Avantasia – Ghostlights

Ghostlights_by_AvantasiaSometimes I get the feeling that Tobias Sammet just doesn’t care much for Edguy anymore. Whilst the last few albums were okay at best, he seems to save his best material for Avantasia these days. And again, Edguy’s last album pales to 2016’s Ghostlights. Continue reading

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Edguy – Space Police: Defenders of the Crown

Edguy - Space Police - Defenders of the CrownThese days, Tobias Sammet is probably better known worldwide for his Avantasia metal and/or opera’s than his main band Edguy, but that doesn’t mean the band does not release albums on a tidy schedule. And whilst the albums since Hellfire Club (2004) have been a bit hit and miss, eschewing the rollicking power metal of yore for a more hard rocking approach, there’s always a certain amount of quality and fun on offer. Space Police: Defenders of the Crown is no different in that aspect. Continue reading

Gamma Ray – Empire of the Undead

Gamma Ray - Empire of the Undead_On and on rolls the power metal train, with just about every German power metal band firing shots one after another. And what’s more: all those bands are releasing unexpectedly strong and heavy albums. It’s as if some Holy Spirit of metal has touched these bands, showing them where their roots lie and that there’s no shame in writing fast songs with double bass drumming (I’m looking at you, Edguy and Sonata Arctica). German metal institution Gamma Ray is the next in line. Continue reading

Avantasia – The Mystery of Time (2013)

Avantasia - The Mystery of TimeAvantasia’s The Metal Opera, released all the way back in the dark age (2001), is still one of my favourite modern power metal albums. Edguy frontman Tobias Sammet managed to capture just about anything that makes Teutonic power metal into such a joy (the rolling double bass drums, the epic choruses, the choirs, the optimism), got a few if not all of my favourite vocalists of the time and released an absolutely smashing record. Deciding that enough wasn’t enough, der Tobi released a follow-up the next year, an album much in the same vein, featuring largely the same cast. After that, everything changed. Continue reading