Tobias Sammet: Heavy metal unites the world. Avantasia is the proof

The mastermind behind the Avantasia project, Tobias Sammet, spoke in a recent interview for the Brazilian show Bate Cabeça about what truly lies behind the international dimension of his metal opera. Over the years, Avantasia has featured some of the biggest names on the global scene — from Michael Kiske and Jørn Lande to Sharon den Adel — and the diversity of nationalities has become one of its most distinctive traits.

Sammet stresses, however, that this was never meant as any kind of political statement. According to him, it is heavy metal and hard rock themselves that naturally bring people together regardless of where they come from. Whether a fan is standing in Brazil, Finland, Canada, or elsewhere in Europe, they share the same values, the same passion, and often the same musical roots. "Metal has its own language that the whole world understands," Sammet hints with his trademark sense of perspective.

The foundation of Avantasia, he says, is built on positive energy and a sense of belonging. He openly admits that his music is rooted in personal experiences of being an outsider who never felt part of the mainstream. Yet this is exactly where he sees its strength — giving a voice to those who feel different, who stand on the sidelines and find refuge precisely in heavy music. For Sammet, metal is not about division, but about everyone having the right to be themselves.

Avantasia has thus long since grown beyond the framework of a mere "project with guests" and now functions as a global community of musicians and fans alike. This philosophy is also reflected in the latest album Here Be Dragons, released this February via Napalm Records. The record is once again entirely written by Tobias Sammet, produced by the long-standing tandem with Sascha Paeth, and visually brought to life by the legendary Rodney Matthews.

With nine previous studio albums, gold records, hundreds of millions of streams, and sold-out arenas around the world, Avantasia rank among the biggest phenomena of modern power metal. And as Sammet makes clear — as long as metal continues to unite people across continents, this story still has plenty left to say. 🤘