AVANTASIA’s Here Be Dragons Features KAMELOT’s Tommy Karevik on New Single The Witch
The song is part of AVANTASIA’s upcoming album.
Well, folks, let me tell ya’ll, Tobias Sammet is back with another Avantasia album, and this time he’s gone full medieval cartographer on us. The tenth studio album, Here Be Dragons, is set to release on February 28, 2025, via Napalm Records, and based on everything we know, it’s shaping up to be either a symphonic masterpiece or the musical equivalent of a Renaissance Fair gone horribly wrong.
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THE BIG QUESTION: ARE THERE ACTUAL DRAGONS?
No. But that hasn’t stopped Tobias from hyping this album like he’s about to unveil the lost city of Atlantis. Instead of real dragons, we’re getting a 10-track epic featuring Kamelot’s Tommy Karevik, some mystical choirs, and at least one song called “Unleash The Kraken”, which really raises more questions than it answers. Is Avantasia still a metal opera or has Sammet finally decided to start writing B-movie soundtracks? Either way, someone’s definitely waving a sword around dramatically during the recording sessions.
And then there’s The Witch, the latest single, which Sammet describes as “dark and enchanting”—which sounds great until you realize that’s how real estate agents describe haunted houses. But fear not! He promises the upcoming Avantasia tour will feature a haunted castle stage setup, because what better way to win over power metal fans than with some good old-fashioned Scooby-Doo aesthetics?
IS THIS THE MOST RECKLESS AVANTASIA ALBUM EVER? SAMMET SEEMS TO THINK SO.
In what can only be described as the most Tobias Sammet quote of all time, he says:
“This new album carries the most adventurous and bold spirit my music has had in decades. And it’s rather reckless, fearless, powerful, and uplifting and not introverted at all.”
Translation: “I did whatever the hell I wanted, and if you don’t like it, well, that sounds like a you problem.”
According to Sammet, Here Be Dragons came together thanks to a carefree, instinct-driven songwriting process—which is exactly how half of metal’s greatest albums were made and also how a lot of terrible tattoos happened. Whether this means Here Be Dragons is a metal masterpiece or the audio equivalent of a fever dream remains to be seen.
A TRACKLIST SO POWER METAL IT MIGHT SUMMON A PALADIN
- Creepshow – Not sure what’s scarier, the song or the fact that Avantasia’s been around for over 20 years.
- Here Be Dragons – A song so long (9 minutes!) that it should come with a warning label for attention spans under Gen Z length.
- The Moorland At Twilight – Definitely either a love ballad or a place in The Elder Scrolls.
- The Witch – Featuring Tommy Karevik, who was probably lured in with promises of epic sing-alongs and free goblets of mead.
- Phantasmagoria – Big word. Sounds expensive.
- Bring On The Night – Bold move assuming we weren’t just gonna stay inside binge-watching shows instead.
- Unleash The Kraken – At this point, it’s clear Tobias Sammet is trying to summon something, and we should all be concerned.
- Avalon – Standard power metal requirement, next.
- Against The Wind – Every power metal album needs a song about fighting the wind, because weather is metal’s greatest enemy.
- Everybody’s Here Until The End – The most passive-aggressive song title in Avantasia history.
PREORDER NOW BEFORE THE DRAGONS TAKE OVER!
Avantasia is ready to drop another bombastic symphonic metal album, and whether you think it’s a masterpiece, a self-indulgent fantasy epic, or just another excuse for Sammet to wear medieval outfits on stage, it’s happening.
So grab your preorder (just google it) and get your chainmail dry-cleaned, because Here Be Dragons arrives February 28, 2025—and if you don’t listen, you might just get cursed by a power metal sorcerer.
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