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Tobias Sammet's Avantasia: Ghostlights
Tobias Sammet's Avantasia Ghostlights CD Album Review

Tobias Sammet's Avantasia: Ghostlights

Melodic/Symphonic/Heavy Metal
4.5/5.0

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Nuclear Blast Records
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 14.01.2016

Okay. Tobias Sammet's Avantasia and Ghostlights. Here's another totally unbiased and objective music review. Don't think so. Tobias Sammet, Avantasia, Edguy, I'm a huge fan. Actually, if it wasn't for discovering Edguy and their Mandrake album and the live work Burning Down The Opera, I would have never rediscovered melodic heavy metal. Nor would I be sitting here doing what I'm doing now, writing about the same.

Tobias Sammet Photo

Tobias Sammet

Basically, Sammet as a composer and vocalist is a melodic metal genius. It's like in his DNA. He's so adept and creative at the genre that when ideas met imagination and they in turn find expression in music, the songs simply flow. Now that's not to say that all the songs that Sammet, whether via Edguy or Avantasia, are uniformly brilliant. No. There are songs on this album that didn't quite keep my attention. Nevertheless, Sammet remains constant and consistent delivering entertaining stuff.

Another thing he's exceptional at is recruiting exceptional musicians to help him express his musical vision. In the case of Ghostlights, it's the inclusion of a vocalist and guitarist. Of some note, there's vocalists Geoff Tate and Dee Snider, Sharon Den Adel and Bob Catley, Jorn Lande and Michael Kiske, the latter two, prior guests. However, what's curious, or not, after all it's Sammet's album, unless you have the guest list, you might notice that there's another person singing with him. This definitely true with Tate within Seduction of Decay and Snider within The Haunting. Conversely, Herbie Langhans of Sinbreed offers a strong duet presence in Draconian Love, giving it a real goth feeling.

As for the songs, Sammet compose across the spectrum of melodic metal. There's catchy melodic hard rock vibe of Mystery of a Blood Red Rose. The epic, symphonic and a bit progish Let The Storm Descend Upon You. Something deeper, even more foreboding comes with The Haunting, one of my least favorite tracks. Heavy power, bombastic and speedy, come with the title cut and Master Of The Pendulum. Something more sweet and delicate with lighter anthem, Isle of Evermore, with Sharon Den Adel. Then there's the juxtaposition between delicate piano and vocals at the start of Lucifer and the eruption of more bombastic guitar-roaring in the latter half. In other words, Ghostlights is all typical Tobias Sammet, making interesting and entertaining melodic heavy metal and living his dream. He's pretty much a master of his genre. Easily recommended.

Tobias Sammet's Avantasia - Mystery Of A Blood Red Rose


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In Short

Ghostlights is all typical Tobias Sammet, making interesting and entertaining melodic heavy metal and living his dream. He's pretty much a master of his genre. Easily recommended.

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