Avantasia - The Scarecrow (2007)Release ID: 3682
Avantasia is Edguy vocalist Tobias Sammet's ambitious side-project. The project started off with two Metal Opera albums in the early 2000s. The albums have many guest musicians and artists from bands like Helloween, Gamma Ray, Virgin Steele, Stratovarius, and Within Temptation. They were, just WERE, an essential part of my power metal discoveries. After reforming with a 2007 two-EP series Lost in Space, the album promoted by those two EPs had arrived... 2008's The Scarecrow was hitting the charts in not just Germany but other European countries also, such as Czech Republic, Greece, Sweden, Hungary, Austria, and Switzerland. The different sound and atmosphere replaced earlier fans with new ones. It's more of a blend of hard rock and power metal, with guests coming from bands of both genres. A great album with monumental vocalists!
Sammet made a new lineup for the album which consists of himself performing bass and vocals, ex-Heaven's Gate members Sascha Paeth and Miro on guitars and keyboards, respectively, and Kiss drummer Eric Singer. Some guitar solos were provided by Gamma Ray guitarists Henjo Richter and Kai Hansen (though I wish Hansen could've also done some vocals) and Scorpions guitarist Rudolf Schenker. As for the guest vocalists, it was because of ex-Kamelot vocalist Roy Khan in the first track that I ended up stumbling upon this band and entering the metal opera world. Other vocalists from big bands include Jorn Lande (ex-Masterplan), Michael Kiske (ex-Helloween), Bob Catley (Magnum), Amanda Somerville (Aina), Alice Cooper, and Oliver Hartmann (ex-At Vance). This bombastic hard rock/power metal album also has a bit of classic heavy metal, soft rock, pop rock, and a couple ballads. The guitars range from memorable riffs to dueling solos, and the drums are solid too. And outstanding vocals here!
"Twisted Mind" is the aforementioned opening track, and a strong place to start. The dark Middle-Eastern-esque riffing melody reminds me of Power Quest's "Another World", and that's one of a couple reasons why this song is my entryway to this band, the other reason, of course, being Roy Khan, making a fitting vocal contrast for when he sings with Sammet. The chorus totally blows my mind, though the ending drags a bit. The best song here is the 11-minute title epic. This was, and still is one of my favorite power metal epics when I was still heavily into the power metal genre nearly 10 years ago. It's more of a metallic hard rock track with a Celtic intro and a symphonic bridge. There's also a strong chorus, Sammet's vocal duel with Jorn Lande, and a long solo leading into a majestic climax. Lande has that Whitesnake/Dio edge in his voice. There are also background vocals by Michael Kiske near the end. One of the best highlights of Avantasia! "Shelter from the Rain" is a fast standout similar to early Helloween, featuring the two Gamma Ray guitarists and vocals by Kiske and Bob Catley. From the epic intro to the melodic chorus, along with a Gamma Ray guitar battle, it's just so great!
Then we switch gears to hard/pop rock in the strictly Sammet-sung "Carry Me Over", though the chorus almost reminds me of Dream Theater's "Pull Me Under". The pop rock ballad "What Kind of Love" is a love duet with Amanda Somerville. It's not terrible, but it doesn't really fit right in the album. "Another Angel Down" has the usual power metal, with more of Lande's strong vocals alongside Sammet. The guitars leads and duels are all memorable, as is the perfect chorus. "The Toy Master" has Alice Cooper singing, with not much from Sammet. It starts creepy and atmospheric before some memorable mid-tempo hard rock strength. I enjoy the chorus, plus the great power metal bridge.
"Devil In The Belfry" has some catchy speed. It starts with nice soloing, and Lande's vocals are pretty good. However, the chorus sounds too pompous, like it tries to be impressive but ends up dragging and falling flat. "Cry Just A Little" is an acoustic/soft rock ballad that causes further damage to the flow. "I Don't Believe In Your Love" is mostly mediocre hard rock. "Lost in Space" is one more pop/hard rock track, but the best one of that category. I especially recommend the extended version featuring Kiske.
All in all, The Scarecrow is a strong comeback for the band, the first part of the Wicked Trilogy continuing in their 2010 albums The Wicked Symphony and Angel Of Babylon. The album is a bit uneven with a couple weak tracks and Sammet getting more vocals than one of the guests and vice versa. Nonetheless, a very solid metal opera album....
Favorites: "Twisted Mind", "The Scarecrow", "Shelter from the Rain", "Another Angel Down", "The Toy Master", "Lost in Space"
