AVANTASIA

Renowned for their grandiose productions, Avantasia is set to bring their latest show to Bangers Open Air 2025, showcasing their tenth studio album, Here Be Dragons. With this new release and a festival tour, the band promises to take fans deeper into the fantastical world of Avantasia. Tobias Sammet, the mastermind behind the project and frontman of German power metal giants Edguy, promises an even bigger and more elaborate production. Fans can expect a setlist that includes new songs, fan favorites, and rare tracks seldom performed live. The production will be ambitious, featuring special effects and immersive elements designed to draw the crowd into a world of fantasy and escapism.

With this release, Avantasia continues to cement their legacy, celebrating 25 years of global success. This includes chart-topping positions, gold albums, and sold-out shows across continents. Always featuring high-profile guest stars, this ambitious project began in 2000. The name “Avantasia” combines “Avalon” and “fantasy,” with their debut, The Metal Opera Parts I and II, released in 2001 and 2002 respectively.

Following their debut, The Scarecrow (2008) marked a new era, during which Sammet took the project on the road, performing at European festivals and even stopping in Brazil. In 2010, fans received a two-in-one package with The Wicked Symphony and Angel of Babylon. The Mystery of Time (2013) saw the addition of a real orchestra and, as always, a star-studded guest list. “I’ll be able to look at The Mystery of Time for the rest of my life and know that it features a real orchestra,” Sammet celebrated, with Brazil once again included in the tour’s schedule.

Three years later came Ghostlights. “It’s a continuance of the story I started with The Mystery of Time,” Sammet explained, as he once again visited Brazil with a show lasting over three hours. The single “Mystery of a Blood Red Rose” placed third in the German finals of the renowned Eurovision Song Contest.

With Moonglow (2019), Sammet reunited with his star-studded lineup. Three years later, A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society was released, and now, Sammet is gearing up for another grand spectacle with Here Be Dragons in 2025. “I’ve always had classic rock and power metal in my roots, along with the instinct not to repeat myself,” Sammet concluded. “It wouldn’t be fair to record the same album over and over, just with a new title. I want to release music and live in the present, always making progress.”