It’s been a rather dismal start to 2025. We’ve got an orange megalomaniac once more in the White House. Before our American cousins get their fanny packs in a wad, that’s not a political statement, merely a statement of fact. Meanwhile, over here in good old Blighty, it feels like it hasn’t stopped raining since August 2024. It’s a good job we have got Here Be Dragons, the new album from Avantasia, to cheer us up.
Avantasia – Here Be Dragons (Napalm Records)
Release Date: 28 February 2025
Words: Robert Adams
With Edguy being on hold since 2020 to allow their frontman Tobias Sammet to concentrate on his Avantasia operatic Metal project, 2025 sees the release of Avantasia’s tenth album, Here Be Dragons. If you’re expecting a delicious slab of operatic Power Metal, then you certainly will not be disappointed.
Adhering to the tried and tested formula of previous Avantasia albums of plenty of special guest vocalists, Avantasia forge ahead with their customary top drawer songwriting and musicanship, coupled with outstanding vocal performances from Sammet and his guests.
The closest band to Avantasia I can think of is Ayreon. If you are a fan of Ayreon, chances are you will have some, if not all of Avantasia’s output.
As mentioned before, the songwriting and performances on Here Be Dragons are outstanding. Opener Creepshow has an Edguy feel to it with its catchy chorus and feelgood vibe, but it has one foot planted firmly in the Avantasia universe. There is a suitably over-the-top video that accompanies this track. Creepshow is one of two tracks on Here Be Dragons that does not feature a guest vocalist.
Geoff Tate pops up on the title track and sounds wonderful. He is still hitting those early Queensrÿche high notes, and it is what the word epic was invented for. Clocking in at over nine minutes, this is a thing of sheer beauty and scale. Granted, it’s not Yes epic. They would be thinking about getting into it after nine minutes. Instead, it is the perfect Avantasia length and performance.
The Moorlands At Twilight features Michael Kiske from Helloween. Felix Bohnke, Edguy and Avantasia drummer, gets a proper leg workout during this track. The man is a machine. One of Sammet’s many talents is writing songs that suit the guest vocalists perfectly and there is a twinge of Helloween in The Moorlands At Twilight.
The Witch features Tommy Karevik from Kamelot, and it is a proper banger. Both Sammet and Karevik sing their arses off on this track. The accompanying video is rather splendid also.
Magnum’s Bob Catley pops up on Bring On The Night and the sadly departed Tony Clarkin could have written this song. I can’t give Tobias Sammet a bigger compliment than that.
Unleash The Kraken is the other track not to feature a guest vocalist. Sammet goes at this one full pelt, starting with a Halford-esque scream. Avalon sees the sausage party of guest vocalists gatecrashed by Adrienne Cowan and she sounds incredible.
H.E.A.T’s Kenny Leckremo guests on Against The Wind and, once again, the choice of guest vocalist compliments the track and Sammet’s voice perfectly. The lyric of the album is found in Against The Wind – “If you don’t like what I do, it wasn’t made for you.” Brilliant.
Album closer Everybody’s Here Until The End, featuring Roy Khan, is an archetypal power ballad. All the elements are present and correct. Meaningful lyrics, emotional vocal performances, a choir, a string section, a soaring guitar solo and just the correct amount of cheese sprinkled on top.
It really is the perfect end to a perfect album. You can actually see the phone torches waving as you listen to this.
No one could accuse Tobias Sammet of thinking small. Here Be Dragons is definitely Avantasia’s finest album to date. That is not up for question.
From the beautiful artwork from Rodney Matthews through the musicianship and incredible vocal performances from everyone to razor-sharp production, Here Be Dragons has it all.
In fact, this is a very real contender for Metal Album of the Year, and we are just waving goodbye to February.
Following the album’s release, Avantasia will embark on an extensive European arena tour. The tour includes a highly anticipated London date at The Roundhouse on March 24, 2025, promising fans an unforgettable spectacle. Tickets are available from here. Album pre-orders are available from the Napalm Records website.
