Avantasia: The Metal Opera

The idea of ​​creating a project with many invited musicians came to Tobias Sammet during the recording of the album Edguy Vain Glory Opera , in the recording of which the vocalist of Blind Guardian Hansi Kürsch took part. Later, during the group’s European tour in 1999, Sammet began writing ideas for a future rock opera and after some time began to realize his plan. Many famous musicians such as Kai Hansen , Michael Kiske , Timo Tolkki and many others took part in the work on the project.

Michael Kiske took part in the first part of the opera under the pseudonym Ernie . As the vocalist himself later explained, at that time he was trying to get away from his past and therefore did not want to see his name on the album. However, later he changed his point of view, and already in the second part of Avantasia Michael is present under his real name. ^[1] Commenting on his participation in the project, Kiske said that it was not difficult for him to play his parts, since he worked with such music for many years. ^[2]

David DeFace , the leader of the American band Virgin Steele , who played the role of Fr. Jacob never participates in other people's rock operas, he made an exception only for Avantasia . About the project of Tobias Sammet, he was informed by Sandra, AFM Records label promotion manager. DeFace liked the fragments on which he was supposed to sing, and he recorded his vocal parts in one day, when he had a break in working on the album House of Atreus . Tobias Sammet later said that the work sent by DeFace was different from what he expected to hear. Commenting on this part, his co-producer Norman Meyritz asked “what kind of a smoked monk could wander around a medieval city and speak in such a voice.” Sammet, in spite of everything, liked the unusual interpretation of the image of Father Jacob, and he remained in the opinion that inviting DeFace, whose manner of singing he compared with the lion's roar, was a good idea. ^[2]

Samrét met with Andre Matos , who played the ruler of Avantasia, during his first Angra tour in France, in which Edguy performed as the opening act. Matos agreed to take part in the rock opera, but then he had little faith in the fact that Sammet would be able to complete the work he had begun. Nevertheless, after the release of the album, he admitted that he was mistaken, and Avantasia called the best rock opera of those in which he happened to participate.

When Tobias was looking for a vocalist for the project, one of his acquaintances gave him the disc of the Dutch band Within Temptation , and he was impressed by the voice of Sharon den Adel . Earlier, while writing texts, Sammet was not sure that he would find a worthy performer of the role of Anna, and therefore her party became the smallest in the opera. Later, having already agreed with Sharon, he regretted it.

Initially, Tobias planned to invite Ronnie James Dio to the role of Clement VIII , but was refused. At that time, backing vocals were recorded for the song The Seven Angels , in which Oliver Hartmann took part, and Sammet invited him to perform the parts intended by Dio. As a result, the role of the Pope went to Hartmann.

Already conducting the mixing of the album in Finland, Tobias suddenly realized that he had forgotten to find the performer of the role of the devil on The Tower . Timo Tolkki, according to Sammet, simply went to the studio to say hello and agreed to record a recitative. ^[2]

The first part of The Metal Opera was released in 2001, the second and final part - in 2002. In 2008, the “gold” edition of “The Metal Opera Part I&II - Gold Edition” was released, which in addition to both parts of the opera included a concert clip Sign of the Cross as well as additional material such as previously unpublished photographs, interviews, and Tobias comments for each song.

The opera script is a fantasy story with a touch of mysticism. The plot was influenced by the famous fairy tale of the German writer Michael Ende, " Endless History ." The central idea of ​​the opera is fantasy as the highest value, freedom of thought and rejection of dogma. The cover of the second part of the opera on the tower, where the evil spirit dwells, depicts a dollar sign and a pair of compasses - symbols of soulless progress and thirst for profit, as opposed to the flight of dreams.

The name “Avantasia” - a magical country where the action takes place - is formed from the merger of the words “ Avalon ” and “ fantasy ” and means “the world beyond the limits of human imagination” ^[3] . There is, however, another option that offers the prefix “avant-” (forward movement) as the first element of the name.

Part I

The action takes place at the beginning of the XVII century .

The novice Gabriel Leimann lives at the Dominican monastery in the city of Mainz . Gabriel is an honest monk, an exemplary Christian and a fighter with witchcraft. However, unexpectedly, his own sister, Anna, is arrested by Inquisitor Falk von Kronberg. She faces torture and death at the stake like a witch. Trying to find out what Anna’s fault was, Gabriel finds an ancient forbidden book in the monastery’s library, which he and Kronberg had previously found from the executed witch Elsa Vogler. Mentor brother Jacob catches his student reading forbidden literature, and Gabriel is thrown into prison.

In prison, he meets an old druid named Lugide Wendroy. With his speeches about freedom of spirit and fantasy, Lugide ignites the young man’s heart, convincing him that the Inquisitors are hypocrites who hide behind faith and deceive themselves ( Reach Out for the Light ). Gabriel asks the druid to explain to him what is really going on around him. At the same time, Father Jacob was tormented by the fact that he had betrayed his beloved novice, but the monk was sure that he had done the right thing ( Serpents in Paradise ). Gabriel, meanwhile, understands that Elsa Vogler, who was burnt at the stake, could be innocent, just like Anna ( Malleus Malifecarum ). Lugide offers Gabriel a deal: the druid will help save his sister if the monk does him a favor in his turn. Recalling his childhood with Anna, the young novice firmly decides that he will free her, no matter what trials await him in front ( Farewell ). The two conspirators soon managed to escape ( Breaking Away ).

Meanwhile, Bishop von Bicken, Inquisitor von Kronberg and brother Jacob are carrying a book of miracles to Pope Clement VIII. Dad is a voice saying that this book is the key to great knowledge. Clerics take the voice for the angel and obey his instructions. They open the doors between the worlds, hidden in Rome, and follow the voice ( Glory of Rome ).

In the forest, not far from Mainz, the druid tells the young man that the book is actually a print, opening the way to a mysterious fantasy country. It was once open to everyone, but gradually people, becoming petty and selfish, began to forget about it, and soon a magical country could disappear forever at the behest of some sinister Tower. Lugide sends Gabriel through the portal to another world, and, remaining in this reality, continues to mentally communicate with the young novice ( Avantasia ). Gabriel comes to his senses in another dimension, where he is met by the dwarf Regrin and taken to the magical city of Sesidbana, to the local ruler - the elf Elderaine. They explain to him that the place where he went is Avantasia, a country of fantasy and knowledge, a reflection of the real world ( Inside ). And now she is in danger: an evil spirit imprisoned in a Tower located in a dark wasteland wants to break the connection between Earth and Avantasia, and then people will finally stop dreaming. This demon manipulates the priests to bring him a book, which is the key to his release ( Sign of the Cross ). Gabriel agrees to help the Avantazians and, together with Elderain, travels to the wastelands on an elven aircraft. Meanwhile, Pope, von Bicken and Jacob are approaching the Tower, surrounded by dark troops, and a voice emanating from inside demands to give him the key. The priests, despite their faith, are greatly scared, and Gabriel, hastened by Lugayd, steals the book right from under his nose and, picked up by Elderaine, returns to Sesidbana ( The Tower ).

Part II

The voice - "angel" is furious: he did not receive the promised key, which is now in the hands of his enemies, and threatens to punish negligent performers. Gabriel is gradually beginning to comprehend how important his act was, and how valuable human imagination is. ( The Seven Angels )

Meanwhile, the key book is securely hidden by the elves and the danger to Avantazia has temporarily passed. Gabriel may be returning home. But Lugide is convinced that they still have a lot to find out, and the young man himself is also drawn to knowledge. He asks his new friends to reveal more about Avantasia to him, and Alderain refers him to the Tree of Wisdom ( No Return ). Gabriel talks with the Tree, which reveals to him the secrets of wisdom ( The Looking Glass ). It warns the novice that the truth can be very scary and dangerous, but if he wants to know it, he must go to the end ( In Quest For ). Then the young monk suddenly sees in the water of the lake, on the shore of which the Tree grows, the image of his teacher Jacob, suffering torment in the lake of fire, where his soul was thrown by the spirit from the Tower ( The Final Sacrifice ).

Meanwhile, clerics wander around Avantazia, vainly seeking to find a book and a thief. They are confused: the beautiful wonderland seems to them a temptation to punish sins. Bishop von Bicken thinks that there is nothing wrong with the fact that some people know more than others, and asks the "angel" to send them back to Rome ( Neverland ).

Gabriel returns to Cecidbana. The novice wants to rescue Anna from imprisonment as soon as possible, but first he must save the souls captured by the demon ( Anywhere ). Gabriel asks Elderaine to tell him how to save a mentor. The elf says that in the catacombs near Rome there is a cup of Agony, where the souls of the doomed languish, whose energy feeds the Tower, and that it is protected by the terrible Beast. Gabriel and Regrin go to the "real" world for the Cup. The young man manages to get the artifact and free the soul of Jacob, but the brave dwarf dies in the battle with the Beast. The liberation of other souls weakens the dark army of the Tower and gives the inhabitants of Avantasia new chances to defeat evil ( Chalice of Agony ).

Now it’s Lugaid’s turn to fulfill his word. He, along with several loyal people, goes to the prison of the Inquisitors, where Anna is imprisoned. Yakov unexpectedly joins him, who realized that he was deceived by the Voice and hypocrites. They fight von Kronberg and free Anna at the cost of their lives. The Inquisitor, until the end of his days, is haunted by the horrors of executions and torture that he committed ( Memory ). Anna reunites with her brother Gabriel and together they go away, into the unknown ( Into the Unknown ). ^[2]

Cast

• Gabriel - Tobias Sammet ( Edguy )
• Lugide Wendroy - Michael Kiske (ex- Helloween , Supared , Place Vendome )
• Anna - Sharon Den Adel ( Within Temptation )
• Regrin, the Dwarf - Kai Hansen (ex- Helloween , Gamma Ray , Iron Savior )
• Elderain, Elf - Andre Matos ( Viper , Angra , Shaaman )
• Brother Jacob Monk - David Steele
• Pope Clement VIII - Oliver Hartmann ( At Vance )
• Falk von Kronberg - Ralph Zdiarstek
• Bishop von Bicken - Rob Rock ( Impellitteri )
• Voice from the Tower - Timo Tolkki ( Stratovarius )
• The Tree of Knowledge - ( Magnum )

Instrumentalists

• Henjo Richter ( Gamma Ray ) - Guitar
• Jens Ludwig ( Edguy ) - guitar
• Norman Meyritz - guitar
• Timo Tolkki ( Stratovarius ) - guitar
• Marcus Grosskopf ( Helloween ) - bass
• Alex Holzwart ( Rhapsody ) - drums
• Eric Singer ( Kiss , Alice Cooper ) - drums
• Tobias Sammet ( Edguy ) - keyboards
• Frank Tisher - piano ^[4]

The Metal Opera I (2001)

1. Prelude - 1:11
2. “Reach Out for the Light” - 6:33
3. Serpents in Paradise - 6:16
4. Malleus Maleficarum - 1:43
5. Breaking Away 4:35
6. "Farewell" - 6:33
7. "The Glory of Rome" - 5:29
8. "In Nomine Patris" - 1:04
9. Avantasia - 5:32
10. A New Dimension - 1:39
11. “Inside” - 2:24
12. “Sign of the Cross” - 6:26
13. The Tower - 9:43

The Metal Opera II (2002)

1. Seven Angels 14:17
2. No Return - 4:29
3. The Looking Glass - 4:53
4. "In Quest For" - 3:54
5. The Final Sacrifice - 5:02
6. Neverland 5:00
7. Anywhere - 5:29
8. Chalice of Agony - 6:00
9. “Memory” - 5:44
10. "Into the Unknown" - 4:29

• It was under Clement VIII that Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake. However, the real Pope was very different from his sharply negative image in the opera. In addition to the fight against heresy, the most significant events associated with it are the adoption of the Union of Brest , which led to the emergence of Catholics of the Eastern rite, as well as the Anniversary Year in 1600 .
• Johan Adam von Bicken is also a real historical person, besides the Pope. He served as Archbishop of Mainz in 1601-1604. ^[five]
• Dominican monks, to which Gabriel and Jacob belong, were indeed some of the most zealous witch hunters and heretics in their day, and in 1233 Pope Gregory IX put the Inquisition under their control, although the conventional wisdom is that it was St. Dominic was the founder of this institution looks doubtful. The Dominican was, for example, the great inquisitor Thomas Torquemada . ^[6] .
• The fears of Jacob, von Bicken, and Clement VIII regarding the seekers of truth are sufficiently justified, since the time described in the opera chronologically coincides with the end of the Renaissance and the height of the Reformation . In those years, many thinkers questioned and sharply criticized the dogmas of the Catholic Church, and in Europe there was a real brainwave.

The Roman Catholic Church plays a large role in the plot. People like Clement VIII and Bishop von Biken are sharply criticized for believing that they are the only owners of the truth and do not want to allow ordinary people to see it, as well as for using it to achieve power, while not able to see the whole truth about the world. The lyrics also featured a fairly large number of Christian symbols and images, one way or another connected with religion:

• Malleus Malifecarum is a well-known medieval treatise on demonology.
• Mount Horeb ( Sign of the Cross ), where, according to the Bible , Moses received the Tablets . Bishop von Bicken perceives this episode as a call for the destruction of the "heretics."
• Seven Angels of the Apocalypse and a description of Armageddon from the Revelation of John the Theologian ( The Seven Angels ).
• The Babylonian harlot from the Revelation of John the Theologian , with whom Gabriel in The Seven Angels compares the Catholic Church. He in Neverland uses the term "Roman Harlot".
• The Lamb of God ( Sign of the Cross ).
• Mammon ( Sign of the Cross ) - a negative symbol of wealth and earthly goods
• Avantasia in the texts is often called the Land of Salvation ( Sign of the Cross ), and the Cup of Agony from the Roman dungeons is characterized as the gate to hell ( The Final Sacrifice , Chalice of Agony ).
• The demon imprisoned in the Tower is largely portrayed as Satan , in particular, Gabriel, talking about the clergy coming to him that they are secretly led by the devil himself.
• Wine in the Christian sense of the word is used several times during the opera. So, Clement VIII says that they should “drink the Gnosis wine” and close the road to Avantasia. Wine filled the Cup of Agony.

^{[7] [8]}

Avantasia: The Metal Opera was warmly received by the press and listeners. On metalstorm.net, the first part received an average of 8.8 out of 10 ^[9] , and the second - 8.6 ^[10] . The ratings for Encyclopaedia Metallun were 84% ^[11] and 73% ^[12] , respectively.

One of the main claims to the rock opera, which appears in many reviews, was a fairly large number of vocals of Tobias Sammet, according to some critics, who sings more than all the other participants combined. However, some reviewers do not share this point of view, believing that due to this, the albums turned out to be more integral. It was also noted that musically the first and second parts are significantly different: in Part I there were more opera elements and symphony, while Part II was a more standard power metal album. In particular, was noted ^{[by whom? ] the} similarity of The Final Sacrifice and Neverland songs with Nailed To The Wheel and All The Clowns from Edguy Mandrake . In addition, criticism of the Catholic Church on Encyclopaedia Metallum in one of the reviews was recognized as banal and not original ^[12] .

It is noteworthy that Tobias Sammet himself considers the second part of Avantasia to be somewhat weaker than the first, in particular because of the songs Neverland and Memory , which, in his opinion, were saved by Rob Rock and Ralph Zdiyarstek ^[2] .

The release of Avantasia has introduced a fashion for metal operas. Over the next few years, projects like Days of Rising Doom , Elven Manuscript , Dawnrider, and The WizardQueen appeared . In 2008, the first Brazilian metal opera A Legacy of Honor by SoulSpell was released .

• The scarecrow
• Lost in space

• Official site of Tobias Zammet
• Lyrics of all songs in the original and translation into Russian of the songs
• Avantasia at Encyclopaedia Metallum