It’s been two years since we heard from Tobias Sammet and his metal opera band Avantasia, but he returns to our stereos with a bang! Avantasia provided the world with a double release of The Wicked Symphony and Angel of Babylon.
The story of both albums is a continuation from Avantasia’s previous release, The Scarecrow. The story is about a lonely creature taking company in friends. The Wicked Symphony takes part after the 2008 album The Scarecrow and preceded by the album Angel of Babylon.
1.The Wicked Symphony is considered the better of the two albums. It’s a wonderful collection of beautiful harmonies, catchy choruses and superb orchestration. This album is a lot darker and symphonic in the Heavier songs and the softer songs are a lot longer than previous albums, this is the case in the album’s title track, The Wicked Symphony (track1), where Tobias is in what can only be called a “lyrical battle” between guest vocalists Jorn Lande and Russell Allen for nearly ten minutes. All of the songs on the album are over 4 minutes, with the exception of track 10 States of Matter which clocks in at 3:59. In the end, this album doesn’t disappoint in very many ways. The only thing that disappointed me was the fact that the album seemed to be a lot more “hard and soft rock” than actual metal. But it wasn’t enough of a disappointment to tear me away from this great album.!
2. Angel of Babylon is the more softer of the two albums, with more pop-influences involved in it than The Wicked Symphony. Although they open up with a fast-pased power metal song in the opening track Stargazer. The album itself immediately afterwards doesn’t catch up to the speed of it’s opening track, with songs such as the title track Angel of Babylon and Rat Race being the only other fast-paced songs on the album. Songs such as Your Love is Evil and Down in the Dark bring a more popish, softer rock side of Avantasia, which in it’s own mind is ok, but is honestly not what I expected out of this album. While disappointing, the final track on the CD Journey of Arcadia pulled me back in with it’s progressive sound, which I enjoyed very much. Overall, this album isn’t bad, but definitely didn’t live up to expectations.
One thing that has always made Avantasia stick out to me is the number of incredibly talented guest vocalists, and this album doesn’t disappoint. Tobias brings along Jorn Lande, Russell Allen (Symphony X vocalist), Michael Kiske (ex-Helloween), Tim “the Ripper” Owens ( ex-Judas Priest & ex-Iced Earth vocalist), Bob Catley (ex-Magnum vocalist), Klaus Meine (vocalist of the Scorpions), Andre Matos (Angra vocalist), Jon Oliva (ex-Savatage vocalist, current vocalist of side project band Jon Oliva’s Pain), and Oliver Hartmann (vocalist & guitarist of band At Vance) for the ride of a lifetime, as they all sing their hearts out on this double-featured opera show. Not only are some of the best vocalists on these albums, but some of the top musicians on the metal scene are there as well. This list includes drummer Eric Singer (KISS, Black Sabbath, and Alice Cooper), and guitarists Bruce Kulick (KISS), Jens Johanson (ex-Stratovarius, Yngwie Malmsteen), and Sascha Paeth (guitarist of Avantasia, and various other metal bands in Europe).
If you’re looking for a great purchase, look no further then these two albums. While Angel of Babylon didn’t live up to expectations, it’s still a good album. But I DEFINITELY recommend The Wicked Symphony for those who love Avantasia, as it doesn’t disappoint!
Ratings:
The Wicked Symphony: 9/10
Angel of Babylon: 7.5/10
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