''The Scarecrow'' is the third full-length album by

Tobias Sammet Tobias Sammet (born 21 November 1977) is a German musician, singer, songwriter, music producer and radio host best known for being the singer and primary songwriter of the power metal band Edguy, and the founder of the metal opera project Avant ...

's German rock opera project Avantasia, released on 25 January 2008 through

Nuclear Blast Records Nuclear Blast is a record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label mov ...

. 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 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, guillot ...

after drummer

Eric Singer Eric Singer (born Eric Doyle Mensinger; May 12, 1958) is an American drummer. Associated with the hard rock band Kiss since 1991, he has also performed with artists such as Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Lita Ford, Badlands, Brian May and Gary M ...

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 A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

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

Personnel

– vocals, bass guitar, additional keyboards * Sascha Paeth – guitars * Miro – keyboards, orchestration *

– drums

Guest vocalists

* Jørn Lande (ex-

Ark Ark or ARK may refer to: Biblical narratives and religion Hebrew word ''teva'' * Noah's Ark, a massive vessel said to have been built to save the world's animals from a flood * Ark of bulrushes, the boat of the infant Moses Hebrew ''aron'' * ...

, ex- Masterplan, Jorn) (tracks 2, 6, 8) *

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 ...

(ex- Helloween, Place Vendome, Unisonic) (track 2, 3, 5) *

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 ...

( Magnum) (tracks 3, 9) *

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 ...

(

Aina Aina may refer to: * Aina (given name) Places * Aina (Crete), a town of ancient Crete * Aïna River, a river in Cameroon and Gabon * Aina, Iran, a village in Kermanshah Province, Iran Art and entertainment * ''Aina'' (1977 film), a 1977 Pakista ...

) (track 5) *

(track 7) *

Roy Khan Roy Sætre Khantatat ( th, รอย ขันธทัต; born 12 March 1970), commonly known as Roy Khan, is a Norwegian singer and songwriter. He is the lead singer for progressive metal band Conception and the former lead vocalist for symp ...

(ex-

Kamelot Kamelot is an American power metal band from Tampa, Florida, formed by Thomas Youngblood, in 1987. The Norwegian vocalist Roy Khan joined for the album ''Siége Perilous'', and shared songwriting credit with Youngblood until his departure in Apr ...

, Conception) (track 1) * Oliver Hartmann (ex- At Vance) (track 10)

Guest musicians

Henjo Richter Henjo Oliver Richter, (born 24 November 1963 in Hamburg, West Germany) is a guitarist and keyboardist in Gamma Ray (band), Gamma Ray, the German power metal band formed by Kai Hansen. Biography Henjo is a self-taught musician and started playing ...

– lead guitar (tracks 2, 3, 6, 7, 8) *

Kai Hansen Kai Michael Hansen (born 17 January 1963) is a German musician who is the founder, lead guitarist and vocalist of power metal band Gamma Ray. He is also one of the co-founders of metal band Helloween, which he rejoined in 2016. He is a prominent ...

– lead guitar (track 3) *

Rudolf Schenker Rudolf Schenker (born 31 August 1948) is a German guitarist and founder of the hard rock band Scorpions. He is the rhythm guitarist, primary songwriter and longest-serving original member of the band. He is also the CEO/owner-manager of the Sco ...

– lead guitar (track 10)

Production

*Produced by Sascha Paeth & Tobias Sammet *Recorded & Engineered by Chuck Garric, Sascha Paeth, Olaf Reitmeier & Mark Stuart *Mixed & Mastered by Sascha Paeth

Promo singles

* "Lost in Space" (2007) * "Carry Me Over" (2007)

Videos

The video for "Lost in Space" was released in 2007 with the release of the EPs of the same name. In December 2007, the video for "Carry Me Over" was released on Myspace. ''The Scarecrow's'' EPK (electronic press-kit) is available , courtesy of Tobias Sammet.

Charts

Tobias Sammet :: Avantasia :: Official Web
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scarecrow (Album) Avantasia albums 2008 albums Rock operas Concept albums Nuclear Blast albums