{mosimage}Third Avantasia album by Tobias Sammet, the leader of the German metal band Edguy. Once more, with an amazing list of collaborators to create another great metal opera.
The fans had to wait a lot to see a new Avantasia album on the stores, since 2002, when the second album of Avantasia, The Metal Opera Part II, was released, so no wonder that The Scarecrow has become one of the most commented releases of the recent times in the metal industry. After the success of the previous two parts, but also after the efforts of congregating the right musicians, Tobias Sammet took a long break before planning everything carefully and come back stronger than ever with the third Avantasia's album.
It was worthy to wait, and impressive to take a look at the list of collaborators: Alice Cooper, Eric Singer, Kai Hansen, Amanda Somerville, Bob Catley or “le enfant terrible” and metal renegade Michael Kiske are some of the names that have helped Sammet to create this new metal odyssey. The album is a bit more eclectic and softer than previous ones, with Sammet flirting with a wide range of metal styles: from the classic songs that will be more than welcome by the old-school fans Shelter From The Rain or Another Angel Down to the catchy ballads of Carry Me Over, What Kind of Love or Cry Just a Little or extravaganzas like The Toy Master (vocals courtesy of the always dangerous and exciting Alice Cooper) and also space for a more commercial sound in Lost in Space.
All in all, The Scarecrow is a great album, well produced and orchestrated, that will satisfy to all the open-minded metal fans. Just the chance to listen to Kiske singing heavy metal songs once more deserves to get it!
Rating: 4/5