The Monday morning blues anyone may have experienced were washed away with an enchanting sold-out evening of symphonic power metal magic with Avantasia, the legendary supergroup helmed by German musician Tobias “Tobi” Sammet (also of Edguy). Renowned for their powerful performances and spellbinding soundscapes, Avantasia are currently on a world tour. Along with timeless classics and fan favourites, they showcased songs from their latest record, Here Be Dragons, in the capital for the first time ever. Avantasia’s last appearance in London was six years ago, supporting the 2019 album Moonglow.
Core guest singers Adrienne Cowan (Seven Spires), Herbie Langhans (Firewind, ex-Seventh Avenue) and Chiara Tricarico (Moonlight Haze) were joined by even more famous voices on this tour. Tommy Karevik (Kamelot), Ronnie Atkins (Pretty Maids), Eric Martin (ex-Mr.. Big), Kenny Leckremo (H.E.A.T.) and a special one-show-only appearance from living legend Bob Catley (Magnum) rounded out the all-star lineup of belters at The Roundhouse.
The musicians were Michael “Miro” Rodenberg (ex-Luca Turilli, ex-Trillium) on keyboards, bassist André Neygenfind, guitarists Sascha Paeth and Arne Wiegand (all three of SP’s Masters of Ceremony), joined by Sammet’s Edguy colleague Felix Bohnke on drums.
It took over an hour for fans to fill the 1,800-capacity venue, and this delayed the start time by just under ten minutes as organisers wanted everyone inside in time for the beginning of the set. People were primed with Dio’s ‘Holy Diver’ playing from the speakers and sang along as they readied themselves for the main event. The show was worth the wait and judging by the crowd’s reaction when the lights went down, the level of anticipation was through the roof.
‘Creepshow’ brought the heat as flames shot up from behind the prop gates onstage, leading the half-dozen strong set of songs taken from Here Be Dragons. The words “Get up, get up, come out!” from its chorus were shouted back at Tobi as he effortlessly belted out the song’s motivational lyrics, Neygenfind’s bassline adding to the drama.
Adrienne took to the centre of the stage to join Tobias for a rendition of ‘Reach Out for the Light’ and proved how much of a vocal powerhouse she is, nailing the massive note mid-song, which was met by massive applause. A refreshing take on the track that originally featured Michael Kiske (Halloween), the female vocals adding a different spin.
Though Kamelot vocalist Karevik arrived cloaked in a hood for ‘The Witch’ mirroring the music video, his unmistakable voice was recognised instantly and caused many to welcome him with cheers even before he took it off.
Langhans swapped his backup vocal duties for a closer, up-front performance with Sammet, singing epic parts on the first Scarecrow song of the night, Devil in the Belfry. The number of people singing the words back at the stage went up, the seventeen-year-old song proving to be popular and well-known to the metalheads and rockers present.
‘Phantasmagoria’ saw Ronnie Atkins reprise his role, making the relatively new piece of music sound like a classic with his timeless voice complementing Tobias’. The Pretty Maids singer inserted his signature vocalisations after certain lines, wowing the crowd and effortlessly hyping them up.
Eric Martin, the former frontman of the recently retired rock band Mr. Big, shared the ballad ‘What’s Left of Me’ with Sammet, who took his sunglasses off after this sixth song. Arms were swinging and hands were waving as the Mystery of Time tune played. Martin stayed for another number and they travelled even further back with ‘Dying for an Angel’, providing a more upbeat vibe.
H.E.A.T. singer Kenny’s soaring vocals on ‘Against the Wind’ were experienced live for the first time by many present, the energy of power metal particularly strong at this point in the set. Leckremo’s range is absolutely astounding and is a relentless ball of energy as he bounces around the stage.
The tenth track featured Bob Catley, who would only appear at this concert due to health reasons. His band, Magnum, headlines at O2 Forum Kentish Town only two months ago, in tribute to late guitarist Tony Clarkin. The oldest vocalist, Catley, managed to hold his own on ‘The Story Ain’t Over’, his illness seemingly not impacting his impressive set of pipes. His fans showed their appreciation in various ways throughout the song and even friends on stage expressed how thankful they were to be performing with him.
After another duet with Cowan, Avantasia’s ‘Let the Storm Descend Upon’ London, before taking every to the ‘Promised Land’ minus Tobias Sammet. Only the project mastermind sang leads on ‘The Toy Master’, once again making his impressive voice shine over the venue.
On noticing that security were handing out cups of water to people in the standing area at the front, Tobi joked that it was vodka and remarked: “We don’t have this in Germany!” ’Twisted Mind’ boasted some great guitar work from Paeth and Wiegand, between virtually everyone in the place screaming “There’s no way out!” as they threw horns up and head-banged.
Following some amazing drumming from Bohnke, ‘Farewell’ bid a premature goodbye with Chiara’s sole lead female vocal opportunity of the night, and the folk-like intro let everyone know what time it was, thanks to Miro on keys. This was the penultimate song taken from The Metal Opera, making it one of the oldest played on the evening.
Atkins came back to help Sammet deliver vocals for ‘The Scarecrow’, singing Jørn Lande’s parts with ease. ‘Death Is Just A Feeling’ brought the creepy vibes to the end of the set, with Tobias only on lead vocals as Cowan, Langhans, and Tricarico sang backup.
The band briefly disappeared from view after the main set, returning for an encore to the chanting and cheering crowd. Tobias played the piano for ‘Lucifer’, as he crooned “I’ll take you home tonight” to his captivated audience ahead of the musicians returning to play the heavier half of the composition.
A medley of ’Sign of the Cross’ and ‘The Seven Angels’ from the Metal Opera parts I and II brought everyone together for an epic encore, highlighting the enormous talent that was present.
Setlist:
INTRO
CREEPSHOW (Tobi)
REACH OUT FOR THE LIGHT (Tobias Sammet, Adrienne Cowan)
THE WITCH (Tobias Sammet, Tommy Karevik)
DEVIL IN THE BELFRY (Tobias Sammet, Herbie Langhans)
PHANTASMAGORIA (Tobias Sammet, Ronnie Atkins)
WHAT`S LEFT OF ME (Tobias Sammet, Eric Martin)
DYING FOR AN ANGEL (Tobias Sammet, Eric Martin)
AGAINST THE WIND (Tobias Sammet, Kenny Leckremo)
HERE BE DRAGONS (Tobias Sammet, Tommy Karevik)
THE STORY AIN’T OVER (Tobias Sammet, Bob Catley)
AVALON (Tobias Sammet, Adrienne Cowan)
LET THE STORM (Tobias Sammet, Herbie Langhans, Kenny Leckremo)
PROMISED LAND (Ronnie Atkins, Eric Martin)
THE TOYMASTER (Tobias Sammet)
TWISTED MIND (Ronnie Atkins, Eric Martin)
THE WICKED SYMPHONY (Tommy Karevik, Kenny Leckremo)
SHELTER FROM THE RAIN (Herbie Langhans, Kenny Leckremo)
FAREWELL (Tobias Sammet, Chiara Tricarico)
THE SCARECROW (Tobias Sammet, Herbie Langhans)
DEATH IS JUST A FEELING (Tobias Sammet)
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LUCIFER (Tobias Sammet)
SIGN OF THE ANGELS (Tobias Sammet, Chiara Tricarico, Adrienne Cowan, all)
Encore:
- Lucifer
- Sign of the Cross / The Seven Angels
Photography by Artur Tarczewski
Review by Kira Levine
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