Now for a bit of opera...

Avantasia is the musical side-project of German Heavy Metal band Edguy's frontman, Tobias Sammet. The band comprises of the best talents from the power metal scene.

Structured like a classic opera, the Metal Opera albums tell the tale of a young monk named Gabriel Laymann (sung by Tobias) as he is reunited with his sister. However, like all good family reunions, there is a catch. His sister is due to be tried as witch. As a result of a deal with a druid to save his sister, Gabriel must first save the world of Avantasia. Other characters includes Bishop Johann von Bicken, Pope Clement VIII, Elderane the Elf, Regrin the Dwarf and the Tree of Knowledge

The Metal Opera albums are considered to be all-time classics by fans and followers alike. Although, Metal Opera Part I only reached #34 in the German album charts while Metal Opera Part II made it to #17. In my opinion, charts are mostly meaningless.

After the success of his Metal Opera, Tobias stated that Avantasia would never release another album. This summer they are due to release their third album, Scarecrow.

The Metal Opera albums Part I and II are available at Amazon UK, Amazon US and iTunes. - Ryan

Trivia: Pope Clement VIII was a real anti-semitic tyrant. Also he may be responsible for the popularity of coffee in Italy when he attempted to baptise it away from Islam and into Christianity.