EDGUY Frontman Working On New AVANTASIA Album

EDGUY mainman Tobias Sammet is working on a new CD from his AVANTASIA project for a spring 2013 release. According to a post on Sammet's web site, "Concept-wise, the album will be a classic rock opera/metal opera. It's going to be a timeless fairytale that despite its fantasy appeal was inspired by happenings of our modern age and society."

Tobias originally wanted to put AVANTASIA to rest after the release of the "The Flying Opera - Around The World In 20 Days" concert DVD in April 2011, but he has since had a change of heart. He explains, "Even though I love to record and tour with EDGUY, I didn't foresee how much I need AVANTASIA when I decided to finish this chapter of my life in 2011. I didn't know if there would be another AVANTASIA album one day, but I didn‘t feel like doing it. After the worldwide success of the latest studio releases, an arena world tour that was sold out pretty much everywhere, collaborations with childhood heroes like Alice Cooper, Klaus Meine, Rudolf Schenker, Eric Singer of KISS, etc. I 'knew' that I had said everything I could possibly say in the name of AVANTASIA. But that's not what AVANTASIA is all about. I wanna create more great music, I wanna create more fantasy worlds, the bigger and the more epic, the better. And listening to the material that I have created for this forthcoming chapter in the history of AVANTASIA, I know there is no way I am not going to do it! I have got the feeling and the certainty that this is absolutely meant to happen and to be!"

Professionally filmed video footage of AVANTASIA's August 6, 2011 performance at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany can be seen below.

In addition to Sammet, AVANTASIA's lineup for the Wacken performance included the following ten musicians:

* Michael Kiske (HELLOWEEN, UNISONIC) - Vocals
* Jorn Lande (MASTERPLAN) - Vocals
* Bob Catley (MAGNUM) - Vocals
* Kai Hansen (GAMMA RAY, HELLOWEEN) - Guitar, Vocals
* Amanda Somerville (TRILLIUM, EPICA, AFTER FOREVER, KAMELOT)
* Sascha Paeth (EDGUY, RHAPSODY OF FIRE) - Guitar
* Oliver Hartmann (EDGUY, RHAPSODY OF FIRE) - Guitar
* Miro Rodenberg (KAMELOT, EPICA, AFTER FOREVER) - Keyboards
* Robert Hunecke (AINA) - Bass
* Felix Bohnke (EDGUY) - Drums

The AVANTASIA four-disc box, "The Flying Opera - Around The World In 20 Days", entered the official Austrian chart at position No. 1. In Germany, the double DVD that came with the double CD landed on the official album chart at No. 18.

According to a press release, the "The Flying Opera - Around The World In 20 Days" DVD is "a documentary of the legendary 2008 world tour of AVANTASIA, when the band hit the road for the first time to write a new chapter in metal history; traveling around the world with a giant all-star ensemble to bring the metal opera on stage and play on three continents within a few days, crossing the dateline and eventually playing to a total of 400,000 people within only a few weeks. The first DVD contains a live concert with a running time of almost two hours featuring footage filmed at the headlining shows of Wacken Open Air (Germany) and Masters Of Rock (Czech Republic). On the second DVD there [is] a movie, 'Around The World In 20 Days', that gives fans the opportunity to join AVANTASIA backstage and take a look at the surroundings and the thrill behind the scenes that go along with an extensive undertaking such as this. The DVD set portray[s] AVANTASIA 2008 when it all started."