Tobias Sammet's Avantasia is a melodic metal band formed by Tobias Sammet, leader and songwriter of the German power metal band Edguy. Sammet is dedicated entirely to writing, composition, and production. Avantasia currently has a total of eight studio albums and one live album. This project mixes different genres of metal, mainly power metal and symphonic metal.
In the spring of 1999, during Edguy's Theater of Salvation tour, Tobias Sammet came up with the idea of making a metal opera concept album that involves several musicians. After the tour ends, he starts collaborating with Michael Kiske, Andre Matos, Kai Hansen, Rob Rock, David Defeis, Sharon den Adel, Bob Catley and Oliver Hartmann to record the album. At this point, the project includes four members including Sammet on keyboards, Henjo Richter on guitar, Markus Grosskopf on bass and Alex Holzwarth on drums. In 2001, a homonymous single and a first studio album, The Metal Opera, are published. The project pauses after the release of The Metal Opera Part II in September 2002.
At the end of 2006, Sammet confirms the rumors of a third Avantasia album planned for 2008. Two EPs, Lost in Space Part I and part. They are published on November 19, 2007, and the following album, The Scarecrow, is released on January 25, 2008. The Scarecrow marks the first chapter of The Wicked Trilogy and becomes the first to include Sascha Paeth as guitarist and producer. . The album also features drummer Eric Singer, guitarists Henjo Richter and Rudolf Schenker, and singers Jørn Lande, Michael Kiske, Bob Catley, Alice Cooper, Roy Khan, Amanda Somerville and Oliver Hartmann.
After the release of The Scarecrow, Tobias Sammet is invited to play Wacken Open Air, an offer that guitarist and producer Sascha Paeth convinces him to accept. They play 13 concerts between July 5th and August 13th. Their appearances at the Masters of Rock and Wacken Open Air festivals are filmed and released on DVD under the title The Flying Opera in March 2011. The training included on stage Tobias Sammet, Andre Matos, Jørn Lande, Kai Hansen, Bob Catley, Amanda Somerville, Cloudy Yang, Sascha Paeth, Oliver Hartmann, Robert Hunecke, Miro and Felix Bohnke (Edguy).
