# The Mystery of Time

Professional ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| Metal Blast | |
| Time For Metal - Magazin | |
| Metal Traveller | |
The Mystery of Time is the sixth full-length album by Tobias Sammet's german metal opera project Avantasia. The album was released on 26 April 2013. This is the first Avantasia release to feature the German Film Orchestra Babelsberg (the same orchestra that performed on Edguy's album Hellfire Club). The cover artwork was painted by Rodney Matthews.
The Mystery Of Time scored high positions in several international music charts and even enabled Avantasia to enter the US Billboard charts for the first time.
When asked to compare the album to Avantasia's previous efforts, guitarist and producer Sascha Paeth described it as follows:
   It is a more 'fantastic' production, based a little bit more on orchestra work and keyboards. It's more like a film score, to underline the whole story, the rock opera aspect, which was a choice on this one and I think it works out fine. Also, this gives the album a face of its own.

## Track listing

Limited editions of the album include a second CD with instrumental versions of all the tracks on the album, with the exception of the two limited edition bonus tracks.
All tracks are written by Tobias Sammet

## Story

The album booklet describes the story "So take the time to follow me into a small old English town during the Victorian era and join a young agnostic scientist by the name Aaron Blackwell as he is forced to explore the coherencies of time, God and science; torn between belief in his professional conviction, his spiritual intuition, love and a lodge of scientific occultists."
Characters: Each singer represents a character in the story, appealing to Avantasia's albums' "metal opera" signature theme.
* Tobias Sammet: Aaron Blackwell, young scientist
* Michael Kiske: Antiquarian
* Bob Catley: Epiphany
* Joe Lynn Turner: Science
* Biff Byford: Reason
* Ronnie Atkins: Nobleman
* Eric Martin: Beggar
* Cloudy Yang: Apparition

## Personnel

* Tobias Sammet - lead vocals, bass
* Sascha Paeth - lead & rhythm guitars, guitar solos on tracks 1, 4 to 9; additional bass; additional keyboards
* Miro - keyboards, piano
* Russell Gilbrook - drums

### Special guests
#### Musicians

* Guitars
** Bruce Kulick - solo on tracks 3, 6, 10
** Oliver Hartmann - solo on tracks 4, 7
** Arjen Anthony Lucassen - solo on track 2
* Organ
** Ferdy Doernberg - hammond organ solo on track 2

#### Vocalists

* Joe Lynn Turner - co-lead vocals on tracks 1, 2, 6, 10
* Michael Kiske - co-lead vocals on tracks 4, 6, 9
* Biff Byford - co-lead vocals on tracks 3, 6, 10
* Ronnie Atkins - co-lead vocals on track 7
* Eric Martin - co-lead vocals on track 8
* Bob Catley - co-lead vocals on track 10
* Cloudy Yang - co-lead vocals on track 5

## Charts

| Chart | Number |
| German Albums Chart | 2 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 5 |
| England Rock Albums Chart | 6 |
| Finnish Albums Chart | 9 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 9 |
| North America Billboard Chart | 9 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 11 |
| Czech Albums Chart | 12 |
| Hungary Albums Chart | 15 |
| Japanese Albums Chart | 17 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart | 19 |
| Spanish Albums Chart | 29 |
| French Albums Chart | 61 |
| Belgian Ultratop (Wallonia) | 70 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 85 |
| Belgian Ultratop (Flanders) | 97 |