It’s always an exciting time when a new album comes out. There’s more to listen to, discover, and pass on, especially when it’s one of your favorite bands. However, for the first time, as far as my recollection, an artist has released two new albums at the same time!
Tobias Sammet’s Avantasia released Part II and Part III of “The Scarecrow Trilogy” earlier this month. As a small introduction to who Avantasia is, singer song writer Tobias Sammet is a legendary symphonic metal vocalist from Germany. Sammet invites guest artists to help record albums for Avantasia, all well known throughout all styles of metal. He also heads vocals for Edguy, who I saw in 2008 by the way!
It’s amazing to see who he’s able to recruit to sing or play on his albums. It seems like anyone who’s anyone has played with Sammet in the past. His two most recent albums, The Wicked Symphony and Angel of Babylon, feature artists like Klaus Meine (Scorpions), Russell Allen (Symphony X), Michael Kiske (Helloween), Henjo Richter (Gamma Ray), John Oliva (Savatage), and Tim “Ripper” Owens (Currently Beyond Fear, Ex-Judas Priest and Ex-Iced Earth). All of which are other bands in my music library.
Part I of “The Scarecrow Trilogy”, called The Scarecrow, produced some of my current, and will always be, favorite songs. Along with other amazing guest artists, Roy Khan (Kamelot), Amanda Somerville, Alice Cooper, The Scarecrow became the introduction to a storyline, not just highlighted by great music and musicians.
“The Scarecrow is the tragic story of a lonesome creature, emotionally isolated from his environment and suffering from a distorted sensory perception (“Twisted Mind”). His feelings for the love of his life unrequited, and he sets off on a journey exploring his left-hand path, striving for inner peace, ploughing his way to approval and eventually facing temptation at the inner depths of the human soul. Kiske’s character is trying to keep The Scarecrow on the right track (“Shelter from the Rain”). By the end of the first chapter, The Scarecrow decides that because loving has only brought him pain, he simply stops loving (“I Don’t Believe in Your Love”), and sits down, desperate, alone and confused (“Lost in Space”)
In The Wicked Symphony, the Scarecrow has come to understand that he can make beautiful music that everyone loves and that can lead him to fame. Kiske’s character, who constantly tries to keep the main character on the right track, gives up on him (“Wastelands”). Consumed by fury (“Scales of Justice”), the Scarecrow realizes that power and fame is too much for him to handle and tries to run away from all of his problems (“Runaway Train”). While in a state of depression, Jorn’s character attempts to persuade the Scarecrow into following his path (“Crestfallen”, “Forever is a Long Time”) but he overcomes his influence. Finally, the pressure is too much and the Scarecrow loses everything (“The Edge”).
Angel of Babylon deals more with the point where the Scarecrow’s character reaches rock bottom and realizes there’s nothing he can do but to get back on his feet. The first half of the album has the main character struggling with the fact that he has lost everything and has to move on, while the second half (omitting “Symphony of Life”) is more of a self-analyzing experience. There is some kind of revelation that suddenly hits the main character, and he can see that even though he has had everything and lost it, he can still move forward.”
A fan on one of Avantasia’s forums said,
“Songs on Angel of Babylon like “Blowing out the Flame”, “Alone I Remember” and “Journey to Arcadia” really got to me, since I think every one of us can relate to that part of the story somehow. We all have had something that we wanted with all our lives, and maybe got sidetracked on the way to get it. Sometimes, we don’t realize that along the way we lost something more important that that which we were seeking. It takes a lot to make us understand that.
After listening to the albums a couple of times I realized that in some way or another, we all are scarecrows.”
These albums absolutely blow me away when you combine the quality of music, musicians and the fact of a great storyline to go with it. You can’t honestly say that you hear anything like this on the radio these days. And to think, music like this can influence your thoughts and show you revelations that can affect you on all levels of your life. It teaches you the lesson that there are multiple paths that you can take in your life, which ones you decide are up to you. And if you take a wrong path, there’s always a chance to get back on track. Very ambiguous, I know, but when you apply everything in your life to situations like these albums spell out, it is motivating to realize that it’s possible to understand who you are and who you are becoming. There’s no overlying decision or life choice that makes me listen to symphonic metal like Kamelot, Symphony X, Nightwish or Avantasia. It’s the fact that this music makes me feel alive and that it removes me from the everyday working lifestyle, even for 4 minutes at a time, and lets me know that there is more to 8-hour days and people with egos. A life should be so much more than what is advertised. So why not let the an influential source like music fill you with every emotion music can frame on the highest level, which for me is symphonic metal.
Sorry, I got a little sidetracked there, but that’s what this music does for me. It’s beautiful.
Tobias Sammet’s Avantasia has yet done it again, released two great albums that will last in my collection for a long time. I’ll leave you with his first single, which features Scorpions frontman Klaus Meine in “Dying For An Angel”.
-BC
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Music-Live-Reviews 
One of the few songs that’s quite possibly worthy of my annual usage allowance of the word “epic”.
Trackback by uberVU - social comments April 8, 2010 @ 8:54 pm