Holy power metal, Batman! Tobias Sammet, mastermind of Edguy and the now gigantic metal opera that is Avantasia, is back with his tenth installment of the Avantasia saga, ‘Here Be Dragons’, which is set for release on February 28th via Napalm Records, his first with the label. It remains to be seen which vocalists will appear alongside Tobi, but if the Rodney Matthews artwork is anything to go by, it’s sure to be one of the grandest, most exciting power metal releases of the year.

The vocalist and composer states, “This new album carries the most adventurous and bold spirit my music has had in decades. And it’s rather reckless, fearless, powerful, and uplifting and not introverted at all! While my previous albums allowed me to get a lot off my chest, this time I dove headfirst into the creative flood, crafting ten musical pictures that miraculously merged into what I believe is the tightest chapter in Avantasia history. I did everything exactly how I wanted it, approaching the album with unrelenting determination and a carefree attitude that was reminiscent of my early days way before the ‘Metal Opera’ thing, when I felt unstoppable and just let instinct write songs! Right now I’m bursting with energy and can’t wait to unleash ‘Here Be Dragons’ and then kick off the big tour with our new stage. We’ll present the new material alongside our classics and some rarities in the most spectacular stage show Avantasia has ever delivered. An early Merry Christmas, everyone!”

The band’s impressive success story has seen nine previous studio albums (including 2019’s ‘Moonglow‘ that charted at #1 in Germany and saw the band headline Wacken festival there), gold awards, hundreds of millions of streams as well as sold-out global arena tours in front of tens of thousands of devoted fans. Avantasia are not showing any signs of slowing down – soon after the release of ‘Here Be Dragons‘, the band will head out on an extensive arena tour across Europe, promising to deliver fans an immersive experience with their biggest and most epic production ever.

See Avantasia live on March 24th 2025 at the Roundhouse in London. Pre-order ‘Here Be Dragons’ here.