“The Moonflower Society” by Avantasia (ft. Bob Catley)

Tobias Sammet has described a “moonflower” as being some type of fantastical creature, which only lurks in the night, along the lines of something you would find in a fairytale. To note, this is our first time working on an Avantasia song. But delving deeper into Sammet’s explanation, they are an act which appears to rely heavily on science fiction, folklore or however you want to term it.   

And so it is with these lyrics, where we find the vocalist referring to “ghosts”, “specters” and what have you, i.e. the titular “moonflowers”. In a way, it reads as if he is speaking to a concept/character akin to the mythical Sandman. And we know that Germany is situated in a part of the world where many famous fairytales and myths have originated from. Furthermore, it also looks like their music industry, to this day, is cool with entertaining such ideas, i.e. a song that comes off, in part, as if it is based on folktales catered to children.

But of course in the grand scheme of things, a “moonflower” is a concept that can be taken in a number of different directions. And besides for mention of these characters, the lyrics also focus on what can be described as the moonflowers inducing an excitable sense of nostalgia in the vocalist. It is as if he is harping back to the more-carefree days of yesteryear.

Takeaway

In the music video, one thing that is ascertainable about the moonflowers, besides their somewhat frightening appearance, is that they obviously enjoy a good late-night jam. So in more realistic terms, maybe what Avantasia is really doing, in a very artistic way, is celebrating the nocturnal, club-based lifestyle which some people cleave to and is a more common image we come across via the music industry. 

And perhaps what the vocalist is trying to get across by harping to his past is that it was during his more youthful days when he too practiced such a modus operandi. So it’s like all things considered, what “the moonflowers society” is dedicated to is night partying.

Tobias Sammet about “The Moonflower Society”

Sammet has referred to “a moonflower” as a night creature. According to him, it is a creature that blossoms when everyone is asleep.

Avantasia

Avantasia, an act from Germany, is not a band per se. They are rather a supergroup project, an opera actually, that began in 1999. Tobias Sammet, who before that started a group called Edguy, also founded Avantasia. He has been the one consistent member of the group throughout the decades. 

As of the dropping of this track, Tobias is joined by the following:

• Sascha Paeth
• Miro
• Felix Bohnke

All the above-mentioned names have been associated with the project at least since 2010.

To date Avantasia has released eight albums. In the process, they have proven very popular in Germany and some nearby countries. Their latest album (“Moonglow”) came out in 2019. 

“The Moonflower Society”

This song officially features the vocals of English singer, Bob Catley.

Catley is best known for being the lead singer of the hard rock British band called Magnum.

On the 13th of July 2022, Avantasia officially released “The Moonflower Society”.

The song is a single from their ninth studio album, “A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society”. The whole project is a product of the Germany-based record label, Nuclear Blast.

The music video to this track is an animated entry. It was directed by Jess Cope.