Edguy/Avantasia frontman Tobias Sammet have checked in with the following announcement:
“Hey folks, quite busy these days. New album in the pipeline, the slave drivers in my record company have kept me talking for months, something like 400 interviews, where’s Amnesty International when you REALLY need them?! Anyway, video’s shot, most interviews done, and early March, we’ll set off on the “Ghostlights” world tour. As you know, Madrid and Hamburg are sold out, also the second Madrid show is on its way. More dates like London, Moscow and Sao Paulo as well. Have I told you that you rock big time? And you know what? We have just been confirmed to headline Tuska Open Air in Finland… Which means there’ll be a second show in Scandinavia this time. And there’ll also be some more American dates to be announced soon!
Anyway, as if that all wasn’t enough we’ve been asked by our record label if we’d be willing to take part in the German preliminary round for the Eurovision Song Contest. My mother’s gonna be proud. Or not. We’ll see… Anyway, it seemed like a quite unusual idea to compete with anyone in music, to play music AGAINST someone… like in Jazz music! “Everyone against everyone,” as my Avantasia pal Ronnie Atkins has put it (after watching a Free Jazz show in Bremen…)
However: WHO AM I to get in the way of a great promotional opportunity?! Three minutes to show millions that something like us exists? GIMME THAT STAGE! So, in case you turn on your TV on the 25th of February and you virtually bump into bunch of people that look like AVANTASIA, that’s maybe because it IS AVANTASIA! Ha!
Cheerz and talk to you soon, T“
“Ghostlights” the seventh Avantasia album will be released on January 29, 2016 via Nuclear Blast. The twelve-song CD was produced by Tobias and Sascha Paeth at Gatestudio in Wolfsburg, Germany. Paeth engineered and mixed “Ghostlights”, while the mastering was done by Michael Rodenberg.
A new trailer for “Ghostlights” is available below. It features snippets of the songs ‘Let The Storm Descend Upon You’, ‘Unchain The Light’, ‘Master Of The Pendulum’, ‘Seduction Of Decay’ and ‘Ghostlights’.
Avantasia released a new digital single, ‘Mystery Of A Blood Red Rose’, on December 11.
Commented Tobias: “In my humble opinion, [‘Mystery Of A Blood Red Rose’] is the perfect overture to the seventy-minute journey which the full album is going to be.
“Although ‘Mystery Of A Blood Red Rose’ is a rather short composition compared to most other Avantasia songs, I wanted to embellish and amplify it with flamboyance and all AVANTASIA trademarks. I wanted to make it a detailed piece of fantasy art, but at the same time it was a big challenge to make that painting look inherently consistant if you view it from the distance. The layered choirs took us forever to record and yet nothing distracts from the main theme and flow of the song. Every time you give it a listen, you will discover something else going on.
“I have a feeling that I have never managed to create such an epic and dreamy atmosphere in just four minutes. I’ve gotta admit I am slightly proud of it!”
Avantasia‘s latest album, “The Mystery Of Time”, has been released in March 2013.
The opus features guest appearances by:
* Dee Snider (Twisted Sister)
* Geoff Tate (Queensrÿche)
* Marco Hietala (Nightwish)
* Sharon Den Adel (Within Temptation)
* Michael Kiske (Helloween)Video below:
* Ronnie Atkins (Pretty Maids)
* Bob Catley (Magnum)
* Jorn Lande (Masterplan)
* Bruce Kulick (Kiss)
* Robert Mason (Warrant)
* Herbie Langhans (Seventh Avenue, Sinbreed)
* Oliver Hartmann
* Sascha Paeth
The instrumentalists on “Ghostlights” are as follows:
* Sascha Paeth – rhythm guitar, lead guitar, bass, additional keys
* Michael Rodenberg – orchestration, keys
* Tobias Sammet – additional keys and bass
* Bruce Kulick – lead guitar
* Oliver Hartmann – lead guitar
* Felix Bohnke – drums
GHOSTLIGHTS WORLD TOUR 2016
(more dates tba soon)
04.03. D – Berlin – Huxley’s*
05.03. D – Hamburg – Große Freiheit* – SOLD OUT!!
06.03. D – Bremen – Aladin*
08.03. UK – London – The Forum*
09.03. F – Paris – Le Trianon*
11.03. E – Barcelona – Razzmatazz 1*
12.03. E – Madrid – La Riviera* – SOLD OUT!!
13.03. E – Madrid – La Riviera*
15.03. D – Frankfurt-Langen – Stadthalle*
16.03. CZ – Prague – Forum Karlin*
18.03. D – Kaufbeuren – All-Karthalle*
19.03. D – Bamberg – Brose-Arena*
20.03. D – Oberhausen – Turbinenhalle*
22.03. I – Milan – Alcatraz*
24.03. CH – Pratteln – Z7*
25.03. CH – Pratteln – Z7*
27.03. SK – Banska Bystrica – Ice Stadium*
28.03. SK – Bratislava – Sportshall*
29.03. A – Tröpolach – Full Metal Mountain Festival
31.03. D – Saarbrücken – Saarlandhalle*
01.04. D – Ludwigsburg – Arena*
02.04. D – Fulda – Esperantohalle*
04.04. H – Budapest – Baba Negra*
06.04. RUS – Moscow – Ray Just Arena*
09.04. JP – Tokyo – Shinagawa Prince Stellar Ball*
24.04. BRA – Sao Paulo – Espaco das Americas*
08.-11.06. S – Sölvesborg – Sweden Rock Festival
01.-03.07. FIN – Helsinki – Tuska Open Air
06.07. D – Flugplatz Ballenstedt – RockHarz Open Air
*AVANTASIA play at least three hours, no other bands!
Weblinks: Website / Facebook / Twitter
Video below: “Ghostlights” (Teaser)
Video below: ‘Mystery of a Blood Red Rose’