930. Avantasia / The Metal Opera Part II. 2002. 4/5

After the unexpected gloriousness of the concept of a heavy metal opera called The Metal Opera being brought to life by a standalone project called Avantasia, utilising the talents of a number of the better known players in the power metal community and consisting of strong material performed in an excellent light, there should probably have not been much surprise that a follow up was written and organised, to see if lightning could strike twice. The answer was a resounding yes to that notion.

I initially approached this with some trepidation, hoping for it to be great, and worried that it would not hold up against the original. There was little to fear though. The same musicians that formed the band for the first instalment are retained, and their excellence and professionalism again shines through on this album. Gamma Ray's Henjo Richter on guitars, Helloween's Marcus Grosskopf on bass and Rhapsody of Fire's Alex Holzwarth on drums, along with Tobi Sammet on keyboards, do a fantastic job again. When you talk about a super group, this is a pretty fair collection. The songs sound brilliant through their excellence, laying the platform for the multitude of characters who combine to create the story of the second stanza of this metal opera.
The songs themselves range in style, depending on the part of the story being relayed in each, and the characters involved. As in the first album, each vocalist is playing a different part in the opera. This one starts off with a cast of thousands - well, seven to be precise, with the title "The Seven Angels" probably giving that away. At fourteen minutes in length, it is the monster opening an album like this requires. Along with principle vocalist, Edguy's Tobias Sammet, who is also the creator of the Avantasia project and appears on vocals on every track, the other 'angels' are portrayed by some of the best vocalists in the genre - Oliver Hartmann, David DeFeis, Rob Rock, Andre Matos, Michael Kiske and Kai Hansen. Each is given their space, and then when they choir together it brings the whole body together. "No Return" is a faster paced song featuring Michael Kiske and Andre Matos and the flying guitar of Henjo as the basis. This is followed by "The Looking Glass", when Tobi goes it alone on lead vocals, though backed by the 'choir' throughout, with a heavier riff and plenty of emoting throughout.
On most other albums I would have issues with a song such as "In Quest For", because after the initial onslaught with the three powerful songs that begin the album, I would be ranting about how this quiet piano driven ballad had halted all momentum of the album, and how it was sucking the life out of what had already been injected through those opening tracks. Here however, it has its purpose, a part of the framework and story of the album, and Bob Catley again combines with Tobi in portraying their characters emotions.
This is overridden immediately when we rush straight into "The Final Sacrifice" which is dominated by the great riffing from Henjo and Marcus, and Alex's drumming. The musicianship here is something that comes forward after the quiet defining of the previous track, and while David DeFeis and Tobi are great here on vocals, just concentrate on those guitars from Henjo. Just awesome. From here, you can feel the joy in which "Neverland" is performed, and in the voices of those singing. This is one of those songs that you can't help singing along with the lyrics, performed with gusto by Rob Rock. This is a power metal staple, one of those songs that covers the best that this genre of metal can offer.
"Anywhere" under normal circumstances as well would fall in that same category that "In Quest For" does, for similar reasons. Again here though it probably fits the story being told, rather than being taken individually as a song as I would on the majority of other albums. It still isn't something that I have a great love for though.
"The Chalice of Agony" is another of the best songs on the album. The speed of the song here is the key, along with the brilliant duelling vocals between Kai, Tobi and Andre, and the brilliant guitaring of Henjo. Yes, this feels like a Gamma Ray song, and the two members of that band highlight the best of this song here. "Memory" mightn't be as fast as the previous song, but has that great riff running through it and sensational vocals from Ralf Zdiarstek and Tobi that produces another brilliant song, of an operatic quality even! The album concludes with "Into the Unknown", where the chorus comes together to complete the story, and the album in a melancholy yet satisfying way.

Whether or not you are interested in the story itself - and in this instance I honestly put my hand up to be in 'less interested' category - The Metal Opera Pt. II is a terrific album, laden with talented players and wonderful singers who all put their best foot forward here. Led by Tobias Sammet, who has again not only arranged the performers but also written the material for the album, the Avantasia metal opera project is a resounding success. While its success has parlayed itself into further albums and possibly even greater fame, this closed the door on the initial concept and many of the original performers, who have not appeared on later productions. It is a nice way to close that circle, before the next circle begins.

Rating:  "Out of the wine, out of the chalice of agony, welcome to Avantasia"   4/5