The Scarecrow (album)
2008 studio album by Avantasia
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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]
| The Scarecrow | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 25 January 2008 | |||
| Recorded | April – September 2007 at Gatestudio, Wolfsburg Vox-Klangstudio, Hamburg | |||
| Length | 63:43 | |||
| Label | Nuclear Blast | |||
| Producers | Sascha Paeth & Tobias Sammet | |||
| Avantasia chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Metal Forces | [2] |
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 kind 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. | Title | Guest Vocalist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Twisted Mind" | Roy Khan | 6:14 |
| 2. | "The Scarecrow" | Jørn Lande, Michael Kiske | 11:12 |
| 3. | "Shelter from the Rain" | Kiske, Bob Catley | 6:08 |
| 4. | "Carry Me Over" | 3:52 | |
| 5. | "What Kind of Love" | Amanda Somerville, Kiske | 4:55 |
| 6. | "Another Angel Down" | Lande | 5:41 |
| 7. | "The Toy Master" | Alice Cooper | 6:20 |
| 8. | "Devil in the Belfry" | Lande | 4:41 |
| 9. | "Cry Just a Little" | Catley | 5:15 |
| 10. | "I Don't Believe in Your Love" | Oliver Hartmann | 5:33 |
| 11. | "Lost in Space" | Somerville | 3:52 |
| Total length: | 63:43 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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
- Tobias Sammet – vocals, bass guitar, additional keyboards
- Sascha Paeth – guitars
- Miro – keyboards, orchestration
- Eric Singer – drums
Guest vocalists
- Jørn Lande (tracks 2, 6, 8)
- Michael Kiske (track 2, 3, 5)
- Bob Catley (tracks 3, 9)
- Amanda Somerville (track 5)
- Alice Cooper (track 7)
- Roy Khan (track 1)
- Oliver Hartmann (track 10)
Guest musicians
- Henjo Richter – lead guitar (tracks 2, 3, 6, 7, 8)
- Kai Hansen – lead guitar (track 3)
- Rudolf Schenker – lead guitar (track 10)[1]
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
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 (Official Charts)[18] | 29 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (Official Charts)[19] | 30 |