I was presented with a situation where I had a lot of time on my hands. It gave me rediscovery of the joy of making music.

I started to create demos from scratch. Complete demos that determined a lot of the new record. There was so much of myself and I rediscovered the joy of singing. In the past decades, I was so busy all the time I only sang when I needed to. I never really sang because I enjoyed it and here I was (during the pandemic) singing Journey songs and Queen songs, and I reconnected to the purity and the roots of my job, of connecting. I made the best out of it I think.

Do you write songs with guest singers in mind?

Sometimes yes and sometimes no. For example, the song I did with Geoff Tate (“Scars”). He’s such a huge inspiration vocally. When I write it’s almost as if Geoff is sitting next to me. I can imagine that song and it’s so detailed. I have a very clear and defined image of what it’s going to be like. It’s the same for Michael Kiske. For “I Tame the Storm” I had nobody in particular in mind. I wrote and when it was done, it seemed to be like a modern version of an Iron Maiden song, a bit of a colder song. At some point, I had Jorn in mind. Same with Floor. One song was a song that I had written before and the other was tailor made for Floor. There’s never a rule.

You have a lot of Avantasia first-timers on the album.

Yeah, Floor and Ralph Scheepers, to the surprise of many people, hadn’t been on a previous album even though they’re obvious fits. They’re friends of mind. It’s a very small business. “When I wrote the verse “The Wicked Rule the Night” I immediately thought of Ralph. I sent him a text message. I said, ‘there is a song that you have to sing and you have to be part of it; the song is made for you.’ He listened to the track and immediately did it. He hit the nail on the head.

As much as the guest vocalists, your longtime guitarist Sascha Paeth is essential to Avantasia.

Sascha is an amazing, amazing guitar player. He’s so versified. I think his rhythm guitars are also superb. His technical abilities and his tone. He has a meat-and-potatoes style but he can also play so many other different styles. He will even be able to single out the smallest wrong note. I’ll say, I don’t even hear a wrong note. He’ll say, no, at 2:49 there’s a wrong note.

Last year marked the 20th anniversary of Avantasia’s first album. Did you envision this to be a long-term project from the beginning?

In the beginning, it was meant to be two records spread out and then I would call it quits. (Avantasia released “The Metal Opera” in 2001 and “The Metal Opera Part II” in 2002). Then meanwhile I got to know Sascha. I wanted to be in a band with him and do something with him. Turned out it would be the great revival, the rebirth of a new Avantasia in 2006 or 2007. Wacken asked us to headline one night. I thought, you aren’t going to turn that offer down. You will never get an offer like that again.’ We made it work and by the time we announced Wacken promoters from all over the world wanted us, Sao Paulo Argentina, Tokyo, Moscow. We were going to so many different places it became a world tour and then Avantasia became a live entity.

Now, with “A Paranormal Evening,” you’re still going strong and doing your best work.

I have been personally involved so deeply in every little aspect and detail of this album. You can’t get an album any more personal or closer to my vision than this one.