Two days ago, Avantasia released their latest album, Here Be Dragons, which we marked as a very real contender for Metal Album of the Year, and we are just waving goodbye to February. We spoke to Tobias Sammet to get the lowdown on his writing process and to find out more about his inspiration behind Avantasia and his love of Bob Catley.
Here Be Dragons is a fantastic record for every classic rock fan, and Tobias says that this fueled his writing for the album. “When I started listening to bands back in the ’80s like AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, Pretty Maids, there was no label for this type of music. Bon Jovi was Bon Jovi, and that was that. You can definitely hear that style in my music. In this album, there is a lot of Queen and Dio, Iron Maiden and Helloween.”
This is an album that has outstanding vocal performances from Sammet and his guests. There have been a lot of different singers and vocal styles in Avantasia, from Geoff Tate to Bob Catley and Eric Martin. Tobias says this was always his intention.
“That was always the idea of Avantasia,” Tobias told us. “When we started in 1999, it wasn’t a band, just a project where I wanted to sing with my heroes. I was a musician who did records with my other band, Edguy, and I thought, this can’t be it.
“I was 20 or 21 years old, and I said to myself, you need to work with your heroes like Michael Kiske (Helloween), Bob Catley (Magnum), Kai Hansen (Gamma Ray) and Rob Rock (Impellitteri). So I did this first Avantasia record [The Metal Opera] as a rock opera. Then, the concept was born of having different singers playing different roles, and this is what developed into Avantasia.”
“The new record [Here Be Dragons] is not a rock opera,” Tobias says. “It isn’t a concept album in that sense, but it is actually an Avantasia album, which completely mirrors my creative orientation. It is like a band album but one with a lot of collaborations.
“This is the current Avantasia, with the sound of bands I grew up with. Dio, Pretty Maids, Saxon, Magnum, Queensrÿche, Helloween, Iron Maiden, Meat Loaf and Def Leppard. But nevertheless, it doesn’t sound like an album from 1987.
“It is enriched with all the musical influences and experiences I have surrounded myself and collected over the years. I wouldn’t say it’s contemporary either, but definitely not from 1987.”
With so many vocalist collaborations over the years, Tobias Sammet says that in the past, he often had a voice in his head when songwriting. “That can also be very inspiring,” he says. “On this album, there were only two tracks that were written with a vocalist in mind.
“The title track, Here Be Dragons with Geoff Tate, I realised quite quickly whilst writing it that the vocal style and song structure was perfect for Geoff.
“The second song was Bring On The Night with Bob Catley. The song came to me about six months after Tony Clarkin’s passing when I suddenly felt the need to play the piano again. I watched the footie one evening, and I was eager to sit behind the piano. Within minutes, I had the core and structure of the song. I realised straight away that, subconsciously, this was my way of dealing with the death of Tony and it was clear to me that Bob Catley would sing it.
“I then thought it might sound a bit like Magnum, so maybe I’ll add an orchestra to make it more Avantasia-like. But then I changed my mind and said to myself – no, I will create the keyboard sounds just like Magnum would have done back in ‘86/’87.
“It is a tribute, and I used the original keyboard tones and the same keyboards they worked with back in the day. Those were the only two songs where it was clear which singer would sing it.
“Other than that, I wrote the album and only afterwards thought about who could be the right singer for which song, which is a novelty really with Avantasia. That’s why I think this album comes across differently from the previous albums. I think it is very song-driven, and one shouldn’t look at it as a complete creation.
“It is not a musical. It has not got this Broadway flair. It sounds like a self-contained album of a band, where every song goes in the same direction.”
Tobias Sammet: “I love Bob”
In the recent O2 Forum Kentish Town show, which was a glorious celebration of Tony Clarkin’s legacy, Bob Catley was once again magnificent. He might not be the tallest singer in the business, but he certainly has a presence on the stage.
“Absolutely,” Tobias smiles. “When Bob comes on stage during an Avantasia show, the audience erupts. He is even popular with the younger fans who weren’t even born during Magnum’s heyday.
“He has a presence when he is on stage. This quality, charisma and experience that he projects is the reason why fans adore him, who do not necessarily like classic rock but might prefer something more modern. I always take my hat off when I see his professionalism.”
“I love Bob. He has become a very dear friend and is a fantastic singer and a big influence. There is no diva behaviour with him when we are on tour. It gets stressful at times, but there are never any problems with Bob.”
While Tobias Sammet says that there are not really any singers who have approached him, there are some that he has approached that did not happen. “About eight years ago, I asked Glenn Hughes,” he says. “His manager and I agreed on everything, but when Glenn heard the music, he decided not to do it.
“The music was a bit heavier back then. Glenn is a soul machine and has actually a very different music style. I met him last summer in Spain backstage at a festival whilst we were both touring. After his set, he came up to me and said, ‘Hey Tobi.’
“I found it funny that he knew who I was. I said, ‘Glenn, what a super show!’ and he said, ‘I can also sing in Avantasia, can’t I?’ ‘Yes, you can definitely do that.’ ‘Then you should invite me.’ ‘But I have already done that.’ And he said a bit coy, ‘Yes, I know.’
“I think it was a bit awkward for him because when we first asked him, he had a completely different picture of what Avantasia was. The songs I sent him were too Heavy Metal for him. I think he wanted to do something different. But we had a very funny conversation about it, and we both laughed. He is a fantastic guy. I like him a lot.”
The list of collaborations over the years reads like a who’s who of the Metal world. Tobias says there “isn’t really” a bucket list of artists. “I was allowed to make music with so many great artists, something I could never have dreamed of. Alice Cooper, Klaus Meine, Rudolf Schenker, Eric Singer and Bruce Kulick of Kiss and Jon Oliva.
“Biff Byford of Saxon has become a good friend of mine. I have some great performers in my current Avantasia troupe, so there aren’t really any wishes unfulfilled.
“But it is an open secret that two of my biggest idols are missing on that list: Rob Halford and Bruce Dickinson. I have contacted both of them several times.
“Rob said he doesn’t really have the time. He only does projects like these for friends and he hasn’t even got the time to do it for them. I would love to do something with Bruce Dickinson, but he is always so busy with Iron Maiden touring, shooting movies and recording solo albums.
“I love that guy but you know if he hasn’t got the time or doesn’t want to do it, then that’s ok. I am still a huge fan of his.
“Maybe in my next life. Because then, I am the singer of Iron Maiden and Bruce Dickinson is the little German guy.”
Avantasia’s Here Be Dragons was released via Napalm Records on 28 February 2025. If you are expecting a delicious slab of operatic Power Metal, then you certainly will not be disappointed.
