Album Review: Avantasia - Here Be Dragons

They say not to judge a book by its cover, but its basic psychology that we make snap decisions about the things we encounter. When we meet a new person, we often feel quickly if they have a vibe telling us to stay away. Similarly, when we hear about a new record, sometimes we don't need to spend hours upon hours giving it repeated listens to know that certain elements are never going to stick the landing. Sometimes, those initial impressions save us from investing too much of our hopes into something that couldn't possibly live up to our expectations.

That is where I was coming into this new Avantasia album. Tobias Sammet is one of my favorite songwriters ever, but this album chafed from the first moment it was announced. His ability to craft a melody means I give Avantasia a pass I don't give to any of the other conceptual 'jukebox albums' I come across. While I don't particularly love the never-ending string of guest stars, Tobi usually makes it work. This time, perhaps not so much.

This record's lyrical themes revolve around dragons and fantasy, and that there is enough to kill my mood. I know it's a trope of power metal, but I for one do not give the slightest bit of a fuck about those kinds of stories, and as such this album will have zero ability to be relatable on a lyrical level. Is a song about the kraken ever going to have an emotional impact? I can't see it happening. That's strike one.

The list of guest singers this time around features returning stalwarts Ronnie Atkins, Bob Catley, Geoff Tate, and Michael Kiske, along with Roy Kahn and Tommy Karevik. I don't care for Tate or Kiske at all, and the others all fill the same basic tone of voice, so the casting of multiple people who all play the same essential part is becoming common, but it remains unnecessary. That's strike two.

I will also mention that my opinions will be colored by the fact the promo I received streamed at extremely low quality. The guitars and cymbals clipped and distorted throughout, sounding like an mp3 from twenty years ago. At times, it was physically difficult to listen to, given my sensitivities. To be fair to the album, I checked samples in other places, and they all sound thin and brittle. The backing vocals especially are shrill bursts of noise that can barely be made out. Simply put, this is not a good sounding record. It's the worst production ever on an Avantasia album, bar none. That's strike two-and-a-half.

Across the first half of the album, the songs hit fast. In fact, these songs feel as compact as any Tobi has written. With pre-choruses and multiple part choruses stuffed into these running times, the album starts to feel like it's playing five percent too fast, as if the playback speed has been set on the wrong number. The songs might have been pushed to give the album a bit more energy, but with the density of the musical compositions, what it really does is take away the time the songs need to breathe. As soon as a hook is done, the next one has already sounded its first note. For a project that is about being epic and bombastic, the pace doesn't fit the intention.

As I said, Tobi is one of my favorite songwriters, and he hasn't lost that ability. Many of the choruses on this record scratch that melodic metal itch he has always been so good at reaching. A couple of them are sounding quite reminiscent of older songs, but I suppose there's an argument to be made that they are homages, since these are all conceptual pieces about stories that may intertwine. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt on that.

That still leaves me in the position of saying that Tobi has written some great melodies, but I dislike nearly everything about the way they are delivered. Among the Avantasia albums, this may be the most unusual listen of them all. It isn't bland in the same way I found "A Paranormal Evening With The Moonflower Society", but rather a curious set of decisions that reads like an experiment to see how much damage can be done to good songs before they cease to be that.

I wanted to say that hopefully my opinion will soften once my initial frustrations wear off, but I've listened to the record several times now, and the same thing has happened each time. I find myself spending much of the running time checking my speakers to make sure I'm hearing the record as I'm supposed to be, because something about it rings false. No, that's the way the album is, and I'm not sure there is anything that will change the way I hear it. But that is me, and I know from experience and discussions that I hear things in productions other people are not bothered by, so this might be entirely in my head.

I can't tell you how you will hear it, but I have to be honest about the way I do. For me, listening to this album was fifty minutes of being disappointed that I was being presented a collection of songs I'm not sure I will want to listen to, even though I like them quite a bit. This is one of those cases where I can hold two thoughts in my head at the same time; "Here Be Dragons" is an enjoyable record, but it is also disappointing from beginning to end.

Only time will tell if the pendulum gets rusted stuck after swinging one way or the other.