Damn! 2008 is turning into a pretty good year for music… so far. I recently reviewed the great LEVERAGE “Blind Fire” CD and I said it would appear in my top CD list of 2008 and now we have the brand new AVANTASIA epic “The Scarecrow” to review.

Well, I can safely say this album will also appear in my top CD list come years end. If you are already a fan of the first two AVANTASIA albums or EDGUY ( Sammet ’s main band) then you will most likely be checking this out already. If you aren’t familiar with the AVANTASIA project but are a fan of classic hard rock and metal then you may want to read on.

Just as the sound of Sammet’s main band EDGUY has evolved over the years so has this release compared to the other AVANTASIA albums. Still on offer is a plethora of excellent metal musicians with not only Sammet himself providing vocals but also none other then Jorn Lande, Bob Catley (MAGNUM), Roy Kahn (KAMELOT), Oliver Hartmann (AT VANCE, EMPTY TREMOR), Amanda Somerville, Michael Kiske (HELLOWEEN) and the legendary Alice Cooper himself all laying down their golden-throated magic. And Sammet also gets help from the likes of drummer Eric Singer (KISS, ALICE COOPER) and guitarists Kai Hansen (GAMMA RAY, HELLOWEEN) , Henjo Richter (GAMMA RAY) and Rudolf Schenker (SCORPIONS). WOW! That’s quite an impressive array of talent from the metal community!

The album opens with “Twisted Mind” and the song features vocals from Roy Kahn and Sammet. The song is reminiscent of the KAMELOT work that Kahn is associated with. The guitars by Sascha Paeth trudge through with an ominous sound as the vocals soar above.

Next up is the title track “The Scarecrow”. Clocking in at over eleven minutes this epic number treats us to not only the vocals of Sammet but also vocal god Jorn Lande and Michael Kiske. The song bends and weaves through crunching vocal parts and quiet instrumental sections. The guitar work provided by Paeth and Henjo Richter is clean and precise. For a song of such length the track never loses your attention and it almost seems over before you know it. A GREAT TRACK!

“Shelter From The Rain” is a speedy double bass drum number reminiscent of EDGUY as we hear the first contribution from legendary MAGNUM singer and solo artist Bob Catley .

“Carry Me Over” is the first obvious sign of the evolution of the AVANTASIA sound. The song is extremely melodic and catchy with its smooth vocals from Sammet and the use of modern production elements gives the song an updated sound but don’t worry it’s still fits within the confines of the album and the AVANTASIA sound as a whole.

Track 5, “What Kind Of Love”, introduces the great female vocals of Amanda Somerville with a ballad that is delivered with class and some nice orchestration.

“Another Angel Down” just might be a contender for my song of the year! With vocals by Jorn Lande and Sammet the song is executed perfectly for my tastes. The hook lines pull you in and the keyboards put you over the top and then the guitar work just drives it all home. You can’t help but sing along while playing “air” drums, keyboards and guitar!!! And did I already mention that Jorn Lande is a vocal god?

After that great track we are then treated to the legendary vocals of none other than Alice Cooper for “The Toy Master”. Cooper croons as only he could and the song features some stellar guitar work courtesy of Richter and Paeth.

“Devil In The Belfry” is a true power metal number with vocals by Sammet & Lande. The song again reminds me of the EDGUY sound with its thrashy yet surgical guitar sounds and great backing vocals.

After some true metal numbers, we are treated to the albums second ballad in “Cry Just A Little”. Bob Catley is suited perfectly to handle the vocals as the song reminds you of Catley’s debut solo work on “The Tower” (Frontiers Records, 1998). The song is smooth and delicate as it opens with vocals over simple acoustic guitar before giving way to some nice orchestration and a great chorus.

“I Don’t Believe In Your Love” features Oliver Hartmann on vocals and the song is coarse in it’s lyrical content with lines like “I don’t believe in your love / don’t give a fuck for roses” and “loving you was bleeding / so I had to break away”. A true metal number!

The album closes out with the first single and video release, “Lost In Space”. The song again is different for the AVANTASIA sound and a good point of reference would be the track “Superheroes” from the 2006 EDGUY album “Rocket Ride”. It’s commercial and the modern production elements give it an updated sound and a nice addition to the music that is AVANTASIA.

Overall, this album offers so many great moments… from the awesome vocal performances to the stellar guitar work and other instrumentation to the top-notch production. This album is a work that will stand on its own for a long time to come. If you’re a fan of Power metal, Symphonic metal, hard rock or just plain good old Heavy metal then you will want to check this release out.