Avantasia's 'Moonglow' - Album Review

When it comes to overblown, yet seriously melodic, metal music, Germany's Tobias Sammet is easily one of the songwriters of the genre. He released his first album, Edguy's demo/debut album Savage Poetry, in 1995 and has been cranking out album after album of accessible, yet impressive, heavy metal ever since. Edguy has always been his 'band', but in 2001 he released an album called The Metal Opera under the name Avantasia. While still seen as a bit of a 'project', Avantasia seems to now be Sammet's main focus - and has been for probably the past 5 or 6 years. From the fairly humble beginnings on The Metal Opera, and its 2002 sequel, Avantasia has grown into a monster. Sammet remains the only true member of the group, and its songwriter, but over the years many of metal's biggest names have lent their talents to the albums. Each album features multiple singers, who often take on characters in Sammet's stories, with musicians often also contributing additional guitar solos etc. This ever-changing roster of singers has helped to keep Avantasia interesting, despite the fact the songs largely stick to the same formula from album to album, and has allowed Sammet to write parts that would not sit well on your average Edguy album. The last Avantasia album, Ghostlights (which I reviewed here), was released back in 2016 and was my Album of the Year. In retrospect I think Marillion's Fuck Everyone and Run should probably have been given that accolade, but nevertheless Ghostlights is a fantastic album. It contains a few of my favourite Sammet compositions to date, so naturally I was looking forward to his follow-up. I had rather hoped that a full-blown Edguy album would be his next priority, but a handful of new tracks on a compilation album was sadly all that we would get! It would seem that Edguy is well and truly on the back-burner these days, with Sammet pouring all of his attention into Avantasia. With this in mind, we move on to Moonglow - the latest Avantasia opus. It was released last month, and it is the eighth album that Sammet has released under the Avantasia name - not bad for a side project! Many of the usual Avantasia faces have returned here, including producer Sascha Paeth on guitar duties and Michael 'Miro' Rodenberg tackling the keyboards. Edguy drummer Felix Bohnke once again mans the drum kit, and the cast of vocalists is made up of some familiar faces as well as some new ones. I have written on this blog many times that Sammet is one of the most consistent songwriters in metal today. While that statement still holds true, I feel that Ghostlights is the first Sammet release for a while that I have been a little disappointed with. This is not a bad album by any means, and there are still quite a lot of strong songs here, but I do not think that it holds together as well as the last two Avantasia efforts or the last Edguy album. All the ingredients are certainly here, but overall it feels somewhat less inspired. It has grown on me a fair bit over repeated listens, but it is not quite up to Sammet's high standards.

The album opens with the lengthy Ghost in the Moon. Usually Avantasia's longer songs allow Sammet to make use of plenty of the vocal talent on offer, but this number sees him singing the whole song alone. It opens with a rolling piano melody, with Sammet's gentle vocals crooning atop it, but it is not long before things ramp up with an epic choral backing, soaring guitar leads, and Bohnke's heavy drumming to add some drama. Ghostlights opened in Steinman-esque fashion, and that influence is clear once again here. Miro's piano is ever-present throughout the song, and the big choir helps to boost Sammet's voice where necessary. There is plenty of drama and bombast to be found here, and the chorus - as is usual with Sammet's songwriting - is packed full of memorable melodies. It is the first real highlight of the album, and helps the lengthy number to retain interest from the off. It would have been good to hear some of the other vocalists contribute to the song, but Sammet is more than man enough for the task. Book of Shallows introduces some of the album's vocalists, with Avantasia debuts handed to Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian; Demons & Wizards) and Mille Petrozza (Kreator) - who both make their mark on the song. It opens with a dark-sounding guitar lead, and Bohnke soon takes off into a furious double bass drum pattern that really sets the tone for the piece. It is one of the heaviest Avantasia tunes to date, which is fitting given Kürsch's soaring contributions and the gritty delivery of Ronnie Atkins (Pretty Maids; Nordic Union) during the choruses. As much as I like Atkins, I feel his vocal contributions throughout this album are somewhat overshadowed by others'. In fairness though, throughout this song he has to compete with Kürsch and Jørn Lande (Ark; Masterplan) - which is certainly no easy task! Petrozza's fairly small contribution is also effective, with a pseudo-thrash section added in towards the end of the song for his characteristic bark. It sounds a little silly in the context of the bombastic power metal album, but it does add some heaviness. The melodies throughout the song are not up to the band's usual standards, but the performances help it to still stand out. The simpler title track follows, and sees Sammet duetting with Candice Night (Blackmore's Night). The song is a short and sweet piece of pop metal with a sugary chorus and a lack of any of the bombast that generally graces Avantasia numbers. This is not a bad thing however, as it allows the catchy melodies to shine, and Night in particular makes the song her own. The chorus is sure to stick with anyone after they hear it, and it is great to hear a woman singing an Avantasia song that is not the token ballad!

The Raven Child feels like the centre piece of the album, and once again features Kürsch and Lande in prominent vocal roles. It starts slowly, with Kürsch and Sammet duetting over a fairly gentle and folky backdrop, but after a couple of minutes a dramatic riff and orchestral combo kicks in to bring some real power. From this point on the song alternatives between hard rocking sections and folkier moments reminiscent of the intro to great effect. Many of the classic Avantasia tropes are present here, with Kürsch in particular really hamming it up for that dramatic power metal effect. Trademark Sammet choruses are in somewhat short supply on this album (they are mostly front-loaded), but this song has one of the album's best. It is a lengthy, two-part chorus that is one of my favourite moments on the album. The melodies just hit the spot perfectly, with the little folky bridge that joins the two parts feeling jaunty. There is also a blistering instrumental section that includes guitar solos from both Paeth and Oliver Hartmann (At Vance). My only criticism of the song is that, at over 11 minutes, it is too long. There is certainly some fat that could have been trimmed without sacrificing any quality, and it is that that stops this from being one of the all-time great Avantasia epics. Starlight is almost the opposite. It is a short track, but adds almost nothing to the album. Sammet and Atkins share the vocals, but sadly the pair are unable to conjure up any truly memorable moments. Musically the song is quite flat, with a fairly tame symphonic rock riff, and a chorus that would sound alright on a third division power metal album but Sammet is capable of much better. It is songs like this that let Moonglow down somewhat, but it is only a short piece so does not take up too much listening time! In contrast, Invincible is a strong despite it's short length. Geoff Tate (Queensrÿche; Operation: Mindcrime) handles most of the vocals here, and the moody piano-led piece is perfect for his current vocal talents. After many years giving poor performances, Tate seems to have upped his game recently and his efforts on this album are excellent. He injects lots of emotion into this piece, and it becomes a surprising mid-album highlight. It certainly does not sound like a typical Avantasia song, but the creeping darkness is a welcome addition to the overall mood. Tate and Sammet team up again on Alchemy which is more the band's typical fare, with a driving heavy riff and a swirling synths. Tate delivers a dynamic vocal performance that sees him sounding somewhat like his old self as Sammet provides more of a supporting role. The song's chorus is not as bombastic as is usual for the band, but has a bit of darkness about it that works well. This allows Tate's voice to shine, and the whole song really benefits from his performance. It also contains a great guitar solo from Paeth. This album is not peppered with solos, but this is one that stands out, making Alchemy one of the best overall offerings here.

Sadly the rest of the album fails to really live up to the already-established best moments. The fairly lengthy The Piper at the Gates of Dawn is certainly not bad, but the bombast is never fully matched by soaring melodies. Eric Martin (Mr. Big) and Bob Catley (Magnum; Hard Rain) are introduced here, but neither really get the chance to make their mark with Sammet and Lande dominating. Lande in particular stands out here with his foghorn voice, and the passable chorus is mostly Sammet's domain. This is a bit of a strange song, because it is not a bad effort at all - but when compared to nearly everything else released on the past two Avantasia albums it falls flat. It is also another song that could probably do with having a minute of so shaved from its run time. Lavender is the album's standard Magnum-esque pseudo ballad that allows Catley to have his star turn on the album, so it sounds eerily familiar to nearly every other Avantasia song that he has featured on previously. That being said, I always enjoy hearing Catley singing and Sammet does know how to write to get the best out of his voice. The Sammet/Catley combination always works well, and this song definitely seems to rock a little hard than their usual collaborations. The chorus here is particularly strong, and it is probably the last genuinely powerful moment on the album. If Catley ever does another solo album, I would love Sammet to write it for him as I think the results would be something quite special! The last original song on the album is Requiem for a Dream, a faster power metal number featuring Michael Kiske (Helloween; Place Vendome; Unisonic). It sounds like old-school Avantasia, with Kiske's voice sounding as smooth and clean as ever and Paeth laying down a few lightning-fast guitar leads to keep things interesting. Melodically the song is not as strong as it could be, but the chorus is enjoyable with Kiske pulling out all of the stops. He and Sammet have always made a great singing team, and their voices often blend together perfectly during the song - it is just a shame that the melodies are not as bombastic and overblown as they probably should be for the last original song on the album. To close the album, Sammet decided to record a cover of Michael Sambello's Maniac (as also covered by Firewind) with the help of Martin. At first I assumed this was a bonus track, but it is actually included in the album's main track listing so is considered part of the album! The song is a catchy number, but the cover feels a lot flatter than it should. Firewind's version was full of energy and did the song justice, but considering how over-the-top Sammet's work usually is I was expecting much better. It means the albums closes on a bit of a low note, which is shame. Most versions of the album finish with Maniac, but some versions include the short bonus track Heart which might win the award for the most boring Avantasia song yet, so avoid that one if your version has it! Overall, Moonglow is an album filled with highs and lows. There are some genuinely excellent songs throughout, and some excellent vocal performances, but the album runs out of steam about two thirds of the way through. Sammet has been so consistent up to this point so the disappointing parts of this album came as a bit of shock. Fans will still want to pick it up as it contains a few real highlights, but new fans should start elsewhere!

The album was released on 15th February 2019 via Nuclear Blast Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Moonglow.