Avantasia welcome us to the creepshow with a cast of many and a musical extravaganza to match.

Release Date: 28th February 2025

Label: Napalm Records

Format: CD / LP (various coloured options) / digital / 3CD artbook

THE AVANTASIA MASSIF RETURNS

Cast from much the same material as Moonglow and the Paranormal Evening… albums, Tobias Sammet conducts proceedings backed to the hilt by the strength of his Avantasia massif. And despite the fact that Tobias is at the helm as writer and composer, he shares much of the limelight with a stream of guests on eighty percent of the songs, as another episode of theatrical symphonic Metal promises a few surprises around a corner or two.

For starters, the opening cut Creepshow track  is without a doubt one of the catchiest songs you’ll find in the canon. Neither Metal beast or symphonic epic, it’s one of those gateway tracks that cleverly ensures that once heard, you’re in for the duration, intrigued by what else might be on offer. That comes with the title track unleashed over nine minutes which, with the ‘many beats per minute’ tempo on Unleash The Kraken, suggests all manner of swords and sorcery.

Equally pacey is Phantasmogoria where Ronnie Atkins maintains his hard earned reputation and keeps apace with the furious tempos being set. As the stage is set for what’s a real uptempo album, Against The Wind confirms with a real battle beast of an arrangement. A Heavy Metal / heavy melody beast indeed as Avantasia flex their muscles.

MENACING TURNS

The presence of Geoff Tate on Here Be Dragons sees the title track take a menacing turn, confirmed as The Moorlands At Twilight follows in a balls out, uptempo, symphonic thrash style with an impressively wild shredding solo. As far as thrash goes, five minutes shows some endurance.

The grand gestures which are obligatory in any Avantasia record are still strong. The Witch is all grand drama complete with choirs and an inspiration chorus featuring traditional Avantasia themes with lashings of wind and rain. The Bob Catley duet on Bring On The Night fits into the symphonic Magnum style. Bob is of course, right at home offering several of his wordless dramatic utterances. The rushes of strings are beautifully arranged before the chorus does what a good chorus should do.

CELTIC SWING

There’s a real fire and brimstone Celtic swing to Avalon where Adrienne Cowan duels with Tobias, each pushing the other into an increasingly motive and soaring performance. The orchestral textures add a widescreen epic feel, all very Westeros or Middle Earth, that only halts for a short pastoral passage where the winds whistle briefly. Among the plethora of stirring guitar solos, the one the accompanies the powerful sway is difficult to top.

The final of Everybody’s Here Until The End threatens to bring low key closure. Fear ye not as the halfway point marks the moment when the lighting up devices in the arenas up and down the European highway will sway into action. The requisite guitar solo does its job before Tobias and the massed voices raise the goosebumps.

Hard to find fault with Here Be Dragons when Avantastia consistently set the tone and bar high for any symphonic Metal giants to follow.

Here’s Against The Wind:

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