The Mystery of Time | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 26 April 2013 | |||
Recorded | June 2012 – January 2013 | |||
Genre | Power metal, symphonic metal | |||
Length | 62:00 | |||
Label | Nuclear Blast | |||
Producer | Sascha Paeth and Tobias Sammet | |||
Avantasia chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metal Blast | [1] |
Time For Metal - Magazin | [2] |
Metal Traveller | [3] |
The Mystery of Time is the sixth full-length album by Tobias Sammet's german metal opera project Avantasia. The album was released on 26 April 2013. [4] This is the first Avantasia release to feature the German Film Orchestra Babelsberg (the same orchestra that performed on Edguy's album Hellfire Club ). The cover artwork was painted by Rodney Matthews. [5] [6]
The Mystery Of Time scored high positions in several international music charts and even enabled Avantasia to enter the US Billboard charts for the first time. [7]
When asked to compare the album to Avantasia's previous efforts, guitarist and producer Sascha Paeth described it as follows: [8]
It is a more 'fantastic' production, based a little bit more on orchestra work and keyboards. It's more like a film score, to underline the whole story, the rock opera aspect, which was a choice on this one and I think it works out fine. Also, this gives the album a face of its own.
Limited editions of the album include a second CD with instrumental versions of all the tracks on the album, with the exception of the two limited edition bonus tracks.
All tracks are written by Tobias Sammet
No. | Title | Guest Vocalist | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Spectres" | Joe Lynn Turner | 6:09 |
2. | "The Watchmakers' Dream" | Turner | 4:14 |
3. | "Black Orchid" | Biff Byford | 6:52 |
4. | "Where Clock Hands Freeze" | Michael Kiske | 4:35 |
5. | "Sleepwalking" | Cloudy Yang | 3:52 |
6. | "Savior in the Clockwork" | Turner, Byford, Kiske | 10:40 |
7. | "Invoke the Machine" | Ronnie Atkins | 5:30 |
8. | "What's Left of Me" | Eric Martin | 5:07 |
9. | "Dweller in a Dream" | Kiske | 4:45 |
10. | "The Great Mystery" | Bob Catley, Turner, Byford | 10:03 |
Total length: | 62:00 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
11. | "The Cross and You" | 4:14 |
12. | "Death Is Just a Feeling (Alternative Version/Tobias Sammet)" | 5:24 |
Total length: | 71:38 |
The album booklet describes the story "So take the time to follow me into a small old English town during the Victorian era and join a young agnostic scientist by the name Aaron Blackwell as he is forced to explore the coherencies of time, God and science; torn between belief in his professional conviction, his spiritual intuition, love and a lodge of scientific occultists." [9]
Characters: Each singer represents a character in the story, appealing to Avantasia's albums' "metal opera" signature theme.
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 blend of the words Avalon and fantasia ('fantasy') and describes "a world beyond human imagination".
The Metal Opera is the first full-length album by Tobias Sammet's German supergroup project, Avantasia. It is a concept album and a metal opera. The album is followed by the sequel The Metal Opera Part II. Both were written over the course of a year, starting in the last quarter of 1998, and both were produced from October 1999 to June 2000, with the works being interrupted for some weeks so Sammet could produce The Savage Poetry with his other band Edguy.
Hellfire Club, released on 15 March 2004, is the sixth album by German power metal band Edguy. The music of the band is supported by a German orchestra, the Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg. It is the band's first album released via Nuclear Blast.
Sascha Paeth is a German guitarist, bassist, record producer and mixer known for working with heavy metal bands such as Avantasia, Edguy, Angra, Shaman, Rhapsody of Fire, Kamelot, After Forever and Epica. He owns the "Gate Studios", Wolfsburg previously used for recordings with his former band Heavens Gate.
The Metal Opera Pt. II is the second full-length album by Tobias Sammet's German supergroup project, Avantasia. It is a concept album and a metal opera. The songs carry on the story begun in The Metal Opera, with the same characters. Both albums were written over the course of a year, starting in the last quarter of 1998, and both were produced from October 1999 to June 2000, with the works being interrupted for some weeks so Sammet could produce The Savage Poetry with his other band Edguy.
Amanda Somerville is an American singer-songwriter and vocal coach who resides in Wolfsburg, Germany. She is known primarily for her work with many European symphonic metal bands.
RituAlive is a live album and DVD, released in 2003 by the metal band Shaman.
The Scarecrow is the third full-length album by Tobias Sammet's German metal opera project Avantasia, released on 25 January 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.
Lost in Space is an EP to the German Avantasia album The Scarecrow.
Lost in Space is an EP to the German Avantasia album The Scarecrow.
The Wicked Symphony is the fourth full-length album by Tobias Sammet's German metal opera project Avantasia, released on 3 April 2010, parallel with Angel of Babylon. The Wicked Symphony was released both as part of a box set, with the two albums combined and as an individual album. It is the second part of "The Wicked Trilogy" and it is followed by Angel of Babylon.
Angel of Babylon is the fifth full-length album by Tobias Sammet's German metal opera project Avantasia, released on 3 April 2010, along with The Wicked Symphony. Angel Of Babylon was released both as part of a box set, with the two albums combined and as an individual album. It is the third and final part of "The Wicked Trilogy".
Lost in Space Part 1 & 2 is a compilation album by German band Avantasia, released in 2008. The album contains tracks from Avantasia's EPs Lost in Space Part I and Lost in Space Part II and an expanded version of the title-song, featuring Michael Kiske.
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.
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 German 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.
"Mystery of a Blood Red Rose" is a single and opening track to the German power metal project Avantasia's album Ghostlights, released on 11 December 2015 with a lyric video. It was one of the ten candidates to represent Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest 2016. The song was between the final three finalists, but eventually was defeated by "Ghost", performed by Jamie-Lee Kriewitz.
Moonglow is the eighth full-length album by Tobias Sammet's German metal opera project Avantasia. It was released on 15 February 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 was supported by a world tour.
A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society is the ninth studio album by Tobias Sammet's German metal opera project Avantasia. It was released on 21 October 2022, through Nuclear Blast.