Avantasia

Avantasia was born in 1999 as an almost indecent ambition by Tobias Sammet: to bring together some of the greatest voices in heavy metal in an epic opera, without asking permission for budgetary common sense. The Metal Opera and The Metal Opera Part II, released in 2001 and 2002, combined power metal, fantastic narrative and characters played by names like Michael Kiske, Andre Matos, Kai Hansen and Sharon den Adel. What should have been a one-off project ended up creating its own universe. From The Scarecrow onwards, Avantasia expanded the formula, incorporating hard rock, symphonic metal and increasingly theatrical arrangements. Sammet turned the project into a rotating constellation of guests, including Jorn Lande, Bob Catley, Geoff Tate, Klaus Meine, Alice Cooper and Floor Jansen. Still, the brilliance of the appearances never erased the true center of the work: his ability to write gigantic choruses and stitch together completely different voices within a recognizable identity. With their tenth album, Here Be Dragons, released in 2025, Avantasia confirmed that they have long ceased to be just a “studio supergroup”. It has become a global arena attraction, supported by grandiose sets, multiple vocalists and a production that treats moderation as a character flaw. Avantasia may live on excess, but few projects have transformed excess into artistic language with such consistency.