Avantasia - Here Be Dragons - review
Avantasia - Here Be Dragons - review
Tracklist
01. Creepshow02. Here Be Dragons
03. The Moorland At Twilight
04. The Witch
05. Phantasmagoria
06. Bring On The Night
07. Unleash The Kraken
08. Avalon
09. Against The Wind
10. Everybody's Here Until The End
A review by
ScreamingSteelUS March 31, 2025
As I predicted in my review of A Paranormal Evening With The Moonflower Society, I’ve found myself returning to that album with undiminished eagerness; although I still ponder my criticisms of the production and some aspects of the writing, it’s an album that I can’t lock away, and I listen to it about as often as my favorites. The first single from Here Be Dragons, “Creepshow”, set my expectations very high by immediately addressing the issues with tone and sound that dotted A Paranormal Evening: it has a warmer feeling and a more theatrical delivery akin to Ghostlights, an inescapable chorus that incites good–natured revelry, and a fabulously ghoulish music video bathed in all the colors of a classic Argento. With no disrespect to Avantasia’s original incarnation through its operatic metal duology, I’m of the subset of fans who hold by the cheesy pop era, so to me “Creepshow” is a perfect single.
The next step, however, diverts Here Be Dragons from that tried–and–true path. Right away the album’s flow is hobbled by the transition from that upbeat and party–defining single to a plodding, nine–minute title track that never arrives at a hook it sounds fully confident in sinking its teeth into. Fleeting feelings of adventure stir within its depths, and the very modern–prog style of its guitar solos and chord progressions is an interesting palette for Avantasia, but the stiff rhythm chugs and cautious choruses lack the deep well of emotional resonance and power metal majesty that the usual epics wear so finely. Its placement so early in the tracklist doesn’t do the album’s momentum any favors – when the mountainous apex is “The Scarecrow” or “Let The Storm Descend Upon You”, it can stand up as the second track, but I feel that “Here Be Dragons”, as a more modest composition, would have functioned better with a later position.
This unfortunately sets the pace for the rest of the album, which yearns for a killer hook like the opener. In spite of its smoother production, Here Be Dragons falls short of its predecessor when accounting for memorable writing, with nothing outside of "Creepshow" that makes such a powerful first impression and few songs that have really opened up with closer investigation. The traditional soft-serve speed metal Michael Kiske feature is not as mellifluous as on albums past, and with that and the big epic both faltering, this is one Avantasia album really hurting for some pillars. “Against The Wind” has just a dash of that Avantasia magic to make it a sufficiently heartfelt and lasting tune, but as a breezy, by–the–numbers speed–power hymn, it isn’t equipped to serve as one of the album’s main draws. The folksy jaunt of “Avalon” and shrieking abandon of “Unleash The Kraken” are decent fun, yet nothing takes the album to the next level.
Here Be Dragons falls prey to the fate that has swallowed many of Avantasia’s less successful competitors: the guest list is more interesting than the track list. It is often up to the visiting vocalists to lift a just–okay melody into a head–turning performance. A roster like this is up to the challenge, of course. Newcomer Tommy Karevik handles his track with passion to reward those who have long awaited his addition to the rogues gallery, and the combination of his delicate, soulful verses with Tobias’s grand, beautiful choruses makes for a strong emotional experience. Adrienne Cowan of Seven Spires also makes her studio debut with Avantasia, after years of figuring in the live act, and she likewise provides a great point of interest for “Avalon”. Bob Catley carries the Magnum torch with his characteristic stately croon and carves out a highlight of the record within “Bring On The Night”, an odd duck whose plonky synths and middling chorus otherwise slide past unharried by intrigue (I much prefer the “‘80s version” featured as a bonus track on the second disc [and yeah, “‘80s” means “way more synths”]). It’s no wonder Catley has been part of every Avantasia album since the second one: his is one of the voices that best suits this ensemble, and while Magnum may be no more, I sincerely hope to hear him for as many years as he’ll allow us.
But truth be told it is the singers rather than the songs who make the big draw, with few of these tracks making enough of an impression to linger. And with the guest list pulling so much weight, the absence of perennial titan Jørn Lande is all the more noticeable. While that’s not a fatal blow – the Metal Opera duology and The Mystery Of Time survived without him – he factors so heavily into so many of the band’s best songs that he feels like a full member, and it’s hard not to be disappointed when stars and schedules don’t align to bring him back to the fold. Conversely, I’ve always found Geoff Tate’s features to be very hit–or–miss; I don’t much care for his voice, at least not these days, and while Tobias can often write a great song to either accommodate or overrule any personal preferences in voice, this is one occasion where Tate’s brittle croak simply doesn’t support Tobias’s unwavering power.
On balance, Here Be Dragons comes out to be something of a disappointment, incapable of following up the bravura lead of “Creepshow” and the return to form promised by its dramatic production. For me, however, Avantasia can go only so wrong. The worst thing it can be is inconsistent or forgettable; it’s never going to be an unpleasant experience. Still magical, just in smaller doses, and still eminently replayable even without a proper knockout. I don’t have as much confidence that Here Be Dragons will turn out to be a sleeper hit the way A Paranormal Evening was, but we’ll see with time.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 6 |
| Originality: | 6 |
| Production: | 8 |
Written on 31.03.2025 by
Written on 31.03.2025 by
Dull Music for Dull People Comments
Comments:
2
Visited by
154 users
 Posts: 8652 |
Posts: 8652
Agreed on the disappointing absence of Jorn Lande, he does feel like an unofficial voice of the band. That aside, I probably liked the album a bit more than you, and more than their past couple of releases - they played a lot of it at the show of theirs I saw last week, and maybe I'm biased by the experience of seeing them performed live, but the title track, Avalon and Phantasmagoria in particular made for very enjoyable listening. Funnily enough, Creepshow is probably one of the ones I liked least here, and The Witch doesn't quite do it either despite my appreciation of Tommy Karevik as a vocalist.
Loading...
|
|
Posts: 20 |
Hits total: 3058 | This month: 15