Even before it first made its way Stateside in 2012, Gothenburg, Sweden’s Avatar had a flair for the theatrical. With his demented harlequin face paint and marching band getup, vocalist Johannes Eckerstrom presented himself as the ringleader of a circus troupe, with the rest of the band dressing the part to go along with its bombastic sound. However, for its seventh album, Avatar Country, and current tour, even they have upped that ante
When asked about the new album, Eckerstrom at first doesn’t break character. “Now is just the time that we felt was right to reveal the truth of the nature of our king and open up the borders to Avatar Country,” he says.
Despite the regal trappings of its concept, thematically and musically, Avatar Country (which debuted at No. 6 on the Hard Rock Albums chart with 6,000 equivalent album units, according to Nielsen Music) is a celebration of heavy music. “Legend of the King” is an eight-minute-plus power-metal song that channels Manowar, while “The King Welcomes You to Avatar Country” sounds like AC/DC gone country. There are also some nods to the group’s beginnings as a melodic death metal band and several nonsensical interludes. The single “The King Wants You” is No. 30 on Mainstream Rock Songs.
“If you compare this album to [2016 record] Feathers and Flesh, the big difference was that album was a work of fiction, and this is, of course, the real thing,” says Eckerstrom. “But also, that album was about failure, loss, fear and death. Avatar Country is about strength, victory, hope, and it’s a quite joyful affair compared to what we usually end up with. And as Avatar is a metal nation, the album Avatar Country became a love letter to everything metal.”
Sacramento’s K-ZAP 93.3 FM plays Avatar. All part of 50 years of Rock, Blues and More, 24-7 on our station’s stream at K-ZAP.ORG/LISTEN/
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