It was January of 2016 when I stumbled upon an album called “Ghostlights” and thus opened the door to a realm where heavy metal riffs and fantasy work together to create enchanting rock operas. Since then, it has become obvious that Tobias Sammet is one of the most creative and prolific songwriters on the metal scene. His work with supergroup AVANTASIA more than proves his boundless imagination as well as his penchant for working with many talented musicians that bring his stories to life in vivid colors and immersive sounds, from early albums like “The Metal Opera” duology to recent releases such as “Moonglow” (2019) or “Here Be Dragons” (2025). Ten years after, we look back on how AVANTASIA’s seventh studio album, “Ghostlights,” released on January 29th, 2016, holds up and if it evokes the same feelings of wonder and awe as before.
From the opening track and lead single “Mystery of a Blood Red Rose” to the excellent bonus track “Wake up to the Moon,” I (still) believe this album to be the embodiment of perfection in what symphonic and power metal can achieve if balanced properly. And how can it not be so, given the sheer amount of awesomeness that was crammed in its seventy-five minutes of runtime, of which twelve minutes were claimed by the absolute epic “Let the Storm Descend Upon You.” A rather lengthy track, but a fun one at that, with some really cool instrumental parts and a super catchy chorus, while the joint vocal effort of Tobias Sammet, Jørn Lande, Ronnie Atkins, and Robert Mason make this track into everything a power/progressive song should attempt to be. The piano-led ballad turned high-octane power metal song “Lucifer” should be a case study in how to turn a song on its head without feeling like there are two songs crammed into one; it’s that good and impressive despite its rather short runtime of under four minutes.
Apart from these songs, there are so many other exceptional vocals moments to delight in chief among them being Dee Snider’s ghostly presence on “The Haunting” that only enhances the song’s already spooky ambiance in the best way possible, Marko Hietala’s wicked delivery on the fast-paced, heavy yet uber catchy “Master of the Pendulum” complementing Sammet’s tone and giving it a sense of urgency and eeriness, and Michael Kiske’s high-pitched and powerful vocals that blend well with the dynamics of the title track. The mellower songs are not too shabby either, and Herbie Langhans’s deep velvety vocals still give me chills on long-time favorite “Draconian Love,” while the poetically titled power ballad “A Restless Heart and Obsidian Sky” gives Bob Catley ample space to shine and impress us with his gentle but passionate delivery.
As amazing as these singers are wonderfully playing their assigned roles within this story, their vocals are only half the story, as this album wouldn’t be nearly as compelling without some killer melodies to boot, and fortunately, there’s no shortage of them here. From the theatrical and elegant notes of the MEAT LOAF-esque “Mystery of a Blood Red Rose” through the power metal antics of “Ghostlights” and the orchestral beauty of “Isle of Evermore” (which features the one and only Sharon den Adel), all the way to the stupidly hooky choruses of “Let the Storm Descend Upon You,” “The Haunting,” or “Unchain the Light” and the incredible catchiness of such tracks like “Master of Pendulum” or “Babylon Vampyres” this album always offers plenty of chances for singing along, headbanging to the rhythm, playing air guitar/air drums, or simply rocking out, its no wonder it still sounds so fresh and invigorating in 2026.
The theatrical aspect of the music, coupled with grand storytelling, strong melodies, rousing choruses, and a delightful cast of singers have turned “Ghostlights” into more than just a classic album and a staple of the power metal scene by setting a new standard for what such sprawling concept records should be. It stands toe-to-toe with previous AVANTASIA outings as “The Wicked Symphony” (2010) and “The Mystery of Time” (2013), as well as follow-up “Moonglow” (2018), and its main merit is that it further solidified Tobias Sammet’s counterpoint to AYREON as a force to be reckoned with. Moreover, listening to it ten years after its initial release, I still enjoy it (hell, I think I appreciate it more these days than back then) while the beauty of the melodies and lyrics still has my imagination in overdrive (the poetic titles also help in this respect). It’s almost a given that this project has also grown to the point of headlining festivals and constantly touring, which resulted in EDGUY being on hiatus while Tobias Sammet focuses on AVANTASIA, but that is a side-effect of having such a successful rock opera project.
Written by Andrea Crow
Tracklist
- 1. Mystery of A Blood Red Rose
- 2. Let The Storm Descend Upon You
- 3. The Haunting
- 4. Seduction of Decay
- 5. Ghostlights
- 6. Draconian Love
- 7. Master of The Pendulum
- 8. Isle of Evermore
- 9. Babylon Vampyres
- 10. Lucifer
- 11. Unchain The Light
- 12. A Restless Heart and Obsidian Skies
- 13. Wake up to the Moon (Bonus Track)
Lineup
- Tobias Sammet – lead vocals
- Sascha Paeth – lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass, additional keyboards
- Michael Rodenberg – orchestration, keyboards
- Felix Bohnke – drums
- Cloudy Yang – backing vocals
Guest instrumentalists
- Bruce Kulick – lead guitar
- Oliver Hartmann – lead guitar
Guest vocalists
Jørn Lande | Michael Kiske | Dee Snider | Geoff Tate | Marko Hietala | Sharon den Adel | Bob Catley | Ronnie Atkins | Robert Mason | Herbie Langhans
Label
Nuclear Blast (international) / Avalon (Japan)
