The Mystery of Time
| The Mystery of Time | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio albumby | ||||
| Released | 26 April 2013 | |||
| Recorded | June 2012 – January 2013 | |||
| Genre | Power metal,symphonic metal | |||
| Length | 62:00 | |||
| Label | Nuclear Blast | |||
| Producer | Sascha PaethandTobias Sammet | |||
| Avantasiachronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metal Blast |   [1] |
| Time For Metal - Magazin |   [2] |
| Metal Traveller | [3] |
The Mystery of Timeis the sixth full-length album byTobias Sammet's germanmetal operaprojectAvantasia.The album was released on 26 April 2013.[4]This is the first Avantasia release to feature theGerman Film Orchestra Babelsberg(the same orchestra that performed onEdguy's albumHellfire Club). The cover artwork was painted byRodney Matthews.[5][6]
The Mystery Of Timescored high positions in several international music charts and even enabled Avantasia to enter the USBillboardcharts for the first time.[7]
When asked to compare the album to Avantasia's previous efforts, guitarist and producerSascha Paethdescribed 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.
Track listing
[edit]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 byTobias 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 | |
Story
[edit]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.
- Tobias Sammet:Aaron Blackwell, young scientist
- Michael Kiske:Antiquarian
- Bob Catley:Epiphany
- Joe Lynn Turner:Science
- Biff Byford:Reason
- Ronnie Atkins:Nobleman
- Eric Martin:Beggar
- Cloudy Yang:Apparition
Personnel
[edit]- Tobias Sammet- lead vocals, bass
- Sascha Paeth- lead & rhythm guitars, guitar solos on tracks 1, 4 to 9; additional bass; additional keyboards
- Miro- keyboards, piano
- Russell Gilbrook- drums
Special guests
[edit]Musicians
[edit]- Guitars
- Bruce Kulick- solo on tracks 3, 6, 10
- Oliver Hartmann- solo on tracks 4, 7
- Arjen Anthony Lucassen- solo on track 2
- Organ
- Ferdy Doernberg - hammond organ solo on track 2
Vocalists
[edit]- Joe Lynn Turner- co-lead vocals on tracks 1, 2, 6, 10
- Michael Kiske- co-lead vocals on tracks 4, 6, 9
- Biff Byford- co-lead vocals on tracks 3, 6, 10
- Ronnie Atkins- co-lead vocals on track 7
- Eric Martin- co-lead vocals on track 8
- Bob Catley- co-lead vocals on track 10
- Cloudy Yang - co-lead vocals on track 5
Charts
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Avantasia - The Mystery Of Time".Metal Blast. 2013-04-05.
- ^"Avantasia - The Mystery Of Time Review".Time-For-Metal.eu (Germany). 2013-03-26.
- ^"Avantasia - The Mystery Of Time Review".Metal Traveller. 2013-04-08.
- ^"The Mystery Of Time".nuclearblast.de.
- ^"Tobias Sammet:: Avantasia:: Official Web".tobiassammet.
- ^"Avantasia - The Mystery Of Time - Listening Session".musikreviews.de.
- ^"Metal-Rules News, Interviews, Concert Reviews » AVANTASIA" THE MYSTERY OF TIME "DEBUTS AT #9 ON BILLBOARD" HEAT SEEKERS "CHART, #33 ON" HARD ROCK "".Metal-Rules News, Interviews, Concert Reviews.10 May 2013.
- ^Jon (27 April 2013)."Sascha Paeth (Avantasia) Interview @ PPM 2013".Metal Blast.Mons.Retrieved21 August2014.
- ^AVANTASIA - The Mystery Of Time (PRE-LISTENING), NuclearBlastEuropeonYouTube
- ^"AVANTASIA AUF #2 IN DEN DEUTSCHEN ALBUMCHARTS!".Rock It!.
- ^"Tobias Sammet:: Avantasia:: Official Web".tobiassammet.
- ^"Tobias Sammet's Avantasia - The Mystery Of Time".ultratop.be.
- ^"Top 40 album-, DVD- és válogatáslemez-lista – 2013. 14. hét"(in Hungarian).Mahasz.RetrievedApril 11,2013.
- ^"TOP 100 ALBUMES"(PDF)(in Spanish).PROMUSICAE.Retrieved2013-04-08.
