Avantasia mastermind Tobias Sammet recently checked in with a new update, calling the new Avantasia album "one of my strongest albums ever." He opens up about the album in a new interview, which will be released this summer. An excerpt is available below.

Q: Is the new album a conceptual continuation of your most recent effort, Moonglow?

Tobias: "Yes, in a way it is that, but it's far from being just more of the same. It's new and fresh, a good mix of fantasy and poetry, but with each song having autobiographical chracteristics too. I am very proud of those lyrics, they mean a lot to me and even though they have a fantastic approach I reveal a lot about myself."

Q: What can you say about the new music?

Tobias: "It's always hard to judge your own work when you're still so close to it. Some of it is quite heavy, it clearly shows my power metal sides, not just as a writer but also as a vocalist. A friend of mine just said that some of the stuff sounds like my earlier stuff, Avantasia or Edguy at the turn of the millenium."

Q: Was that an intentional move?

Tobias: "No, it wasn't at all. I guess it just happened because I was deeply involved in every tiny little step of the realization and production as in the earlier days. I was locked in at home and I had the time to deal with a lot of the details. It bears my trademarks and it's a very personal album."

Q: So what else can you tell your fans about the new album? 

Tobias: "The album is called A Paranormal Evening With The Moonflower Society. At first our label was wondering if we couldn't come up with a longer album title maybe (laughs). Given the attention span of the brave new world it's not very memorable perhaps, but it's the concept and the title was on my mind for quite a while. Most fans know that I have never taken the easy way just to deliver things bite-sized for what the market can handle. Our fans are smart enough to memorize the title. As an artist you need to follow your vision, otherwise you get an ulcer and ulcers kill creativity."

Q: Can you tell us anything about the guests?

Tobias: "There are many, some you would expect, some you would not expect. We'll announce them in due time. But they all delievered. When I listen to the final master I am astounded myself how we could have come up with something as energetic and uplifting as this album in these two years of isolation."

Read the complete interview here.

Wacken TV continues to share pro-shot video from the Wacken Open Air archives, and they recently posted footage of Avantasia performing "Dying For An Angel" at the 2014 edition of the festival. Check it out below.