Avantasia is a German supergroup metal opera project created by Tobias Sammet, vocalist of the band Edguy. It has been characterized as a rock opera, as it features the contributions of various vocalists and musicians and it consists of concept albums. The name is a portmanteau of the words "avalon" and "fantasia" ("fantasy") and describes "a world beyond human imagination".
Edguy is a heavy metal band from Fulda, Germany that was formed in 1992.
Michael Kiske is a German singer best known as the lead vocalist for the German power metal band Helloween. After his departure from the band in 1993, Kiske recorded four solo albums, participated on various metal and rock related projects, such as Avantasia, Place Vendome and Kiske/Somerville, while he also performed with numerous bands as a guest vocalist. In late 2009, he formed the hard rock band Unisonic and began touring again after 17 years of absence. In October 2017, Kiske joined Helloween and Kai Hansen for the Pumpkins United World Tour that continued through 2018. A live recording of the Helloween tour entitled United Alive and United Alive in Madrid was released in 2019 and a new Helloween album with Kiske and Hansen is planned for 2020.
Tobias Sammet is a German musician, singer, songwriter and music producer best known for being the founder of the metal opera project Avantasia and singer and primary songwriter of the power metal band Edguy.
Felix Bohnke is a German musician and the drummer of heavy metal band Edguy. He joined the band just before they recorded the album Theater of Salvation in 1998. Before joining Edguy he was a member of German band Saints & Preachers. In 2001, he was a guest drummer and later in 2003, a member of the band Taraxacum along with Edguy bassist Tobias Exxel.
The Metal Opera Pt. II is the second full-length album by Tobias Sammet's supergroup project, Avantasia. It is a concept album and a rock opera. 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.
Michael Rodenberg, nickname Miro is a German keyboard player and musical producer known for working with power metal bands such as Angra, Shaaman, Luca Turilli, Rhapsody of Fire, Kamelot and Heavens Gate. He mainly works in conjunction with his some-time bandmate Sascha Paeth.
Robert Adrian Catley is an English singer and musician. Best known as Bob Catley, he is the lead singer of the British rock band Magnum. He is also a solo artist.
Russell Gilbrook is the latest drummer for the British rock band, Uriah Heep.
The Scarecrow is the third full-length album by Tobias Sammet's rock opera project Avantasia, released on January 25, 2008, through Nuclear Blast Records. It is the first part of "The Wicked Trilogy" and it is followed by The Wicked Symphony and Angel of Babylon. Sammet explained in a 2016 interview that he managed to have Alice Cooper after drummer Eric Singer asked him. Cooper requested to have a listen to the song first and then accepted to be part of it.
Elected is the first EP by progressive metal project Ayreon, owned by Dutch musician Arjen Anthony Lucassen. It was released on 25 April 2008 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and on 28 April in the rest of Europe. It features the guest performance of German singer Tobias Sammet, from Avantasia and Edguy.
The Flying Opera is a boxed set containing two DVDs and two CDs by the German power metal band Avantasia, released in March 2011. Avantasia evolved from being a side-project of Edguy vocalist Tobias Sammet to a full-fledged band touring all over the world. The tracks of the set were recorded live during their first world tour in 2008, in support of the album The Scarecrow. The DVD contains also a documentary of the tour and various video clips.
The Mystery of Time is the sixth full-length album by Tobias Sammet's rock opera project Avantasia. The album was released on 26 April 2013. This is the first Avantasia release to feature the German Film Orchestra Babelsberg. The cover artwork was painted by Rodney Matthews.
Timo Tolkki's Avalon is a metal opera project created by Timo Tolkki in 2013.
Space Police: Defenders of the Crown is the tenth studio album by the German power metal band Edguy. It was released on 18 April 2014 through Nuclear Blast. The cover art was unveiled on 1 February, and 15 days later, the band announced the track listing.
Ghostlights is the seventh full-length album by Tobias Sammet's metal opera project Avantasia. It was released on 29 January 2016. The opening track and first single "Mystery of a Blood Red Rose" was a candidate for the German representative at the Eurovision Song Contest 2016, along with nine other songs. The Digibook edition of the album included a bonus track and a bonus CD entitled Avantasia Live, which featured songs recorded mainly during Avantasia's 2014 performance at Wacken Open Air Festival.
Germany participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "Ghost" written by Thomas Burchia, Anna Leyne and Conrad Hensel. The song was performed by Jamie-Lee. The German entry for the 2016 contest in Stockholm, Sweden was selected through the national final Unser Lied für Stockholm, organised by the German broadcaster ARD in collaboration with Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR). The national final took place on 25 February 2016 and featured ten competing acts with the winner being selected through two rounds of public voting. "Ghost" performed by Jamie-Lee Kriewitz was selected as the German entry for Stockholm after placing first in the top three during the first round of voting and ultimately gaining 44.5% of the vote in the second round.
Jamie-Lee Kriewitz, better known by the mononym Jamie-Lee, is a German singer and activist. Born and raised in Bennigsen, Hanover, she performed as a member of the German children choir Joyful Noise before auditioning for the fifth season of The Voice of Germany in 2015. She competed as one of the seventeen composing members of Team Michi & Smudo and later emerged as the winner after garnering 38% of the public vote. Kriewitz's debut and winner's single, "Ghost", peaked at number 11 on the GfK Entertainment Charts, number 65 in the Ö3 Austria Top 40 and number 26 on the Swiss Hitparade. She subsequently signed a recording contract with Universal Music Group; her debut studio album Berlin was released on 29 April 2016 and peaked at number 18 on the GfK Entertainment Charts.
"Ghost" is a song performed by German singer Jamie-Lee Kriewitz. The song represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 in Stockholm, Sweden, and was written by Thomas Burchia, Anna Leyne, and Conrad Hensel. The song was released as a digital download on 12 December 2015 through Polydor and Island Records. It was also performed as Kriewitz's winner's single during season five of The Voice of Germany.
Moonglow is the eighth full-length album by Tobias Sammet's metal opera project Avantasia. It was released on February 15, 2019, through Nuclear Blast. As with previous Avantasia projects, the album features extensive collaborations with returning and new guest vocalists. It features 11 tracks and is supported by a world tour.
