The Scarecrow (album)

The Scarecrow
Studio album by
Avantasia
Released25 January 2008
RecordedApril – September 2007 at Gatestudio, Wolfsburg
Vox-Klangstudio, Hamburg
GenreSymphonic metal, progressive metal, power metal, heavy metal, hard rock
Length63:43
LabelNuclear Blast
ProducerSascha Paeth & Tobias Sammet
Avantasia chronology
Lost in Space Part II
(2007) 		The Scarecrow
(2008) 		The Wicked Symphony/Angel of Babylon
(2010)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Metal Forces[2]

The Scarecrow is the third full-length album by Tobias Sammet's German metal opera project Avantasia, released on 25 January 2008 through Nuclear Blast Records.[3] It is the first part of "The Wicked Trilogy" and it is followed by The Wicked Symphony and Angel of Babylon. Sammet explained in a 2016 interview that he managed to have Alice Cooper after drummer Eric Singer asked him. Cooper requested to have a listen to the song first and then accepted to be part of it.[4] Commenting on the album's 17th anniversary in January 2025, Sammet said The Scarecrow "laid the foundation of what Avantasia is today" and that it "marks the birth of Avantasia after our first tentative steps a few years before".[5]

Plot

The Scarecrow is a concept album about the tragic story of a lonesome creature, emotionally isolated from his environment and suffering from a distorted sensory perception. His feelings for the love of his life unrequited, he sets off on a journey exploring his left-hand path, striving for inner peace, ploughing his way to approval and eventually facing temptation at the inner depths of the human soul. The album was described as "an Icarus type of story" by Sammet, as well as containing elements of Edward Scissorhands and Faust.[6] The story continues on the albums The Wicked Symphony and Angel of Babylon.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Tobias Sammet.

No.TitleGuest VocalistLength
1."Twisted Mind"Roy Khan6:14
2."The Scarecrow"Jørn Lande, Michael Kiske11:12
3."Shelter from the Rain"Kiske, Bob Catley6:08
4."Carry Me Over" 3:52
5."What Kind of Love"Amanda Somerville, Kiske4:55
6."Another Angel Down"Lande5:41
7."The Toy Master"Alice Cooper6:20
8."Devil in the Belfry"Lande4:41
9."Cry Just a Little"Catley5:15
10."I Don't Believe in Your Love"Oliver Hartmann5:33
11."Lost in Space"Somerville3:52
Total length:63:43
Korean edition bonus track
No.TitleLength
12."The Toy Master" (Alternate Version)6:19
13."I Don't Believe in Your Love (Alternative Version) (Bonus Track)"5:30
14."Lost in Space (Feat. Michael Kiske) (Bonus Track)"5:08
Bonus DVD
No.TitleLength
1."Song by Song" (Interview)13:27
2."Carry Me Over" (Music Video)3:54
3."Carry Me Over" (Making of Music Video)3:51
4."Lost in Space" (Electronic Press Kit)4:12
5."Lost in Space" (Music Video)3:49
6."I Don't Believe in Your Love" (Alternative Version)5:30
7."The Toy Master" (Alternative Version)6:19

Personnel

Guest vocalists

Guest musicians

Production

  • Produced by Sascha Paeth & Tobias Sammet
  • Recorded & Engineered by Chuck Garric, Sascha Paeth, Olaf Reitmeier & Mark Stuart
  • Mixed & Mastered by Sascha Paeth

Promo singles

  • "Lost in Space" (2007)
  • "Carry Me Over" (2007)

Videos

The video for "Lost in Space" was released in 2007 with the release of the EPs of the same name. In December 2007, the video for "Carry Me Over" was released on Myspace. The Scarecrow's EPK (electronic press-kit) is available here on YouTube, courtesy of Tobias Sammet.

Charts

Chart (2008) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[7] 16
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[8] 65
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[9] 26
French Albums (SNEP)[10] 57
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[11] 8
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[12] 10
Italian Albums (FIMI)[13] 65
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[14] 49
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[15] 27
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[16] 10
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[17] 17
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[18] 29
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[19] 30

References

  1. ^ a b Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Avantasia Scarecrow review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-12-27.
  2. ^ Fisher, Mark. "Album / EP Reviews: Avantasia - The Scarecrow". Metal Forces. Retrieved 2012-12-27.
  3. ^ Tobias Sammet (September 1, 2007). "NEW AVANTASIA OUT NOVEMBER 16TH". Tobiassammet.com. Archived from the original on October 26, 2007. Retrieved October 28, 2007.
  4. ^ Schwarzkopf, Thomas (27 January 2016). "Exclusive Interview with Tobias Sammet (Avantasia, Edguy)". Myglobalmind.com. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  5. ^ Sammet, Tobias (2025-01-25). "17 years ago today "The Scarecrow" came out and laid the foundation of what Avantasia is today". Avantasia's official page on Facebook. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  6. ^ "Interview with Avantasia's Tobias Sammet". ballbustermusic.com. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  7. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Tobias Sammet's Avantasia – The Scarecrow" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  8. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Tobias Sammet's Avantasia – The Scarecrow" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  9. ^ "Tobias Sammet's Avantasia: The Scarecrow" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  10. ^ "Lescharts.com – Tobias Sammet's Avantasia – The Scarecrow". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  11. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Tobias Sammet's Avantasia – The Scarecrow" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  12. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2008. 5. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  13. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Tobias Sammet's Avantasia – The Scarecrow". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  14. ^ "ザ・スケアクロウ". Oricon. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  15. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Tobias Sammet's Avantasia – The Scarecrow". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  16. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Tobias Sammet's Avantasia – The Scarecrow". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  17. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Tobias Sammet's Avantasia – The Scarecrow". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  18. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  19. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
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