Album review: AVANTASIA – A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society

Nuclear Blast [Release date 21.10.22]

The ninth studio album from Avantasia, the musical concept created by Tobias Sammet. Vocal wise the list is as impressive as ever with Bob Catley, Floor Jansen, Geoff Tate, Ronnie Atkins and Eric Martin amongst those involved.

Primal Scream’s Ralf Scheepers adds plenty of metal ballast on ‘The Wicked Rule the Night’, whilst Jorn does what he does best on ‘I am the Storm’. Both will please Avantasia fans who hanker after the faster metal songs.

Nightwish vocalist Floor Jansen appears twice, first up is ‘Kill The Pain Away’. A monster of a tune with chanting choirs, guitars and the singing of Sammet and Jansen complementing each other perfectly. The power ballad ‘Misplaced Among the Angels’ is the other song featuring Floor Jansen. Strong pop vibe to be heard and again two fine vocal performances.

You can imagine the big smile Tobias Sammet’s face as he duets with one of his all time favourite vocalists, Magnum’s Bob Catley, on ‘The Moonflower Society’. Only ‘Rhyme and Reason’ doesn’t seem to work as Eric Martin’s vocals don’t really suit a pounding metal beat for this reviewer. He’d have been better utilised on a ballad perhaps?

The album’s epic song ‘Arabesque’ rounds the album off in style. It features bagpipes, choirs, guitars galore and Jorn. What more could you want in a theatrical metal musical feast?!

The most diverse yet as one minute you’re in power ballad territory, then it is a bit of galloping power metal. A definite grower of an album and certainly holds its own against the previous Avantasia albums. ****

Review by Jason Ritchie

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)