BW&BK Exclusive: AVANTASIA Founder On "Rivalry" With AYREON Mastermind - "The Press Were Really Trying To Pretend There Was A Nasty Competition, Which Was Never The Case"
December 20, 2008, 16 years ago
In a recent interview with BW&BK; scribe Carl Begai about the new EDGUY album, Tinnitus Sanctus, vocalist Tobias Sammet discussed the supposed rivaly between his AVANTASIA project and AYREON mastermind Arjen Lucassen. It was a "conflict" that was effectively put to death earlier this year when the pair teamed up and recorded a cover of the Alice Cooper classic 'Elected' for a limited edition Ayreon EP (audio below).
“It was funny because the press, especially the German press, were really trying to pretend there was a nasty competition between Arjen and me, which was never the case," says Sammet. "We were asked about each other so much that it came to a point where we were really annoyed having to talk about each other all the time, so it seemed that we were pissed off at each other. At one point I read some comments that I had supposedly made abour Arjen which were taken totally out of context, so I just sent him an email telling him that even though his music wasn’t necessarily my favourite kind of music, I have a lot of respect for him and what he does. You can’t deny that Arjen is a very, very good artist. We talked on the phone and he said we should just go on bashing each other and generate some press (laughs). That’s all we did. Then Arjen came up with the idea of recording a song together and I thought it was great, so we went for it and did 'Elected'.”“Arjen wanted me to come to his studio to record the song but I think I was in the middle of preparing for the Avantasia tour, so I couldn’t make it," Sammet adds. "I recorded the vocals in Germany, but we were on the phone and in steady contact the whole time. It was no problem working that way, just sending him the files and stuff."
Now, of course, Sammet and Lucassen will be expected to team up on stage at some point.
“We’ve talked about it," Sammet reveals. "Definitely one of these days. There are no plans at the moment, but I don’t think this is the last collaboration between me and Arjen.”
Watch for the full interview in BW&BK; #114.
