Grandiose inspiration - A review of Avantasia's Moonglow

Avantasia's Moonglow convinces with tighter song writing than the predecessor Ghostlights. It also comes around with a better track list that keeps the record dynamic, fluid and surprising from start to finish. Longer track are contrasted by shorter tunes and mellower songs followed by faster pieces. The album could be described as a mixture between the colourful, emotional and epic comeback record The Scarecrow and the consistent, powerful and underrated The Mystery of Time. The imaginative cover artwork also represents this album's spirit very well. 

Things start ambitiously with ''Ghost in the Moon'' that is inspired by orchestral rock music between Meat Loaf and Trans-Siberian Orchestra that takes the listener on an elegant voyage for ten breathtaking minutes. The song reveals more details with every spin but everything blends together very coherently. Tobias Sammet proves that he isn't only the mastermind behind this project but also a quite competent singer as he doesn't need any guest vocalist to entertain his audience. This might be Avantasia's greatest album opener in more than a decade.

The record's catchiest tune is certainly title track ''Moonglow'' that is inspired by Nightwish's commercially successful singles. The track is short, melodic and energetic and the chorus is particularly memorable. Candice Night's appeasing vocals blend in very well and don't take too much space as they recall her excellent collaboration with power metal legends Helloween almost one and a half decades earlier.

''The Raven Child'' is the heart and soul of this release and easily the best song on the record. It finds the perfect balance between orchestral and folkloristic elements and balances energetic performances with merriful vibes that could almost recall Christmas carols. Jørn Lande delivers his most inspired vocal performance in years while Hansi Kürsch shows his entire potential in this cinematic epic.

''Requiem for a Dream'' is a great way to close the record with an energetic performance by a youthful Michael Kiske and a particularly playful instrumental section. Especially the domineering bass guitar really stands out here which is rare for this type of music. Tobias Sammet proves that he isn't only a creative songwriter and emotional singer but also a really solid bass guitar player.

There aren't too many things to criticize as Moonglow sounds more homogeneous than any other Avantasia record of the past ten years. A few more surprising song writing ideas would have made the record even more memorable. Especially the middle section is losing some steam and needs multiple spins to unfold properly. The Michael Sembello cover ''Maniac'' is quite useless as well and lavish bonus track ''Heart'' would have been a much better way to properly conclude this release.

Symphonic and power metal fans won't get around Moonglow. It might not be able to compete with Avantasia's earliest releases and doesn't reinvent the formula but is certainly the most consistent record in recent years and represents everything this band stands for nowadays including grandiose emotions, energetic guest performances, inspired lyrics, crystal clear production and epic song writing. Moonglow is an early highlight of the year and shows that this project is still relevant nowadays. Tobias Sammet made the right decision to scrap the idea of recording an actual solo record and transforming his ideas into another epic Avantasia output.

Final rating: 85%