A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society in Bloomington, MN

No other metal band offers the pomp, polish, and fist-pumping excess that
Tobias Sammet
's
Avantasia
does. Over eight previous star-studded albums, the revolving lineup has issued massively produced, thundering, hooky operatic power metal redolent with massive metal chops, truly glorious vocals, and classical orchestras.
A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society
arrives in time for Halloween.
Sammet
and guitarist, co-producer, and mixing engineer
Sascha Paeth
guide these proceedings with taste, attitude, and verve. Despite (mostly) shorter songs,
inserted every
trademark into each one, but provided his distinguished guest vocalists with plenty of room for individual creative expression.
In opener "Welcome to the Shadows,"
is framed by a church organ, piano, a full vocal chorus, and power chords. The dynamic range and excessive production are pure
Jim Steinman
; it works beautifully with these lyric hooks, an otherworldly refrain, and a catchy bridge. The album's first single, "The Wicked Rule the Night," is delivered in duet with
Primal Fear
frontman
Ralf Scheepers
. A chanted male chorus and edgy guitars give way to earthquaking drums and immeasurably heavy riffs before the raging
Scheepers
sings the sinister lyric atop a power chug that threatens to derail the entire track. "Kill the Pain Away" is the first of two seminal appearances by
Nightwish
frontwoman
Floor Jansen
. She and
are perfect duet partners. He sounds like a bad-seed
Steve Perry
roaring over the guitars and keys, while she offers a command of the drama, pathos, and passion with soulful empathy amid a soaring operatic chorale, layers of compressed guitars (featuring a a killer solo from
Paeth
), and a burning beat from
Felix Bohnke
. If there was a track made for rock radio, this is it.
Jansen
also appears on the sumptuous power ballad "Misplaced Among the Angels." "The Inmost Light" gives a chugging, hard-driving, riff-saturated, muscular nod to the music of guest vocalist
Michael Kiske
's band
Helloween
. Speaking of iconic metal singers, the one and only
Jorn Lande
of
Masterplan
adds his signature wail to "I Tame the Storm" amid galloping dual lead guitars, massive drum and bass breakdowns, and layered keyboards. The refrain is anthemic.
Magnum
Bob Catley
joins
on the title track. Its storm-and-stomp groove is tempered by an intricately wrought melodic hook. At 75,
Catley
sounds just fantastic.
Geoff Tate
is in fine voice on the episodic "Scars," as is
Mr. Big
Eric Martin
on the crunchy "Rhyme and Reason." Ten-minute closer "Arabesque" features three singers --
,
Lande
, and
Kiske
-- and resplendent bagpipe-esque guitar intros and outros while channeling prog and hook-laden hard rock as well as power metal (a la an Eastern modal riff adapted from
Led Zeppelin
's "Kashmir"). Throughout
, the artists remain focused and almost gleefully creative. The polished production and bombastic musical frameworks are woven tightly into the architectural fabric of the album, adding heft, warmth, and dimension, not distraction. ~ Thom Jurek