The Metal Opera Pt. II [Extra tracks]

The Metal Opera Pt. II [Extra tracks]

Track Listings

1. Seven Angels - David Defeis, Kai Hansen, Oliver Hartmann, Michael Kiske, , Rob Rock,

2. No Return - Michael Kiske, ,

3. Looking Glass - Bob Catley,

4. In Quest For - Bob Catley,

5. Final Sacrifice - David Defeis,

6. Neverland - Rob Rock,

7. Anywhere

8. Chalice of Agony - Kai Hansen, ,

9. Memory - Ralf Zdiarstek

10. Into the Unknown

11. Chalice of Agony [Edit Version][*]

12. Avantasia [Single Version][*]

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Long-awaited second part of the chart breaker Avantasia by mastermind Tobia Sammet from Edguy and featuring members of Gamma Ray, Rhapsody, Virgin Steele, Within Temptation, Warrior, Helloween, Angra, Kiss & Stratovarious! This Century Media Records release includes 2 bonus tracks 'Chalice Of Agony' (edit version) & 'Avantasia' (single version) for a total of 12. 2002.

The Metal Opera Pt. II,Avantasia,Century Media,Heavy Metal,Pop,Power Metal,Progressive Metal,Rock

Average customer rating:

"Dreamers come and go/But a dream's forever"

Better than part one

JUST AS GOOD AS THE FIRST, IF NOT BETTER

Don't buy the Century Media version!!!!

The Avantasia series will blow your mind

The Metal Opera Pt. II
Avantasia
Manufacturer: Century Media
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
General | Rock | Styles | Music
General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

The Metal Opera

Theater of Salvation

Mandrake

Hellfire Club

Silence

ASIN: B00006RINI
Release Date: 2002-10-29

Tracks:

The Seven Angels
No Return
The Looking Glass
In Quest For
The Final Sacriface
Neverland
Anywhere
Chalice Of Agony
Memory
Into The Unknown
Chalice Of Agony (Edit Version) (Bonus Track)
Avantasia (Single Version) (Bonus Track)

Album Description

Long-awaited second part of the chart breaker Avantasia by mastermind Tobia Sammet from Edguy and featuring members of Gamma Ray, Rhapsody, Virgin Steele, Within Temptation, Warrior, Helloween, Angra, Kiss & Stratovarious! This Century Media Records release includes 2 bonus tracks 'Chalice Of Agony' (edit version) & 'Avantasia' (single version) for a total of 12. 2002.

Customer Reviews:

"Dreamers come and go/But a dream's forever".......2007-05-17

Some very good symphonic power metal here, especially the first track, which is 14+ minutes. The disk contains basically the same 10 people of part I but they are not as evident throughout here as they are there. And it does not seem that Tobias put as much effort into this; for instance, the synopsis is only a little over two pages as opposed to over seven pages in part I. I know this sounds all negative, but the music is well worth listening to. It is just not totally outstanding like the first part.

Please note, this review concerns the music only, not the technical problem listed in the Spotlight Review by R. Rock. I wish I would have read it before buying this particular version. (Please see my profile for a brief discussion of my rating philosophy.)

Better than part one.......2006-11-11

This second part of Avantasia is much more enjoyable and interesting to listen to.They've given it a lot more grunt than Part 1,kind of turbocharged it.[gets your head moving in true metal style:always a good barometer of metal enjoyment.]The first part sounded pretty boring,like a clone of Edguy's Vainglory Opera which I think reviewers have overated.If you like this Part2 one,then I recommend Theatre of Salvation by Edguy too.The Final Sacrifice,Chalice of Agony,and Avantasia are standout tracks here;but they're all good tracks on this album.I'm onselling Part 1 but keeping Part 2.The only fault that I can find is with Tobias Sammet's vibrato which is a bit over the top for my taste,and is more obvious on this album for some reason;but you can't have everything.Unlike other reviewers here,I don't have any complaints about the recording quality of the Century Media release,and I'm very particular about sound quality.

JUST AS GOOD AS THE FIRST, IF NOT BETTER.......2005-11-17

Again avantasia sends out a solid performance with probly their best song, seven angels. OOO MY GOD! Seven angels is one of my favorite metal songs ever. With great operatic vocals at the begging and a solid mix of speed guitars and power ballads. Another great song is neverland, which deals out solid vocals, powerful lyrics, and great guitar riffs. Don't get me wrong, the other songs are awsome as well and will be a terriffic addition to any collection. Another must have cd from edguy's. signer

Don't buy the Century Media version!!!!.......2005-11-05

An excellent release .... just don't buy this version. The Century Media release with the Bonus Tracks contains audio that appears to have gone through some kind of lossy audio encoding process (i.e. encoded to MP3 then back to PCM) before being sent to the manufacturing plant.

Avoid this one, check out the other versions and make sure you receive the full audio spectrum that you paid for.

The Avantasia series will blow your mind.......2005-09-30

When I heard of this album's release, I was convinced that what I considered to be the zenith of the genre would be reached, but for some reason I'm still stubborn enough to believe that there will be an album better than this one, and that's why I can't give it the 100% that I have yet to give, but this one got extremely close.

The same bunch of musicians that pulled forces to bring us the amazing Avantasia Part 1 has now returned to dish it out once more. I can't say that it's better or worse, nor can I say it's exactly the same as it's predecessor despite that I gave it the same rating. In truth, you have to treat both CDs as one album, one story, even though they were released separately.

First I will hit on the talent in this group. First rate musicians from beginning to end. I was particularly taken by the guitar work on here, the tracks laid down by Henjo Richter are mind blowing, as are the leads that he dishes out, particularly the riveting twin guitar lead on Chalice of Agony. I actually had the unique honor of teaching this solo to 2 teenagers at a summer camp who performed this song with a band of campers. I assure you it is quite challenging. But also note the efforts of Timo Tolkki and Jens Ludwig.

I have to hand it to Tobias Sammet for rounding out such top notch musical collaborators for his effort. Michael Kiske's role has diminished in this part as opposed to part 1, which is my lone complaint of this album. But this has given way to include the new character performed by Bob Catley, whose voice fills the gap and puts a new feel to the story. Andre Matos and Kai Hansen are back in good form, and naturally Tobias is ruling the roost, which is the right of the man who leads the project and composes the songs. lol

And on a side-note, the production is excellent. Too many albums in the power metal genre have a poor balance between the guitars and the synths, here they are both equally discernable and complement each other rather than fight each other. The voices are also well blended in with the music and don't drown out the background, which is amazing when you consider that at times 7 or 8 people are singing as a group.

Here is how the songs break down.

Seven Angels (10/10) - In the same vain as Edguy, Tobias brings a flair to the drawn out epic like no other. This is probably the best song on the album and clocks in at 14 minutes. There is a drawn out stream of modulations in sections, combining together to make you feel that your listening to 4 or 5 different songs in succession. High points include Timo Tolkki's guitar solo, Tobias' and Kiske's Meatloaf inspired piano and voice section which completely blew me away, and the amazing outro where Tobias, Matos and Hansen create a stream of vocal melodies that mystify the ears. An aria for the power metal ages to be sure.

No Return (9.5/10) - Fast paced cooker that works nicely, but it feels lacking merely because it had to follow the massive epic which is usually the closer for such albums. Michael Kiske and Tobias do well on this one, as does the lead work by Richter.

The Looking Glass (10/10) - This is an excellent mid-tempo track that features the new charactered called The Tree of Knowledge, sung by Bob Catley. What ensues is a riveting duet between two amazing singers, the lyrics on this one are very philosophical, yet work well in the fantasy world that Sammet has concocted. Another brilliant solo by Richter, along with some flashy beats by Alex Holzwarth.

In Quest for (10/10) - A continuation of the Catley and Tobias duet, this time with but a lone piano and some strings in the background. With voices completely exposed to the scrutiny that normally doesn't exist with loud guitars, these two guys prove that they can match abilities with any broadway singer. Kudos for originality on this one too, considering who this song came from.

Final Sacrifice (10/10) - Things get nice and rough here, Catley exits to bring in Virgin Steele screamer David Defeis, whose lion growls dwarf Tobi's banshee shreeks with thunderous fury. Jens Ludwig provides a very agitated solo which plays against the more idiomatic and structured soloing that Richter has been utilizing.

Neverland (9.5/10) - Great song, featuring Rob Rock reprising his role as Bishop Von Bicken. Great vocal performances save this song from it's almost cliche musical accompaniment, which sounded alot like Gamma Ray's "One with the World" at the beginning.

Anywhere (10/10) - Tobias goes it alone on this one, starting out with just a piano to back him up. This is definately one of the better power ballads I've heard. There is alot of emotion in the vocal performance, and Richter's solo uses all the precise notes to make the guitar sing as a voice rather than a highly embellished harpsichord line befitting of a shred fest.

Chalice of Agony (10/10) - This song, like Seven Angels, never gets old for me. I can understand why this was chosen as a single, because it's catchy themes grab the listener immediately. This track gets my pic for best guitar solo on the album. The pace is fast and the sections contrast each other nicely. Tobias does the majority of the vocal work, but both Matos and Hansen make breif appearances to add aditional color. Nothing short of amazing.

Memory (10/10) - Ralph Ziardstek reprises his role as the evil Baliff Falk Von Kronberg, the most loathsome of the characters. This song is lyrically excellent, and paints a very vivid picture of the plot, which sees justice served within it's span. Ziardstek dominates this song, but Tobias makes a brief appearance. Jens Ludwig also plays a decent solo on this one.

Into the Unknown (10/10) - The exiting chorus of the story, featuring solos by Tobias and Sharon reprising her role as the main character's sister. But the real strength to this shorter closing track is in the words of the chorus. The greatest one line that Tobias ever wrote is within that chorus, and it reads....

Dreamers come and go, but a dream's forever.

In conclusion, if you like Power Metal in general, you must get this album. If you enjoyed Avantasia Part 1, you must get this album. And if you like the other bands that the members of this project are in (Edguy, Gamma Ray, Rhapsody, Helloween, Virgin Steele, Stratovarius, ect.) you must get this album. No more excuses, start saving up those hard earned dollars or euros that you get for breaking rocks all day and invest it in a piece of artistic genius.

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Music Review

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