Tobias Sammet’s Avantasia. A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society. (CD and MP3) 2022.
Short version – a fun, odd album from a number of major names in metal, including Floor Jansen.
As readers know, Avantasia is one of my favorite symphonic metal groups. Tobias Sammet writes melodic songs, often linked by a shared story of some kind, and invites other musicians to join in the fun. Ronnie Adkins, Hansi Kusch, Candice Knight, Herbie Langhans and others have all appeared on earlier albums. Avantasia’s sound varies from power metal and speed metal to slower ballads. The new release, although not as complex as earlier collections, is a solid continuation of the 2019 symphonic metal album Moonglow. A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society continues the story of the creature that began with Moonglow.
This is a smaller album, both in terms of instrumentation and length. There are no 11 minute ballads like “Let the Storm Descend Upon You” or “Raven Child.” “Arabesque,” the album close, is 10 minutes but it doesn’t feel as complex as the previous songs. This is in part because Sammet has gone back to the basic guitars, percussion, keyboards, and vocals. He’s upfront about it, and the accompaniments and harmonies are still complicated and “thick” sounding, which is what I expect from Avantasia. This is more of standard metal album, while continuing the Avantasia sound. “The Moonflower Society” and “Wicked Rule the Night” are pure metal. “Paper Plane” is a slower, melodic ballad-type song.
The lyrics on this album can feel a bit odd. I think part of it is that (for me at least) it is a continuation of the story from Moonglow, so you need to remember that the creature is exploring, trying to find something or some place familiar and home. In part, Sammet seems to have hit a bit of difficulty with some of the poetry in the lyrics, maybe because there are some usages that are non-standard. It’s not bad, just a bit odd in places, but that appeared in earlier works as well. Writing poetry (and poetic song lyrics) in a second language is hard, and Sammet does a very good job.
I really like the sound overall. It’s not as lush as the earlier albums, but still very good. Floor Jansen and the other guests do an excellent job, as always. I’d love to hear another duet with Herbie Langhans in his non-rock singing voice (or Floor shifting to head tone instead of the rock register), but that’s just me. My favorite songs are probably “The Moonflower Society,” “Scars,” and
Arabesque,” but every number is all solid.
The album art looks as if Tim Burton summoned Edward Gorey’s ghost and they doodled while knocking back espresso and absinthe. Which fits with the look of Moonglow, just dialed up to 10 from 8.
I’d recommend this to Avantasia fans, fans of melodic metal, and those who like a little vocal variety in their albums. The two previous albums are still my favorites, but this one’s growing on me.
(Side note. I was listening to older Nightwish music for the Boss Fight in a novella, and realized that there are bits of Moonflower that seem to nod to Nightwish. Is it because of Floor singing on this album, because Nightwish has gone into hiatus, or because the two composers share melodic tendencies?)
FTC Notice: I purchased this for my own use, and received no compensation for this review.