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Musicians:
- Tobias
Sammet as novice Gabriel
Ernie (yes, Ernie)
(Ernie=Michael Kiske of Helloween) as druid Lugaid Vandroly
David Defeis (Virgin Steele) as friar Jakob
Ralf Zdiarstek as baliff von Kronberg
Sharon Den Adel (Within
Temptation) as Anna Held
Rob Rock (Warrior) as bishop von Bicken
Oliver Hartmann as Pope Clemens IIX
Andre Matos (Angra) as Elderane, the elf
Kai Hansen (Gamma Ray) as Regrin, the dwarf
Timo Tolkki (Stratovarius) as voice in The Tower
Henjo Richter (Gamma Ray) rhythm & lead guitars
Markus Grosskopf (Helloween) all bass
Alex Holzwarth (Rhapsody) all drums
Tobias Sammet all keys and
orchestration
Norman Meiritz acoustic guitar
Frank Tischer piano
Jens Ludwig (Edguy) lead guitar
These are the musicians that appeared also on Avantasia Part I. I
don’t know if they all appear on part II. (the promo copy has no
booklet)
Extra musicians on part II: a new character sung by Magnum's
voice Bob Catley and Timo Tolkki
plays a few guitars. Furthermore Eric
Singer, drummer of Kiss plays drums on one track.
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- Release : August
26, 2002
- Label : afm-records
/ Rock Inc.
- Total time: 57’48
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Website:
- www.tobiassammet.com
- Contact:
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Tracklist:
- 1. The Seven
Angels (14'17) - 2. No Return (4'29) - 3. The Looking Glass (4'52) - 4. In Quest For
(3'53) - 5.
The Final Sacrifice (5'02) - 6. Neverland (4'59) - 7. Anywhere
(5'29) - 8. Chalice Of
Agony (6'00) - 9. Memory (5'42) - 10. Into The Unknown (4'29)
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Are
you a potential Avantasia fan?
Do you like bands like Rhapsody, Helloween, Dragonland, Therion, Edguy,
Stratovarius?
Do you like concept CD’s about epic fantasy stories with elves and dwarfs,
a spellbinding tale rife with deceit, treachery, religion, imprisonment and
witchcraft?
Do you like projects with a cast of excellent musicians? You can almost
compare it with a project like Star One and Ayreon.
If your answers to this questions were affirmative, then you must buy this
Avantasia project.
A lot of you already know Avantasia, because “Part I” already has sold
very well and has gotten some very good reviews and reactions.
I don’t have any lyrics, so I can’t tell you anything about the story,
but it’s the sequel and the end of this Metal Opera. It will surely appear
on the site of Tobias and of course if you buy the CD, the story will be
included.
The
CD is of a very high quality, and this applies for the sound as well as for
the music. The cover says “Metal Opera Pt II” but it should have been
“ProgMetal Opera Pt II”. There are enough progressive elements to
justify this title.
“The
Seven Angels”, the opener of the album is a very progressive metalsong.
Already this 14 minutes show what you will hear on every number, excellent
guitar- and keyboard solos and some superb vocals. This first number is
already an opera on its own.
The
choruses on every number are so catchy, they invite you to sing along.
“In
Quest For” and “Anywhere” are beautiful ballads. “The Final
Sacrifice” and “Memory” are the heaviest songs on the album, played in
a Rhapsody style and speed. The last song “Into The Unknown” contains
the superb vocals of Sharon. A pity she doesn’t appear more.
It
annoys me a lot that this album isn’t divided in different tracks. (or is
this only on the promo copy?) Although there are 10 songs on the CD, the
display says there’s only one. So you have to search the beginning of the
songs by winding forward to the correct time. (some CD players, like the one
in my car, can’t even wind forward, so this is a problem). The only reason
I can think of is that Tobias wants us to listen to the Opera in its
integrity. And this one track CD’s seem to be a new trend as the new
Echolyn, Green Carnation and according rumours even the next Arena will be
like that.
Conclusion.
Outstanding musicians, brought together by
mastermind Tobias Sammet, bring an excellent album, which will make its mark
in the history of (Prog)Metal. It isn’t really better then Part I, but at
least as good.Reviewed by:
Danny 'Camil' Focke
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