Avantasia

The Metal Opera Pt. II (Century Media)
by Martin Popoff

Despite the fact that we’ve all been over-soused to the gills with power metal, Edguy’s Tobias Sammet has found, through his Metal Opera project band, a way to hold the interest of jaded ears. The main ace is, of course, this idea of using an army of vocalists, many distinct, some quite cliché, each committed to polished enunciation like a diction school, most recalling the many facets of Bruce Dickinson. Adding to the sensory deluge is the composite effect of the songs, again, some cliché (“Chalice of Agony,” “Neverland”… yawn), others grinding, aggressive, and groovy (“Memory,” “The Looking Glass,” “The Final Sacrifice”), others plush and Queen-like (“Onto the Unknown,” “In Quest For”… nice English, dude). Recording values are perfect and unexciting, of no issue or consequence, and the eventual sentiment once the record becomes sediment, is one of dynamic, Sammet trying a bunch of different stuff, which I guess falls out of the license afforded by the opera concept.
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