Climbing up on the top or stand out from the rest of the bunch is something hard, difficult and remarkable by definition. What’s even harder is succeeding in staying there and prove by each and every single release of yours that you are more than rightfully standing proud there. Quite literally, Tobias Sammet is a unique case in the wide aspect of the power metal genre as he had achieved to refresh a more or less detrimental sound both with Edguy (wel, until 2004 that is…) but mainly with the brilliant project/band of Avantasia.
“The Mystery Of Time” is imposing, pompous, impressive, inspired…with one word it is: Avantasia! That being said, on the album we find ourselves on a crossroads where the symphonic metal meets harmonically with the power, epic, hard rock and the pop-rock genre. Sammet creates a masterpiece, an album which will stand as a point of reference for the future generations (as it happened in the past with the debut album and with “The Scarecrow”). The guest artists –Biff, Turner, Eric Adams, Atkins, Kulick and many others- put the icing on the cake while Tobias brings out the best of him in 10 compositions that are wonderfully crafted in even the slightest detail.
There is no need for further analysis regarding the new Avantasia record. Let’s put it this way: “The Mystery Of Time” should be purchased by every single metal fan because he/she will listen to it for many, many years!
Highlight: Sammet proves again a well-known fact: the undeniable talent with the hard work can refresh and resurrect the boggy power metal…let’s hope that he will do the same with Edguy, too!