Rock and metal flagship AVANTASIA will release their extravagant 10th studio album and Napalm Records debut, Here Be Dragons, on February 28, 2025. Today the band unleashes its energising first new single “Creepshow”!
The new track is one of the catchiest songs of AVANTASIA’s career so far, and it arrives with a cinematic music video shot at the Grade 1 listed, nineteenth-century gothic Allerton Castle in North Yorkshire. The instant classic rings in a new era of AVANTASIA and will be an integral part of AVANTASIA’s spectacular live shows.
Ringleader Tobias Sammet elaborates, “Creepshow is a perfect single. It’s short and catchy, and it emphasizes a facet of my work that has taken a backseat in my music in recent years. It’s light-hearted and the opposite of melancholic. And it’s fresh, boisterous, and unabashed – a straightforward kick-ass anthem. Also, even though it may seem like a reminiscence of my earlier writing, I think we managed to turn the whole thing into a trademark AVANTASIA tune, as we accentuated with the music video. We rented a haunted castle in North England and celebrated a night in the world of spectres and undead creatures. This is the most vibrant and eccentric music video I’ve ever shot in my entire career, not dead-serious, but certainly of serious quality! I can’t wait to play Creepshow live on our tour next year, I can already see the whole venue jumping up and down and screaming along!”
Watch the official music video for “Creepshow” HERE.
Here Be Dragons is the most consistent and concise piece of art that the band has ever crafted, giving the celebrated AVANTASIA sound – carefully crafted over a quarter of a century – an exciting and powerful new spin. And although it features AVANTASIA essentials such as spellbinding choirs and theatrical, symphonic metal elements, multi-talented mastermind Tobias Sammet wields a few surprises up his sleeve for fans old and new.
The 10-track offering was written and composed in its entirety by Tobias Sammet, produced and recorded by Tobias Sammet together with Sascha Paeth, mixed by Sascha Paeth and mastered by Michael Rodenberg. The stunning cover art was once again created by acclaimed British fantasy artist Rodney Matthews.
Pre-order Here Be Dragons here.
Here Be Dragons Tracklisting:
Creepshow
Here Be Dragons
The Moorland At Twilight
The Witch
Phantasmagoria
Bring On The Night
Unleash The Kraken
Avalon
Against The Wind
Everybody’s Here Until The End
In grand AVANTASIA tradition, the new full-length is rich with vivid storytelling and cinematic atmosphere, plus the highest level of musicianship. Opening track “Creepshow” is without a doubt one of the catchiest songs in their career and welcomes the listener into a new era of AVANTASIA – expect it to be an integral part of the band’s spectacular live shows. In contrast, the incredible title track “Here Be Dragons” is instant classic AVANTASIA, and at almost nine minutes, by far the longest on the album. Dark soundscapes of “The Witch” captivate and support the song’s storyline perfectly.
Emotional, multifaceted vocal performances mesmerise on “Avalon”, while the heavy metal beast “Against The Wind” serves as further proof of AVANTASIA‘s versatility. Well-balanced and cohesive, Here Be Dragons is undeniably AVANTASIA’s most powerful album so far.
The 10-track offering was written and composed in its entirety by Tobias Sammet, produced and recorded by Tobias Sammet together with Sascha Paeth, mixed by Sascha Paeth and mastered by Michael Rodenberg. The stunning cover art was once again created by acclaimed British fantasy artist Rodney Matthews.
Here Be Dragons is now available for pre-order in several exciting physical editions, with bonus albums included in select limited formats, like a 3CD hardcover artbook with 96 pages, over 160 pictures, drawings of Rodney Matthews and extensive stories to accompany the music and pictures. Secure yours and stay tuned for the first single that will be released very soon!
Here Be Dragons will be available in the following formats:
- 3-CD Artbook – large format, hardcover book incl. 96 pages, over 160 pictures and extensive stories and liner notes
- 3-LP Vinyl Box incl 72 Pages 12″ Booklet – strictly limited to 500 copies
- 1-LP Glow in the Dark Vinyl incl 12” Booklet – strictly limited to 300 copies – Napalm Records Mailorder exclusive
- 1-LP Yellow/Orange Marbled Vinyl incl 12” Booklet – strictly limited to 300 copies – Napalm Records Mailorder exclusive
- 1-LP Blue/White Splattered Vinyl incl 12″ Booklet + Poster + Slipmat – strictly limited to 500 copies – Napalm Records Mailorder exclusive ROW
- 1-LP Orange/Black Splatter Vinyl incl 12” Booklet – strictly limited to 300 copies – Avantasia Mailorder exclusive
- 1-LP Marbled White Viola Red Royal Blue Vinyl incl 12” Booklet – strictly limited to 500 copies – Avantasia Mailorder exclusive
- 1-LP Orange incl 12” Booklet
- 1-LP Black incl 12” Booklet
- Tape – strictly limited to 100 copies – Napalm Records Mailorder exclusive
- 2CD Mediabook
- 1CD Digipak
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.
Don’t miss the dazzling spectacle that is the AVANTASIA live show. Tickets are on sale now for the following dates, which include a stop at London’s beautiful Roundhouse on March 24, 2025.
