937. Avantasia / Lost in Space Part 1 [EP]. 2007. 3.5/5

It was generally assumed after the release of The Metal Opera and The Metal Opera Pt. II that the Avantasia experiment was complete. That all changed in 2007 when two EPs arrived as a prelude to the release of the next Avantasia album,The Scarecrow. Both EPs sprouted the single lifted from the new album, as well as some teasers for what was to come, and some other material to fill out the CD. The single to be released was "Lost in Space", and this is the first EP of the two that surfaced.

The lead single is the title track "Lost in Space", which drips of a commercial nature in order to receive the airplay required to make a single popular. This is followed by a rousing version of ABBA's "Lay All Your Love on Me", which is given the perfect heavier treatment musically, as well as a great vocal rendition from Tobi. It is an interesting phenomenon in that so many bands of this generation from Europe all have a desire to cover a song from a 1970's pop icon such as ABBA - Helloween and Yngwie Malmsteen are just two other example of bands to have covered ABBA songs in the past. Their influence on those in my age bracket, who embraced the band during their formative years in that decade, is still plain for all to see.
"Another Angel Down" is the second song from the upcoming album on this EP, and it is a beauty. Featuring Jorn Lande as well on vocals, it is one of the best songs from the album, and thus was well suited in ramping up interest in what was to come the following year. This is followed by "The Story Ain't Over", a non-album track that fits into the framework of the Avantasia project nicely. This was played by the band on their World Tour to support The Scarecrow, but I can't say it has ever been a favourite of mine.
The orchestral short track "Return to Avantasia" is followed by another hard rocking cover, this time a version of a Lucifer's Friend song "Ride the Sky". Initially I was disappointed, as I thought I would be getting a version of Helloween's magnificent "Ride the Sky", but it was not to be. Still, this is a good version of the song that also came from the early 1970's.

Out of the six songs here, three will be of interest to Avantasia fans, being the two cover songs and the non-album track. It's a solid EP, but probably only one for the collectors and hard core fans.

Rating:  "And who is there to tell me not to give and not to go"  3.5/5