Avantasia fans rejoice, the group's mastermind Tobias Sammet has just announced that there is a new album in the making, which they expect to release in spring next year.

The following statement was released: "What many have recently been speculating about we're now happy to confirm. Tobias is indeed working on a new Avantasia epic that is planned to be released in spring 2013. Concept wise the album will be a classic Rock-Opera/Metal Opera. It's going to be a timeless fairytale, that despite its fantasy appeal, was inspired by happenings of our modern age and society."

"Originally Tobias wanted to lay Avantasia to rest after the release of its live DVD Flying Opera in April 2011, which topped the charts in Germany, Austria and Sweden and went Top 10 all over Europe, respectively after its headliner appearance at Wacken Open Air 2011 in front of more than 100,000 fans."

"About the surprising return of Avantasia Tobias says: Even though I love to record and tour with Edguy, I didn't foresee how much I need Avantasia when I decided to finish this chapter of my life in 2011. I didn't know if there would be another Avantasia album one day, but I didn't feel like doing it. After the worldwide success of the latest studio releases, an arena world tour that was sold out pretty much everywhere, collaborations with childhood heroes like Alice Cooper, Klaus Meine, Rudolf Schenker, Eric Singer of Kiss etc. I 'knew' that I had said everything I could possibly say in the name of Avantasia. But that's not what Avantasia is all about. I wanna create more great music, I wanna create more fantasy-worlds, the bigger and the more epic, the better. And listening to the material that I have created for this forthcoming chapter in the history of Avantasia, I know there is no way, I am not going to do it! I have got the feeling and the certainty, that this is absolutely meant to happen and to be! - Cheerz, Tobi"