Tobias Sammet | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Born | Fulda, West Germany | 21 November 1977
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, producer |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, keyboard, bass guitar |
Years active | 1992–present |
Member of | |
Website | tobiassammet |
Tobias Sammet (born 21 November 1977) is a German musician, songwriter, and music producer. He is the singer and primary songwriter of the power metal band Edguy, and the founder of the metal opera project Avantasia.
Sammet founded Edguy in 1992 with schoolmates. Under the musical influence of AC/DC, Freddie Mercury (Queen), and Helloween, the typical power metal sound of his band, in which he mainly acts as a singer and frontman, emerged.
After several tours and chart placements with Edguy, Sammet founded his all-star project Avantasia and released a metal opera under this name. Initially planned as a once-in-a-lifetime studio project, he launched Avantasia again in 2006 and since then he regularly produced concept albums and rock operas. When he was offered the evening program of the main stage with Avantasia at the Wacken Open Air in 2008, he decided to put his side project on stage. Since then, he has regularly toured North and South America, Asia and Europe with Edguy and Avantasia.
He made guest appearances on Rob Rock's album Holy Hell , on the metal opera Aina, and on Revolution Renaissance's New Era album, besides others. [1] [2]
In 2011, readers of the Japanese Burrn Magazine ranked him best songwriter after he had released the two albums The Wicked Symphony and Angel of Babylon simultaneously. The albums featured guest appearances by Klaus Meine, Eric Singer, Jon Oliva and Michael Kiske and contained 21 songs that had been solely written by Tobias. [3]
During a headliner show of the band Edguy at the Bang Your Head Festival in 2012, Sammet fell off the stage and broke his nose and several ribs. Despite these injuries, he sang the entire set of the concert before being treated in hospital. [4]
Tobias Sammet has sold more than three million records, played 12 world tours in more than 40 countries, had numerous chart placements and played concerts at all major festivals (including 10 shows at Wacken Open Air).[ citation needed ]
Studio albums:
Live albums:
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.
Kai Michael Hansen is a German musician who is the founder, lead guitarist and vocalist of power metal band Gamma Ray. He is also one of the co-founders of another power metal band Helloween, which he was a part of from 1983 to 1989 and rejoined in 2016. He is a prominent figure in power metal and has sold millions of albums worldwide. He is regarded as "the godfather of power metal", having founded two seminal bands in the genre. In 2011, he joined the band Unisonic featuring former Helloween vocalist Michael Kiske. Hansen and Kiske reunited with Helloween in 2017 for a world tour with all current members, celebrating the 30-year anniversary of release of the albums Keeper of the Seven Keys Parts I and II.
Edguy is a German power metal band formed in Fulda in 1992.
Michael Kiske is a German singer who is the co-lead vocalist for the power metal band Helloween. Kiske has also released four solo albums, two albums with the hard rock band Unisonic, has participated on various metal and rock related projects such as Avantasia, Place Vendome and Kiske/Somerville, and has performed with numerous bands as a guest vocalist.
Superheroes is an EP by the German power metal band Edguy, released in 2005. On this EP, the band has moved away from the sound they had developed on their previous album Hellfire Club. The songs on "Superheroes" are much less akin to the band's native style of power metal, but tends towards the direction of hard rock.
Andre Coelho Matos was a Brazilian singer and musician. He was involved in the heavy metal bands Viper, Angra, Shaman and Symfonia. Since 2006, Matos had been dedicating his time to his solo career. In 2012, he was ranked No. 77 at the list of 100 Greatest Voices of Brazilian Music by Rolling Stone Brasil.
Felix Bohnke is a German musician and the drummer of heavy metal bands Edguy and Avantasia. 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.
Oliver Hartmann is a German metal vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, and producer who performed in various acts, either as guitarist, solo or choir singer. He is best known for his role as vocalist and one of the founders of the band At Vance, his own band Hartmann and his guest appearances on albums of several prominent metal bands, including Freedom Call, Edguy, Rhapsody, Genius rock opera, Iron Mask, Aina's metal opera Days of Rising Doom and the metal opera Avantasia where he participated as a vocalist in 4 albums and also as a guitarist of the live and studio line up. He is also guitarist and vocalist with the Pink-Floyd tribute band Echoes.
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.
Robert Adrian Catley is an English singer. He was the lead singer of the hard rock band Magnum and is also active as a solo artist.
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.
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 german metal 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 was a Finnish 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 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.
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.