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│ METAL CLASSICS ARCHIVE │
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│ P R E S E N T S │
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│ + Avantasia - Moonglow-(GQCS-90696/7) + │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Information ║ │
│╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Release Date.Mar-02-2019 Encoder......L3.98.4 -V0 --lowpas ║ │
│║ Genre........Metal Graber.......EAC ║ │
│║ Year.........2019 Khz/Bitrate..44,1/ Br ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Ripper.......anthem Songs........cd1: 12 cd2: 11 ║ │
│║ Covers.......Yes Url... www.tobiassammet.com ║ │
│║ ║ │
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│║ Release Notes ║ │
│╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Artist : Avantasia Rating : You Decide! ║ │
│║ Album : Moonglow-(GQCS-90696/7) Label : Ward ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Description : ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Even if you are only a casual fan of power ║ │
│║ metal, you probably know the name Avantasia. If ║ │
│║ you are a die-hard fan of the genre, you ║ │
│║ probably know them extremely well and have a ║ │
│║ very strong opinion on their material. Most fans ║ │
│║ adore The Metal Opera Parts I and II but have ║ │
│║ varying opinions on Scarecrow and everything ║ │
│║ Avantasia has done since as it is much more rock ║ │
│║ oriented instead of being neoclassical like the ║ │
│║ first two albums. 2017Æs Ghostlights was by far ║ │
│║ the best thing they have done since the first ║ │
│║ two albums and now they follow it up with ║ │
│║ Moonglow, which is the conclusion to Aaron ║ │
│║ BlackwellÆs story. It features the usual cast of ║ │
│║ characters plus a few new notable names, mainly ║ │
│║ Mille Petrozza and the power metal God himself, ║ │
│║ Hansi Kursch. So what does the great Tobias ║ │
│║ Sammet have in store for his listeners this time ║ │
│║ around? ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ The album starts off pretty strong with the ║ │
│║ almost 10 minute mid-paced rocker ôGhost in the ║ │
│║ Moon.ö Much like its predecessor, ôMystery of a ║ │
│║ Blood Red Rose,ö it starts as a piano ballad ║ │
│║ with TobiÆs slow lyrics and then turns into a ║ │
│║ booming rock song. The difference here is that ║ │
│║ ôGhost in the Moonö is more of an epic that kind ║ │
│║ of plods along at mid-tempo with solid but ║ │
│║ unspectacular riffs and average drumming. TobiÆs ║ │
│║ lyrics are pretty good but the song does not ║ │
│║ have the same booming effect or the same ║ │
│║ gravitas as ôMystery of a Blood Red Rose,ö which ║ │
│║ interestingly enough is mentioned a handful ║ │
│║ times throughout ôGhost in the Moon.ö ôBook of ║ │
│║ Shallowsö has a killer ╛ tempo main riff and ║ │
│║ guest vocals by the immortal Hansi Kursch along ║ │
│║ with Jorn Lande. Then Mille PetrozzaÆs yelling ║ │
│║ vocals come in and it feels like something is ║ │
│║ wrong. He sounds great and even though that part ║ │
│║ of the song is ôthrashy,ö it does not quite ║ │
│║ work. The chorus is fantastic but we should ║ │
│║ expect nothing less from Tobias. Honestly, the ║ │
│║ whole first half is pretty strong and ôThe Raven ║ │
│║ Childö is an exceptional track due to the ║ │
│║ stirring folk instrumentation and HansiÆs ║ │
│║ amazing vocals. It does have pretty good riffs ║ │
│║ but the folk sections are gorgeous. Oh and the ║ │
│║ chorus? You already know it totally rules. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Overall, the riffs on here are pretty solid with ║ │
│║ several standout moments across the album but ║ │
│║ the lead work overall is a step down from ║ │
│║ Ghostlights. There are some really heavy riffs ║ │
│║ on this album and a couple brilliant guitar ║ │
│║ solos like on ôRequiem for a Dream.ö As a whole ║ │
│║ though, the leads feel a bit tempered, which is ║ │
│║ unusual for Avantasia. Normally, Tobi pulls out ║ │
│║ all the stops for this project and leaves it all ║ │
│║ on the table with no mystery as to his goals. ║ │
│║ This feels like he left some cards in his hand ║ │
│║ for later or something. The three songs with ║ │
│║ Geoff Tate have some nice riffing but ôAlchemyö ║ │
│║ feels partly like a rehash of ôSeduction of ║ │
│║ Decay,ö a song hardly anyone enjoyed. ôBook of ║ │
│║ Shallowsö might actually have the best riffing ║ │
│║ on the album, which helps because it is a ║ │
│║ monster track. Even SaschaÆs flying solos are ║ │
│║ pinned back for the most part with a big one ║ │
│║ coming in ôThe Raven Childö and another one in ║ │
│║ ôRequiem for a Dream.ö ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Naturally, the orchestrations on this album are ║ │
│║ of epic proportions because that is basically ║ │
│║ what Avantasia is about these days. ôStarlightö ║ │
│║ has a super catchy opening keyboard lick and ║ │
│║ ôThe Raven Childö has booming symphonics that ║ │
│║ almost hold up to tracks like ôSpectresö and ║ │
│║ ôLet the Storm Descend Upon You.ö The background ║ │
│║ symphonics in ôThe Piper at the Gates of Dawnö ║ │
│║ are pretty sweet as well. FelixÆs drumming is ║ │
│║ pretty good and he definitely has his standout ║ │
│║ moments, like all the variation he puts into ║ │
│║ ôThe Raven Child.ö This track has some steady ║ │
│║ beats, great touch cymbal work, heavy beats, a ║ │
│║ couple cool fills and brilliant folk drumming. ║ │
│║ You can hear TobiÆs bass on this track too and ║ │
│║ lest we forget about NadiaÆs gorgeous Celtic ║ │
│║ Harp. Tobi also has a sick little bass solo on ║ │
│║ ôRequiem for a Dreamö that is a rarity for ║ │
│║ Avantasia and thus, very refreshing. He does it ║ │
│║ twice too! ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Vocals are a bit of a tricky business with ║ │
│║ Avantasia since there are so many guest ║ │
│║ vocalists. Tobias sounds great as always and ║ │
│║ frankly, so does everyone else. Even Geoff Tate ║ │
│║ sounds pretty good all things considered though ║ │
│║ his solo tracks are less enjoyable than the rest ║ │
│║ of the album. As previously mentioned, Mille ║ │
│║ PetrozzaÆs guest spot does not really work that ║ │
│║ well though it is good for a laugh. Hansi ║ │
│║ probably sounds the best out of everyone but it ║ │
│║ is Hansi after all. We should expect nothing ║ │
│║ less. His guest vocals fit in perfectly on both ║ │
│║ ôBook of Shallowsö and ôThe Raven Child.ö It is ║ │
│║ disappointing to not have another appearance ║ │
│║ from Herbie Langhans because he kills it live. ║ │
│║ The lack of multiple tracks with Michael Kiske ║ │
│║ is a travesty but he seems to be busy with ║ │
│║ Helloween these days. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ One thing that has always stood out about ║ │
│║ TobiasÆ songwriting is that he often writes ║ │
│║ songs in the style of whoever the main guest ║ │
│║ vocalist is on that track. This is something he ║ │
│║ did brilliantly on Ghostlights but is far less ║ │
│║ prevalent on this album. You can tell that ║ │
│║ ôAlchemyö was written for Geoff Tate and that ║ │
│║ ôRequiem for a Dreamö was written for Kiske (you ║ │
│║ can always tell with Kiske though) but that is ║ │
│║ about it. You could argue that the folk sections ║ │
│║ of ôThe Raven Childö were inspired by Blind ║ │
│║ Guardian and thus Hansi but it is not as ║ │
│║ painfully obvious. The other thing that has ║ │
│║ always stood out about TobiasÆ songwriting is ║ │
│║ his ability to choose guest vocalists who will ║ │
│║ harmonize well with him and with each other. ║ │
│║ This is most evident on ôThe Piper at the Gates ║ │
│║ of Dawn,ö which has a grand total of six ║ │
│║ different vocalists that miraculously harmonize ║ │
│║ beautifully. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Overall, this is another very solid album in ║ │
│║ AvantasiaÆs brilliant discography. Like every ║ │
│║ album, it has its strengths and its ║ │
│║ shortcomings. It seems to conclude Aaron ║ │
│║ BlackwellÆs story nicely despite being the clear ║ │
│║ weak link of the trilogy. Like all power metal, ║ │
│║ this album is meant to be played LOUD and will ║ │
│║ undoubtedly be epic in a live setting. This ║ │
│║ album does take a little bit of time to grow on ║ │
│║ you though. It is not the same instant ║ │
│║ gratification that Ghostlights was but it still ║ │
│║ has plenty of great tunes with an epic and ║ │
│║ hilarious but also completely expected ║ │
│║ conclusion. See, anyone who knows TobiasÆ tastes ║ │
│║ in music well knows that he loves cheesy music, ║ │
│║ especially 80s pop. The man covered ABBA and now ║ │
│║ he gives us his take on Michael SembelloÆs ║ │
│║ classic tune, ôManiac.ö The funny part is that ║ │
│║ it is actually pretty good. FirewindÆs cover is ║ │
│║ still better though. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Review written by SlayerDeath666 for www.metal- ║ │
│║ observer.com ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Tobias Sammet - Vocals, Bass, Keyboards, Piano, ║ │
│║ Orchestrations ║ │
│║ Sascha Paeth - Guitars, Keyboards, Piano, ║ │
│║ Orchestrations ║ │
│║ Michael Rodenberg - Keyboards, Orchestrations ║ │
│║ Felix Bohnke - Drums ║ │
│║ Oliver Hartmann - Guitars, Vocals ║ │
│║ Nadia Birkenstock - Celtic Harp ║ │
│║ Mille Petrozza - Vocals (Track 2) ║ │
│║ Alvin Le Bass - Vocals (Backing) ║ │
│║ J°rn Lande - Vocals (Tracks 2, 4, 8 ) ║ │
│║ Geoff Tate - Vocals (Tracks 6, 7, 8 ) ║ │
│║ Bridget Fogle - Vocals (Backing) ║ │
│║ Bob Catley - Vocals (Tracks 8, 9) ║ │
│║ Lerato Sebele - Vocals (Backing) ║ │
│║ Hansi Kⁿrsch - Vocals (Tracks 2, 4) ║ │
│║ Ronnie Atkins - Vocals (Tracks 2, 5, 8 ) ║ │
│║ Billy King - Vocals (Backing) ║ │
│║ Eric Martin - Vocals (Track 8, 11) ║ │
│║ Michael Kiske - Vocals (Track 10) ║ │
│║ Herbie Langhans - Vocals (Backing) ║ │
│║ Candice Night - Vocals (Track 3) ║ │
│║ Stokely Van Dall - Vocals (Backing) ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Tracklist ║ │
│╚═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════ │
│ │
│ - CD1 [ ] │
│ - [ ] │
│ 01 - Ghost In The Moon [09:52] │
│ 02 - Book Of Shallows [05:01] │
│ 03 - Moonglow [03:57] │
│ 04 - The Raven Child [11:15] │
│ 05 - Starlight [03:39] │
│ 06 - Invincible [03:08] │
│ 07 - Alchemy [07:29] │
│ 08 - The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn [07:21] │
│ 09 - Lavender [04:31] │
│ 10 - Requiem For A Dream [06:09] │
│ 11 - Maniac [04:32] │
│ 12 - Heart (Bonus Track) [03:49] │
│ - [ ] │
│ - CD2 [ ] │
│ - [ ] │
│ 01 - Ghost In The Moon (Instrumental) [09:52] │
│ 02 - Book Of Shallows (Instrumental) [05:01] │
│ 03 - Moonglow (Instrumental) [03:57] │
│ 04 - The Raven Child (Instrumental) [11:15] │
│ 05 - Starfight (Instrumental) [03:39] │
│ 06 - Invincible (Instrumental) [03:08] │
│ 07 - Alchemy (Instrumental) [07:29] │
│ 08 - The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn (Instrument [07:21] │
│ 09 - Lavender (Instrumental) [04:31] │
│ 10 - Requiem For A Dream (Instrumental) [06:09] │
│ 11 - Maniac (Instrumental) [04:27] │
│ │
│ Total Length : [137:3] min │
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│ ╔═════════════════════╗ │
│ ║ Greetings To: ║ │
│ ╚═════════════════════╝ │
│ │
│ Too all people who contributes to make this │
│ archive of good music in a exceptional conditions │
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│ │
│■ ■│
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