A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society

A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society is the ninth studio album by Tobias Sammet's German metal opera project Avantasia. It was released on 21 October 2022, through Nuclear Blast.

A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society
Studio album by
Released21 October 2022 (2022-10-21)
GenrePower metal, progressive metal[1]
Length53:58
LabelNuclear Blast
Producer
Avantasia chronology
Moonglow
(2019)
A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society
(2022)
Singles from A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society
  1. "The Wicked Rule the Night"
    Released: 19 May 2022
  2. "The Moonflower Society"
    Released: 13 July 2022
  3. "Misplaced Among the Angels"
    Released: 2 August 2022
  4. "The Inmost Light"
    Released: 23 September 2022
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
laut.de[2]
Metal.de8/10[3]
Metal Hammer6/7[4]
Rock Hard8.5/10[5]
Sputnikmusic3.5/5[6]

Background

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According to Avantasia founder Tobias Sammet, song ideas go back as far as 2018 but were not finalized until a few months before the album release.[7] On 19 May 2022, he announced the album for release in Fall 2022. Sammet expressed his content with the album, saying that any song could classify as a first single.[8] The song "The Wicked Rule the Night", along with a lyric video were released the same day.[9] The album title and release date were revealed on 29 June 2022. In a press statement, Sammet explained how his active involvement in arranging, orchestrating and producing the album has made the record feel "extremely personal" to him.[10] In support of the album, the band held six concerts in Germany and Switzerland in Summer 2022.[11]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Tobias Sammet

No.TitleGuest vocalist(s)Length
1."Welcome to the Shadows" 5:05
2."The Wicked Rule the Night"Ralf Scheepers4:25
3."Kill the Pain Away"Floor Jansen3:44
4."The Inmost Light"Michael Kiske3:27
5."Misplaced Among the Angels"Jansen5:17
6."I Tame the Storm"Jørn Lande3:53
7."Paper Plane"Ronnie Atkins3:54
8."The Moonflower Society"Bob Catley5:14
9."Rhyme and Reason"Eric Martin4:42
10."Scars"Geoff Tate4:13
11."Arabesque"
  • Lande
  • Kiske
10:10
Total length:53:58

Personnel

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Adapted from the album's booklet, Nuclear Blast

Avantasia
Guest vocalists
Additional musicians
  • Oliver Hartmann – additional lead guitar on track 4
  • Herbie Langhans, Ina Morgan – backing vocals on tracks 1, 3, 6, 7

Charts

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References

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  1. ^ "THE WEEKLY INJECTION: New Releases From SERJ TANKIAN, BRUTUS & More Out Today 10/21". Metal Injection. 21 October 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  2. ^ Temminghoff, Yan (22 October 2022). ""A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society" von Avantasia". laut.de (in German). Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  3. ^ Kleemann, Jannik (14 October 2022). "Avantasia - A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society". Metal.de (in German). Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  4. ^ Kessler, Sebastian (21 October 2022). "Avantasia - A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society". Metal Hammer (in German). Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  5. ^ Bauer, Simon (21 October 2022). "Rockhard - Avantasia - A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society". Rock Hard (in German). Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  6. ^ "Review: Avantasia - A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society". Sputnikmusic. 22 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  7. ^ Eichstädt, Annika (29 June 2022). "Tobias Sammet kündigt neues Avantasia-Album an". Metal Hammer (in German). Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  8. ^ "Tobias Sammet's Avantasia – release their new single "The Wicked Rule The Night (feat. Ralf Scheepers)"". Metalplanetmusic.com. 19 May 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  9. ^ Michels, Alexandra (19 May 2022). "Avantasia - 'The Wicked Rule The Night'-Lyric-Clip veröffentlicht". Rock Hard (in German). Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  10. ^ "Avantasia veröffentlichen "Misplaced Among The Angels" mit Floor Jansen". Metal.de (in German). 9 August 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  11. ^ "The Wicked Rule The Night – Neue Single von Avantasia". Metal-heads.de (in German). 21 May 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  12. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 5 December 2022". The ARIA Report. No. 1709. Australian Recording Industry Association. 5 December 2022. p. 24.
  13. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Tobias Sammet's Avantasia – A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  14. ^ "Ultratop.be – Tobias Sammet's Avantasia – A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  15. ^ "Ultratop.be – Tobias Sammet's Avantasia – A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  16. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Tobias Sammet's Avantasia – A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  17. ^ "Avantasia: A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  18. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Tobias Sammet's Avantasia – A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  19. ^ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 43 (dal 21.10.2022 al 27.10.2022)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  20. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2022-10-31/p/5" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  21. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  22. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  23. ^ "Top 100 Albums Weekly". El portal de Música. PROMUSICAE. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  24. ^ "Veckolista Album, vecka 43". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  25. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Tobias Sammet's Avantasia – A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  26. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  27. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  28. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  29. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts 2022" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 16 December 2022.