The Metal Opera Part II
Encyclopedia
The Metal Opera Pt. II is the second full-length album by Tobias Sammet
's side project opera, Avantasia
. It is a concept album
and a rock opera
, and further information on the story can be found here
. The songs carry on the story begun in The Metal Opera
, with the same characters. Much like other power metal
albums, the compositions draws aesthetic and lyrical influences from early fantasy literature
such as The Lord of The Rings
and the Red Sonja
series.
Tobias Sammet
Tobias Sammet is the vocalist and primary songwriter of the German Power metal band Edguy, as well as the creator of the metal opera Avantasia and a member of the metal project Final Chapter. He also made guest appearances on the Rob Rock album Holy Hell and the metal opera Aina...
's side project opera, Avantasia
Avantasia
Avantasia is a heavy metal project created by Tobias Sammet, vocalist and frontman of the band Edguy. The project's title is a portmanteau of the words "avalon" and "fantasia" and describes "a world beyond human imagination"...
. It is a concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
and a rock opera
Rock opera
A rock opera is a work of rock music that presents a storyline told over multiple parts, songs or sections in the manner of opera. A rock opera differs from a conventional rock album, which usually includes songs that are not unified by a common theme or narrative. More recent developments include...
, and further information on the story can be found here
Avantasia (story)
Avantasia is a story composed as a metal album by Tobias Sammet's Avantasia. It is written in the format of a play and the songs are the characters' dialogs and inner thoughts. The album was split into two parts , with the second part being released a year after the first...
. The songs carry on the story begun in The Metal Opera
The Metal Opera
The Metal Opera is the first full-length album by Tobias Sammet's side project opera, Avantasia. It is a concept album and a rock opera, and further information on the story can be found here.- Track listing :All music and lyrics by Tobias Sammet...
, with the same characters. Much like other power metal
Power metal
Power metal is a style of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. The term refers to two different but related styles: the first pioneered and largely practiced in North America with a harder sound similar to speed metal, and a...
albums, the compositions draws aesthetic and lyrical influences from early fantasy literature
Fantasy literature
Fantasy literature is fantasy in written form. Historically speaking, literature has composed the majority of fantasy works. Since the 1950s however, a growing segment of the fantasy genre has taken the form of films, television programs, graphic novels, video games, music, painting, and other...
such as The Lord of The Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
and the Red Sonja
Red Sonja
Red Sonja, the She-Devil with a Sword, is a fictional character, a high fantasy sword and sorcery heroine created by Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith, and loosely based on Red Sonya of Rogatino in Robert E. Howard's 1934 short story "The Shadow of the Vulture"...
series.
Track listing
All music and lyrics by Tobias Sammet- "The Seven Angels" – 14:17
- "No Return" – 4:29
- "The Looking Glass" – 4:53
- "In Quest for" – 3:54
- "The Final Sacrifice" – 5:02
- "Neverland" – 5:00
- "Anywhere" – 5:29
- "Chalice of Agony" – 6:00
- "Memory" – 5:44
- "Into the Unknown" – 4:29
Credits
- Tobias SammetTobias SammetTobias Sammet is the vocalist and primary songwriter of the German Power metal band Edguy, as well as the creator of the metal opera Avantasia and a member of the metal project Final Chapter. He also made guest appearances on the Rob Rock album Holy Hell and the metal opera Aina...
(EdguyEdguy-Demos, AFM years :Edguy was founded in 1992 by 14-year-old students Tobias Sammet, Jens Ludwig, Dominik Storch and Dirk Sauer. The name "Edguy" was an affectionate epithet for Mr. Edgar Siedschlag, their math teacher at the time. In 1994, the band released two demos, Evil Minded and Children of...
) - KeyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, Vocals (see "Singers") - Henjo RichterHenjo RichterHenjo Oliver Richter, in Hamburg, West Germany, is a guitarist and keyboardist in Gamma Ray, the German power metal band formed by Kai Hansen.-Biography:...
(Gamma RayGamma Ray (band)Gamma Ray is a power metal band from Hamburg, northern Germany, founded and fronted by Kai Hansen after his departure from the German power metal Helloween. Hansen is the current lead vocalist, guitarist as well as the chief songwriter of Gamma Ray. The band is known as one of the most prominent...
) - Guitars - Markus GrosskopfMarkus GrosskopfMarkus Großkopf, born 21 September 1965 in Hamburg, Germany, is the bass guitarist, and one of only two remaining original members of the German power metal band Helloween...
(HelloweenHelloweenHelloween is a German power metal band founded in the mid 1980s by members of Iron Fist and Powerfool. The band was a pioneering force in the European Power Metal movement and their second and third studio albums, Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt...
) - Bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Alex HolzwarthAlex HolzwarthAlex Holzwarth was born on 4 October 1968 in Landshut, Germany and is a professional drummer, and current member of italian symphonic power metal band Rhapsody of Fire. He is also the brother of the band's bassist Oliver Holzwarth....
(Rhapsody of FireRhapsody of FireRhapsody of Fire is an Italian symphonic power metal band led by Alex Staropoli. Since forming in 1993, the band has released eight studio albums, one live album, two EPs, and a live DVD...
) - Drums
Musicians
- GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Jens LudwigJens LudwigJens Ludwig is the lead guitarist and co-founderof the German power metal band Edguy. Jens has played nearly all the band's lead parts and guitar solos since their inception and is the only member of the current line-up other than Tobias Sammet to have any songwriting credits...
(EdguyEdguy-Demos, AFM years :Edguy was founded in 1992 by 14-year-old students Tobias Sammet, Jens Ludwig, Dominik Storch and Dirk Sauer. The name "Edguy" was an affectionate epithet for Mr. Edgar Siedschlag, their math teacher at the time. In 1994, the band released two demos, Evil Minded and Children of...
) (lead on tracks 5 and 9) - Norman Meiritz (rhythm on track 10)
- Timo TolkkiTimo TolkkiTimo Tapio Tolkki is a Finnish musician best known as the former guitarist, songwriter, and producer of the power metal band Stratovarius. He left Stratovarius in 2008 and formed a new band, Revolution Renaissance. To this day, with his tenure extending for more than twenty years, Tolkki was the...
(SymfoniaSymfoniaSymfonia is a power metal supergroup formed in 2010 by André Matos, Timo Tolkki, Jari Kainulainen, Mikko Härkin and Uli Kusch. On February 18 of 2011, the band made its debut performance at Finnish Metal Expo. The band released its debut album In Paradisum in March of 2011...
, ex-Revolution RenaissanceRevolution RenaissanceRevolution Renaissance was a multinational power metal band founded by guitarist Timo Tolkki after he left Stratovarius in 2008. The band released three studio albums before disbanding in 2010.-New Era:...
, ex-StratovariusStratovariusStratovarius are a Finnish power metal band that formed in 1984. Since their formation they have released 13 studio albums and one live album. Along with Helloween, Blind Guardian, Rhapsody of Fire and Gamma Ray, Stratovarius are considered one of the leading groups of the power metal and symphonic...
) (lead on tracks 1 and 10)
- Jens Ludwig
- Bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Tobias SammetTobias SammetTobias Sammet is the vocalist and primary songwriter of the German Power metal band Edguy, as well as the creator of the metal opera Avantasia and a member of the metal project Final Chapter. He also made guest appearances on the Rob Rock album Holy Hell and the metal opera Aina...
(EdguyEdguy-Demos, AFM years :Edguy was founded in 1992 by 14-year-old students Tobias Sammet, Jens Ludwig, Dominik Storch and Dirk Sauer. The name "Edguy" was an affectionate epithet for Mr. Edgar Siedschlag, their math teacher at the time. In 1994, the band released two demos, Evil Minded and Children of...
) (on track 10)
- Tobias Sammet
- Drums
- Eric SingerEric SingerEric Doyle Mensinger , better known as Eric Singer, is a hard rock and heavy metal drummer for the rock band Kiss and formerly for singer Alice Cooper...
(KISSKISS (band)Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
, Black SabbathBlack SabbathBlack Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
, Alice CooperAlice CooperAlice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
) (on track 10)
- Eric Singer
- KeyboardSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
- Frank Tischer (PianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
on tracks 1, 4 and 7)
- Frank Tischer (Piano
Singers
- Gabriel Laymann - Tobias SammetTobias SammetTobias Sammet is the vocalist and primary songwriter of the German Power metal band Edguy, as well as the creator of the metal opera Avantasia and a member of the metal project Final Chapter. He also made guest appearances on the Rob Rock album Holy Hell and the metal opera Aina...
(EdguyEdguy-Demos, AFM years :Edguy was founded in 1992 by 14-year-old students Tobias Sammet, Jens Ludwig, Dominik Storch and Dirk Sauer. The name "Edguy" was an affectionate epithet for Mr. Edgar Siedschlag, their math teacher at the time. In 1994, the band released two demos, Evil Minded and Children of...
) - tracks 1-10 - Lugaid Vandroiy - Michael KiskeMichael KiskeMichael Kiske is a singer best known as the lead vocalist for the German power metal band Helloween, from 1986 to 1993. From 1996 up to 2009, Kiske recorded four solo albums, participated on various metal and rock related projects, while he also performed with numerous bands as a guest vocalist...
(ex-HelloweenHelloweenHelloween is a German power metal band founded in the mid 1980s by members of Iron Fist and Powerfool. The band was a pioneering force in the European Power Metal movement and their second and third studio albums, Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt...
) - tracks 1 and 2 - Brother Jakob - David DeFeisDavid DeFeisDavid DeFeis is an American singer, keyboard player, songwriter and producer. He is the main composer and leader of the heavy metal band Virgin Steele.- Voice & musical style :...
(Virgin SteeleVirgin SteeleVirgin Steele is a heavy metal band from New York, originally formed in 1981.The band released a few career highlights albums...
) - tracks 1 and 5 - Bailiff Falk von Kronberg - Ralf Zdiarstek - track 9
- Anna Held - Sharon den AdelSharon den AdelSharon Janny den Adel is a Dutch singer and composer, best known as the lead vocalist and one of the main songwriters in the Dutch symphonic metal/rock band Within Temptation...
(Within TemptationWithin TemptationWithin Temptation is a Dutch symphonic gothic metal/rock band founded in 1996 by vocalist Sharon den Adel and guitarist Robert Westerholt. Their music is described as symphonic metal, although their earlier material, such as Enter, was gothic metal. In an interview, Den Adel said they fell into a...
) - track 10 - Bishop Johann von Bicken - Rob RockRob RockRobert Rock is a heavy metal singer and songwriter. He is best known for being the lead singer of the band Impellitteri from 1992 to 2000, and now in 2008. He has also released four albums as a solo artist.-Biography:...
(ex Axel Rudi PellAxel Rudi PellAxel Rudi Pell is a German guitar player, playing melodic heavy metal. He started off with the band Steeler before leaving to start his solo career in 1989 with the eponymous band Axel Rudi Pell...
, ex Angelica, ex Warrior, Driver, ImpellitteriImpellitteriImpellitteri is a heavy metal band from USA formed and led by guitarist Chris Impellitteri. Since inception, the band has released numerous albums to critical praise, mainly due to Chris Impellitteri's speed/shred style of playing....
) - tracks 1 and 6 - Pope Clement VIII - Oliver HartmannOliver HartmannOliver Hartmann is a German metal vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, and producer who performed in various acts, either as guitarist, solo or choir singer...
(ex-At VanceAt VanceAt Vance is a German power metal/Neo-classical metal band. They were formed by vocalist Oliver Hartmann and guitarist Olaf Lenk in 1998.-Biography:...
) - track 1 - Elderane the Elf - Andre MatosAndré MatosAndré Coelho Matos born September 14, 1971 in São Paulo, Brazil. He is the oldest son of photographer Pedro Henrique Matos and Sonia Maria Coelho. André Matos was the former vocalist, pianist and composer for the power metal bands Viper, Angra and Shaaman. Since October 2006 Andre Matos has been...
(SymfoniaSymfoniaSymfonia is a power metal supergroup formed in 2010 by André Matos, Timo Tolkki, Jari Kainulainen, Mikko Härkin and Uli Kusch. On February 18 of 2011, the band made its debut performance at Finnish Metal Expo. The band released its debut album In Paradisum in March of 2011...
, ex-ShaamanShaamanShaman or Shaaman is a Brazilian heavy metal/power metal band assembled in 2000 by three musicians who left the band Angra - Andre Matos, Luis Mariutti and Ricardo Confessori...
, ex-AngraAngra (band)Angra is a Brazilian metal band from São Paulo, Brazil known for its symphonic interludes, highly technical instrumental playing and Brazilian regional elements.- Biography :...
, ex-ViperViper (band)Viper is a Brazilian heavy metal band formed in 1985 initially highly influenced by Iron Maiden and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, later developing a very particular sound.-Biography:...
) - tracks 1, 2 and 8 - Regrin the Dwarf - Kai HansenKai HansenKai Michael Hansen is a power metal guitarist and vocalist.Hansen is the founder, lead guitarist, and vocalist of power metal band Gamma Ray, and the co-founder and former member of German metal band Helloween. He is a prominent figure in power metal, and has sold millions of albums worldwide...
(Gamma RayGamma Ray (band)Gamma Ray is a power metal band from Hamburg, northern Germany, founded and fronted by Kai Hansen after his departure from the German power metal Helloween. Hansen is the current lead vocalist, guitarist as well as the chief songwriter of Gamma Ray. The band is known as one of the most prominent...
) - tracks 1 and 8 - Mysterious Voice of the Tower - Timo TolkkiTimo TolkkiTimo Tapio Tolkki is a Finnish musician best known as the former guitarist, songwriter, and producer of the power metal band Stratovarius. He left Stratovarius in 2008 and formed a new band, Revolution Renaissance. To this day, with his tenure extending for more than twenty years, Tolkki was the...
(SymfoniaSymfoniaSymfonia is a power metal supergroup formed in 2010 by André Matos, Timo Tolkki, Jari Kainulainen, Mikko Härkin and Uli Kusch. On February 18 of 2011, the band made its debut performance at Finnish Metal Expo. The band released its debut album In Paradisum in March of 2011...
, ex-Revolution RenaissanceRevolution RenaissanceRevolution Renaissance was a multinational power metal band founded by guitarist Timo Tolkki after he left Stratovarius in 2008. The band released three studio albums before disbanding in 2010.-New Era:...
, ex-StratovariusStratovariusStratovarius are a Finnish power metal band that formed in 1984. Since their formation they have released 13 studio albums and one live album. Along with Helloween, Blind Guardian, Rhapsody of Fire and Gamma Ray, Stratovarius are considered one of the leading groups of the power metal and symphonic...
) - track 1 - Tree of Knowledge - Bob CatleyBob CatleyFor the Australian politician, see Bob Catley Robert Adrian 'Bob' Catley is a British musician, perhaps best known as the lead singer of the rock band Magnum. He is also an accomplished solo artist.- Early years :...
(MagnumMagnum (band)Magnum are a British progressive rock band from Birmingham, England. Formed as a four piece by Tony Clarkin , Bob Catley , Kex Gorin and Bob Doyle in order to appear as the resident band at The Rum Runner night club Birmingham...
) - tracks 3 and 4