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The Scarecrow (album)
''The Scarecrow'' is the third full-length album by Tobias Sammet's German rock opera project Avantasia, released on 25 January 2008 through Nuclear Blast Records. It is the first part of "The Wicked Trilogy" and it is followed by ''The Wicked Symphony'' and ''Angel of Babylon''. Sammet explained in a 2016 interview that he managed to have Alice Cooper after drummer Eric Singer asked him. Cooper requested to have a listen to the song first and then accepted to be part of it. Plot ''The Scarecrow'' is a concept album about the tragic story of a lonesome creature, emotionally isolated from his environment and suffering from a distorted sensory perception. His feelings for the love of his life unrequited, he sets off on a journey exploring his left-hand path, striving for inner peace, ploughing his way to approval and eventually facing temptation at the inner depths of the human soul. The story continues on the albums ''The Wicked Symphony'' and ''Angel of Babylon''. Track listing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Avantasia
Avantasia is a German supergroup metal opera project created by Tobias Sammet, vocalist of the band Edguy. It has been characterized as a rock opera, as it features the contributions of various vocalists and musicians and it consists of concept albums. Conceived in 1999 as studio-only, two-album project, Avantasia has since released seven other studio albums and has toured the world multiple times. It can be divided into four periods of activity. The first, 1999–2002, saw the release of a self-titled single and the full-length albums ''The Metal Opera'' and ''The Metal Opera Part II''. The second, 2006–2011, consists of the EPs '' Lost in Space Part I & II'' and The Wicked Trilogy, composed of the albums '' The Scarecrow'', ''The Wicked Symphony'' and ''Angel of Babylon''. The third, 2013–2016, includes the albums ''The Mystery of Time'' and ''Ghostlights''. The fourth period, 2019–2022, comprises the albums '' Moonglow'' and ''A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower So ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillotines, electric chairs, fake blood, reptiles, baby dolls, and dueling swords, Cooper is considered by many music journalists and peers to be "The Godfather of Shock Rock". He has drawn equally from horror films, vaudeville, and garage rock to pioneer a macabre and theatrical brand of rock designed to shock audiences. Originating in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1964, "Alice Cooper" was originally a band with roots extending back to a band called the Earwigs, consisting of Furnier on vocals and harmonica, Glen Buxton on lead guitar, and Dennis Dunaway on bass guitar and backing vocals. By 1966, Michael Bruce on rhythm guitar joined the three and Neal Smith was added on drums in 1967. The five named the band "Alice Cooper", and Furnier eventually ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Place Vendome (band)
Place Vendome is a German melodic hard rock / AOR project, founded in 2004 at the direction of Frontiers Records president Serafino Perugino. Place Vendome was formed by Helloween and Unisonic vocalist Michael Kiske, Dennis Ward (bass and production), Kosta Zafiriou (drums) and Uwe Reitenauer (guitars) from the band Pink Cream 69 and Gunther Werno (keyboards) from the band Vanden Plas. The project has released four full-length albums; '' Place Vendome'' in 2005, '' Streets of Fire'' in 2009, '' Thunder in the Distance'' in 2013 and '' Close to the Sun'' in 2017. History Debut album (2004–2005) Serafino Perugino devised the idea for the Place Vendome project during the winter of 2004. He approached both Michael Kiske and Dennis Ward with the proposition of recording a melodic rock/ AOR album. According to Kiske "The whole band was an idea of Serafino Perugino from Frontiers Records...He first got into contact with Dennis Ward of Pink Cream 69 and hired him to oversee ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Helloween
Helloween is a German power metal band founded in 1984 in Hamburg by members of bands Iron Fist, Gentry, Second Hell and Powerfool. Its first lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Kai Hansen, bassist Markus Grosskopf, guitarist Michael Weikath and drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg. By the time Hansen quit Helloween in 1989 to form Gamma Ray, the band had evolved into a five-piece, with Michael Kiske taking over as lead vocalist. Schwichtenberg and Kiske both parted ways with Helloween in 1993; Schwichtenberg died two years later as the result of suicide. Between then and 2016, there had been numerous line-up changes, leaving Grosskopf and Weikath as the only remaining original members. As a septet, their current lineup includes four-fifths of the '' Keeper of the Seven Keys: Parts I'' and '' II''-era (1987–1988) lineup, featuring three additional members, vocalist Andi Deris (who had replaced Kiske in 1994), guitarist Sascha Gerstner and drummer Daniel Löble. Since its incepti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Masterplan (band)
Masterplan is a German power metal band founded by guitarist Roland Grapow and drummer Uli Kusch upon leaving Helloween in 2001. History During Helloween's tour of their album ''The Dark Ride'' in 2001, members Roland Grapow and Uli Kusch (who had been in the band since 1989 and 1994, respectively) decided to form a side project. As the other Helloween members felt the two were more focused on their side project than Helloween at the time, both were later fired from the band. The name "Masterplan" was born out of the idea that they would be master musicians with the future in their hands, starting the newest power metal band of the new millennium. To fill out their line-up, Roland subsequently invited Children of Bodom keyboardist Janne Wirman. For vocals, Russell Allen was invited but he had to decline, being busy with his main band Symphony X. A second invitation was made for former Helloween singer Michael Kiske, who also rejected the proposal, claiming that he wanted to ke ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ark (Norwegian Band)
Ark was a progressive metal band from Norway founded by guitarist Tore Østby ( Conception, D. C. Cooper, Frankie's Playground, Redrum) and drummer John Macaluso (TNT, Riot, Spread Eagle, Alex Masi, Yngwie Malmsteen, Powermad), who later joined up with singer Jørn Lande to record two albums. Lande, Østby and Macaluso were joined by Randy Coven (Steve Vai, Steve Morse) on bass and Mats Olausson (Yngwie Malmsteen) on keyboards for their second effort. History Ark's self-titled debut album was released in 1999. After touring to support the follow-up album ''Burn the Sun'', Ark went on hiatus and eventually broke up, with Jørn Lande joining Roland Grapow and Uli Kusch in the classic power metal band Masterplan, as well as pushing his own solo career. Reunion and disbandment John Macaluso updated his discography to include a new Ark album, called ''Aradiokaos''. Very little has been heard thus far, but when the news broke on Metal Storm, screenshots confirming the project wer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Rodenberg
Michael Rodenberg, nicknamed Miro (born 9 April 1970), is a German keyboard player and record producer known for working with power metal bands such as Angra, Shaaman, Luca Turilli, Rhapsody of Fire, Kamelot, and Heavens Gate. He mainly works in conjunction with his some-time bandmate Sascha Paeth. In addition to his production work, Miro has made guest appearances for many of the bands he works with as a keyboard player, and also provides orchestral arrangements. He served a particularly long period as a guest of Kamelot, providing all keyboards on their studio albums from 1999 until 2005, when they hired tour musician Oliver Palotai as a full-time member. In 2004, he participated in ''Aina'', a metal opera featuring many guest heavy metal musicians. In 2007, Miro and Sacha Paeth helped to relaunch Tobias Sammet's metal opera Avantasia, with the albums of '' The Wicked Trilogy'' (on which Miro played most of the keyboard parts and orchestrations), and also leading it to have ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oliver Hartmann
Oliver Hartmann (born 28 June 1970 in Rüsselsheim, West Germany) is a German metal vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, and producer who performed in various acts, either as guitarist, solo or choir singer. He is best known for his role as vocalist and one of the founders of the band At Vance, his own band Hartmann and his guest appearances on albums of several prominent metal bands, including Freedom Call, Edguy, Rhapsody, Genius rock opera, Iron Mask, Aina's metal opera ''Days of Rising Doom'' and the metal opera Avantasia where he participated as a vocalist in 4 albums and also as a guitarist of the live and studio line up. He is also guitarist and vocalist with the Pink-Floyd tribute band Echoes. Hartmann began his career as guitarist in several local bands but since the age of 18 concentrated more on his singing. Among others he played in bands as Hanz Damf, Tuned, and Centers, the latter with which he made his first international appearances. He reached his first success wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amanda Somerville
Amanda Somerville (born March 7, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and vocal coach who resides in Wolfsburg, Germany. She is known primarily for her work with many European symphonic metal bands. Biography Personal life Somerville was raised in Flushing, Michigan. She attended Flushing Senior High School, original graduating class of 1997, however graduating a full year early in 1996 and winning a scholarship for graduating with high honors to the University of Michigan–Flint, where she majored in psychology. Somerville moved to Wolfsburg, Germany in 1999, where she resided for several years, working mainly in Germany and the Netherlands. On August 19, 2013, she announced that she was engaged to be married to After Forever's former guitarist Sander Gommans, and the pair were married on July 26, 2014. On January 8, 2015, she announced that she and Gommans were expecting their first child. On July 17, 2015, their daughter, Lana Elise Gommans, was born. In 2018, their ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bob Catley
Robert Adrian Catley is an English singer and musician, best known by his stage name as Bob Catley. He is the lead singer of the British rock band Magnum. He is also a solo artist. Biography Early years (1947–1972) Born in Aldershot on 11 September 1947, Catley's family moved to the Tile Cross area of Birmingham when he was young. He went on to attend the nearby Central Grammar School for Boys (Birmingham) and left to start an apprenticeship at the GPO before deciding on a musical career shortly after meeting similarly minded individuals at college. Whilst at college he joined several bands, such as The Smokestacks (Jeff Clark-guitar, Ron Savage-guitar, Derek Danks- bass & Brian Worrell- drums Life and Clearwater). His first professional band was when he joined local outfit The Capitol Systems. The initial line-up was Bob Catley (vocals) Paul Sargent (guitar) Paul Whitehouse (bass), Dave Bailey (keyboards) and Bob Moore (drums). Shortly afterward they changed their ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Kiske
Michael Kiske (born January 24, 1968) is a German singer and lead vocalist for the German power metal band Helloween. Kiske has released four solo albums, two albums with the hard rock band Unisonic, has participated on various metal and rock related projects, such as Avantasia, Place Vendome and Kiske/Somerville and has also performed with numerous bands as a guest vocalist. Biography Early life Prior to joining Helloween, Kiske sang with the German band Ill Prophecy at the age of 17. The band recorded a demo, but it was never released commercially. Personal life Kiske said in an interview 2021 that his father killed himself with alcohol. Michael himself didn't drink alcohol at all for many years, but in 2021 he said he could enjoy a glass of red wine while he was working. He has a younger sister and an older brother. Kiske said in an interview 2013: "I'm very sensitive and I take betrayal very, very heavy. I don't wanna sound stupid, but I think I'm a good friend. If ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jørn Lande
Jørn Marumsrud Lande (born May 31, 1968) is a Norwegian hard rock and heavy metal singer and songwriter. He is known for his work with the bands Ark, Beyond Twilight, Millenium, Vagabond, The Snakes, and most notably with power metal band Masterplan. He is also the most recurrent guest singer of the international supergroup Avantasia, and has worked as lead and guest singer in several projects. Currently, he is focusing his activities on his solo project Jorn. In 2014, Lande was hired by Riot Games to be the voice of the character Karthus, of the fictional heavy metal band Pentakill (''League of Legends''). Lande's voice has drawn favorable comparisons to David Coverdale and Ronnie James Dio. Biography Jørn Lande has performed with various bands before achieving a solid career. Vagabond, the Snakes and first projects (1993–1998) The first band with whom he achieved a minor success was Vagabond, which also featured Ronni Le Tekrø, Morty Black and other former member ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
