A few notes
Avantasia-The Metal Opera is the brainchild of Edguy's Tobias Sammet. This is one of the many rock opera's that has been showing up recently. What makes this one stand out is the Euro power metal vibe that it has. It is very much a Melodic power metal album with a conceptual story with a fair amount of depth. There are some very big names involved as well such as Rob Rock, Kai Hansen, Timo Tolkki, Andre'Matos, and many others. They all take their parts in the story and give it their all.
The Tracks
One of the first things that sticks out is the amazing intro's here and there. 'Prelude' , 'In Nomine Patris', and 'A new dimension' sound like tracks straight out of a movie soundtrack. Great orchestration and depth. These tend to set a mood and connect tracks. Very visual. Next thing is the quality of the heavy stuff. This isn't no wimp rock stuff. Power metal as good as it gets. 'Reach out for the light' , 'The glory of Rome', and 'Sign of the Cross' are all good examples of this. Good thumping heavy stuff with a lot of charm. Finally, my favorite's hands down would be 'Avantasia' and 'The Tower' with the latter checking in at just over nine and a half minutes. Very well crafted tunes!
Overall
Tobias really pulled it off well with this album. Great additional talent, great story, and amazing musical tenure. There is really a lot to like about this album. For the metal fans this will be the easiest to get into. This kind of depth isn't for everyone, but will easily gain fans of everyone. Serious ear candy here. This will more than likely wind up in the top 10 of 2001. Highly recommended!
A few notes
Wild Frontier is a melodic German rock band. These guys have been around for quite a while which is fairly easily to tell by their songwriting and musicianship. Music is in the intensity and vein of bands such as White Lion, early Fate, and bands similar in style. There is a lot of melody and great choruses. It's great to hear a band in this era that hasn't lost their vision on what makes great records. Great songwriting!
The Tracks
There are some interesting twists and turns throughout this album. Take for instance the track 'The end of the road' which appears twice in two different versions. This track has a bit of a folk feel, but is unmistakeably rock 'n roll. 'Breaking the silence' is a favorite track of mine. Very laid back with memorable chorus lines. 'This time' is amazing. The clarity and laid back feel make this song very enjoyable to listen to. 'Let the sun (into your heart)' is another upbeat number with a great groove. Looking at tempos on this album, it ranges from light to mid-tempo. Some of the more rocker type numbers including 'I'm falling', and 'Thousand miles away' have a bit more bite to them. In the light side 'After ae rain is gone' is phenomenal and another favorite. One other mention. As far as the sound on 'Too late' , it's Fate to a tee from 'A matter of attitude'. Drums up the memories.
Overall
To say Ilike this album alot would be an understatement. This is the kind of music that has been severely lacking in recent years. Good emotion based hard rock 'n roll. The vocals remind me of a mix of Kingdom Come's Lenny Wolf and White Lion's Mike Tramp. I understand that the band is close to completing their next project for release sometime late 2001. If you haven't heard this particular album, do yourself a favor and pick it up. It's a great listen and recommended!
