Legendary hard rock vocalist
Joe Lynn Turner (
RAINBOW,
DEEP PURPLE,
YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) has been confirmed as one of the guest musicians who will appear on
"The Mystery Of Time", the new album from
EDGUY frontman
Tobias Sammet's
AVANTASIA project. Also scheduled to make appearances on the CD are
Michael Kiske (
UNISONIC,
HELLOWEEN),
SAXON frontman
Biff Byford, former
KISS guitarist
Bruce Kulick, drummer
Russell Gilbrook of
URIAH HEEP,
AYREON mastermind
Arjen Lucassen (also ex-
BODINE,
VENGEANCE),
Ronnie Atkins of Danish hard rock veterans
PRETTY MAIDS and
MR. BIG frontman
Eric Martin.
The new
AVANTASIA CD was recorded in part at
VOX Klangstudio in Bendestorf, Germany with producer
Sascha Paeth (
KAMELOT,
EDGUY,
EPICA,
RHAPSODY).
"The Mystery Of Time" track listing:
01.
Spectres02.
The Watchmakers' Dream03.
Black Orchid04.
Where Clock Hands Freeze05.
Sleepwalking06.
Savior In The Clockwork07.
Invoke The Machine08.
What's Left Of Me09.
Dweller In A Dream10.
The Great MysteryImmediately after the release of
"The Mystery Of Time", a metal opera based on a story written by
Sammet, the band will embark on a full-fledged indoor tour, during which the band and special guests will bring the epic undertaking to the stage.
Since the performances will embrace all the different eras and history of
AVANTASIA, these shows will feature an extended playing time and the entire evening will be dedicated to
AVANTASIA with no support acts.
Tobias originally wanted to put
AVANTASIA to rest after the release of the
"The Flying Opera - Around The World In 20 Days" concert DVD in April 2011, but he has since had a change of heart. He explains, "Even though I love to record and tour with
EDGUY, I didn't foresee how much I need
AVANTASIA when I decided to finish this chapter of my life in 2011. I didn't know if there would be another
AVANTASIA album one day, but I didn‘t feel like doing it. After the worldwide success of the latest studio releases, an arena world tour that was sold out pretty much everywhere, collaborations with childhood heroes like
Alice Cooper,
Klaus Meine,
Rudolf Schenker,
Eric Singer of
KISS, etc. I 'knew' that I had said everything I could possibly say in the name of
AVANTASIA. But that's not what
AVANTASIA is all about. I wanna create more great music, I wanna create more fantasy worlds, the bigger and the more epic, the better. And listening to the material that I have created for this forthcoming chapter in the history of
AVANTASIA, I know there is no way I am not going to do it! I have got the feeling and the certainty that this is absolutely meant to happen and to be!"
