Tobias Sammet is back with another monumental epic. “The Mystery Of Time“ marks the first AVANTASIA release since the 2011 Live-DVD “The Flying Opera“ (which charted all over Europe, topping the charts in Germany, Austria and Sweden).

In 2011 Tobias announced the end of the project into TV-cameras that shot footage for a live broadcast of AVANTASIA‘s headlining performance as one of the main acts at the prestigious Wacken Open Air Festival. Now Tobias says about the unexpected comeback of AVANTASIA:

“During our summer tour in 2008 we played to more than half a million fans worldwide. We had fought our way into the upper regions of the charts with hard work, despite the fact we didn‘t have major radio support. We were headlining some of the biggest festivals on the planet. Even before that Wacken performance I knew there wasn‘t much headroom left and that I should focus on something new to spare me the descent. But it was impossible to quit. I am an artist, I had ideas and felt that I wanted to keep going as long as I saw challenging targets and as long as I could hit new goals. So I hired an orchestra and tried to push the dreamy and fairytale-ish atmosphere to the limit and beyond. I wanted to create a real grown up Rock Opera, but I wanted to keep my music ‘into-your-face‘, first and foremost appealing to true Rockers. I just wanted it to be a little bigger and more opulent than it had been in the past. Something between Richard Wagner, Meat Loaf, Queen and a freight-train at high speed!“

SPECIAL GUESTS Biff Byford (Saxon), Eric Martin (Mr. Big), Michael Kiske (ex-Helloween, Unisonic), Bruce Kulick (ex-KISS, ex-Meat Loaf), Ronnie Atkins (Pretty Maids), Arjen Lucassen (Ayreon, ex-Vengeance), Joe Lynn Turner (ex-Deep Purple, ex-Rainbow, ex-Yngwie Malmsteen)