EDGUY frontman Tobias Sammet‘s long-running AVANTASIA project will release its tenth studio album, “Here Be Dragons”, on February 28, 2025 via Napalm Records. The official cinematic music video for the LP’s first single, “Creepshow”, can be seen below.
Sammet comments: “‘Creepshow’ is a perfect single. It’s short and catchy, and it emphasizes a facet of my work that has taken a backseat in my music in recent years. It’s light-hearted and the opposite of melancholic. And it’s fresh, boisterous and unabashed — a straightforward kick-ass anthem. Also, even though it may seem like a reminiscence of my earlier writing, I think we managed to turn the whole thing into a trademark AVANTASIA tune, as we accentuated with the music video. We rented a haunted castle in North England and celebrated a night in the world of spectres and undead creatures. This is the most vibrant and eccentric music video I’ve ever shot in my entire career, not dead serious, but certainly of serious quality! I can’t wait to play ‘Creepshow’ live on our tour next year. I can already see the whole venue jumping up and down and screaming along!”
In addition to containing absolute AVANTASIA essentials such as spellbinding choirs and theatrical symphonic metal elements, “Here Be Dragons” finds Sammet surprising fans old and new with plenty of intriguing fresh soundscapes. “Here Be Dragons” gives the celebrated AVANTASIA sound that has been carefully crafted over a quarter of a century an exciting and powerful spin. The new album is the most consistent and concise piece of art that the band has ever crafted.
AVANTASIA‘s impressive success story has seen nine previous studio albums (including the 2019 offering “Moonglow” that charted at No. 1 in Germany),gold awards, hundreds of millions of streams as well as headline shows at all important metal festivals and worldwide sold-out arena tours with tens of thousands of devoted fans. AVANTASIA is not showing any signs of slowing down; soon after the release of “Here Be Dragons”, the band will head out on an extensive arena tour across Europe, promising to deliver fans an immersive experience with their biggest and most epic production ever.
Sammet comments: “This new album carries the most adventurous and bold spirit my music has had in decades. And it’s rather reckless, fearless, powerful, and uplifting and not introverted at all. While my previous albums allowed me to get a lot off my chest, this time I dove headfirst into the creative flood, crafting ten discrete, musical pictures, that miraculously merged into what I believe is the tightest chapter in AVANTASIA‘s history. I did everything exactly how I wanted it, approaching the album with unrelenting determination and a carefree attitude that was reminiscent of my early days way before the Metal Opera thing, when I felt unstoppable and let instinct just write songs. Right now I’m bursting with energy and can’t wait to unleash ‘Here Be Dragons’ and then kick off the big tour with our new stage. We’ll present the new material alongside our classics and some rarities in the most spectacular stage show AVANTASIA has ever delivered. An early Merry Christmas, everyone!”
In grand AVANTASIA tradition, the new full-length is rich in vivid storytelling and cinematic atmospheres, not to mention the highest level of musicianship. Opening track “Creepshow” is without a doubt one of the catchiest songs in their career. The energizing future hit truly welcomes the listener into the new era of AVANTASIA and will be an integral part of the band’s spectacular live shows. In contrast, the incredible title track “Here Be Dragons” is a classic AVANTASIA song, and, at almost nine minutes, is by far the longest on the album. The cinematic dark soundscapes of “The Witch” captivate and support the song’s storyline perfectly. Emotional, multifaceted vocal performances mesmerize on “Avalon”, while the heavy metal number “Against The Wind” serves as further proof of the versatility of AVANTASIA‘s sound. Remaining well-balanced and cohesive, “Here Be Dragons” is undeniably AVANTASIA‘s most powerful album so far.
The 10-track offering was written and composed in its entirety by Tobias Sammet himself, produced and recorded by Tobias Sammet together with Sascha Paeth, mixed by Sascha Paeth and mastered by Michael Rodenberg. The stunning cover art was once again created by acclaimed British fantasy artist Rodney Matthews. “Here Be Dragons” marks another masterpiece in the AVANTASIA catalog, leaving both fans and critics speechless and proving the band’s standing as a main force in the world of rock and metal!
“Here Be Dragons” is now available for pre-order in several exciting physical editions, with bonus albums included in select limited formats, like a 3CD hardcover artbook with 96 pages, over 160 pictures, drawings of Rodney Matthews and extensive stories to accompany the music and pictures.
“Here Be Dragons” track listing:
01. Creepshow
02. Here Be Dragons
03. The Moorland At Twilight
04. The Witch
05. Phantasmagoria
06. Bring On The Night
07. Unleash The Kraken
08. Avalon
09. Against The Wind
10. Everybody’s Here Until The End
AVANTASIA‘s ninth album, “A Paranormal Evening With The Moonflower Society”, was released in October 2022 via Nuclear Blast. The disc was the follow-up to “Moonglow”, which came out in 2019.
“A Paranormal Evening With The Moonflower Society” was produced by Sammet with AVANTASIA guitar player Sascha Paeth. The cover artwork was created by Swedish illustrator Alexander Jansson.
Since its beginnings in 1999, AVANTASIA‘s past releases have featured international stars such as Alice Cooper, Klaus Meine and Rudolf Schenker (SCORPIONS), Sharon Den Adel (WITHIN TEMPTATION), Bruce Kulick and Eric Singer (KISS), Eric Martin (MR. BIG), SAXON‘s Biff Byford, TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider and many more.
Photo credit: Kevin Nixon
