- Country: Germany
- Style: Symphonic power metal
- Label: Nuclear Blast
- Release date: 21 October 2022
A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society is the ninth Avantasia album, produced by Tobias Sammet together with Sascha Paeth. The guest roster is the usual who’s who. Floor Jansen, Michael Kiske and Jørn Lande appear twice each, while Ralf Scheepers, Ronnie Atkins, Bob Catley, Eric Martin and Geoff Tate get one song apiece.
The best moments come early. “The Wicked Rule the Night” lets Scheepers tear through a fast, old-school power metal track, and “Kill the Pain Away” is the strongest of the two Jansen songs, big and dramatic without drowning in strings. “Misplaced Among the Angels”, her second turn, is a power ballad that works mostly because she sells every line. Catley’s “The Moonflower Society” is pure theatre in the way only he can pull off.
The back half is where the record starts to feel like a playlist rather than an album. “Rhyme and Reason” is pleasant hard rock that never quite takes off, and “Scars” gives Tate surprisingly little to work with. Closer “Arabesque” pairs Lande and Kiske and brings some of the ambition back. Fans will have a good time. Nobody else will be converted.
Best tracks:
The Wicked Rule the Night
Kill the Pain Away
The Moonflower Society
Arabesque
Author’s rating: 7.8/10
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