The world of metal is gracing us with yet another amazing album by Swedish heavy metal masters, Avatar. Avatar Country is the seventh studio album to be released by the band. It’s set to be released on January 12, 2018 by Century Media. Take a journey with the band to their land known as Avatar Country. Pay homage to their king who has freed them from misery and shown them that metal can bring happiness beyond what they imagined in their minds. This album isn’t just shredding riffs, kicking beats and devastating melodies but also the story of this land and how the king became the king.
Avatar has been creating music in Europe since the early 2000’s. The United States didn’t get a taste for them until the tour that was launched in support of their fourth album, Black Waltz. Touring with Lacuna Coil and Sevendust helped them be heard by the masses in 2013. Lucky for them, their originality and musical superiority gained them popularity. Later that year they were picked up for a tour, in which they replaced Disturbed, by Avenged Sevenfold. That tour saw them sharing the stage with chart topping artists, Five Finger Death Punch. They couldn’t have landed a better gig. This helped the band to rise up and become a household name in the U.S. They released Hail the Apocalypse in 2014 and found it on the Billboard top 200 charts. After heavily touring the last few years and also releasing Feathers and Flesh in 2016 this is a band that seems completely unstoppable. The release of Avatar Country is sure take them even higher.
Avatar is:
Johannes Eckerstrom – lead vocals
Jonas “Kungen” Jarlsby – guitars
Tim Ohrstrom – guitars, backing vocals
Henrik Sandelin – bass, backing vocals
John Alfredsson – drums
Avatar Country
1 – Glory to Our King
2 – Legend of the King
3 – The King Welcomes You to Avatar Country
4 – King’s Harvest
5 – The King Wants You
6 – The King Speaks
7 – A Statue to the King
8 – King After King
9 – Silent Songs of the King Pt 1
10 – Silent Songs of the King Pt 2
Avatar has really done it again with this new release. Their creativity and musical ingenuity shows throughout the entirety of the album. There is an immense amount of talent found in this band. As they continue to grow in momentum, a slowdown is nowhere in sight. Avatar Country is a completely different work than their previously released albums. The entire album is wonderful but a few tracks did stand out more than others.
Avatar Country starts out with “Glory to our King”, an intro that brings you to the days of kings and queens ruling the distant lands. It’s the beginning of this tale of a land whose king has saved them all. The back-story of Avatar Country is so unique and really interesting, with quite a few humorous moments. You can read the whole tale on the band’s website, www.avatarmetal.com
“Legend of the King” comes out with shredding guitars just flying so fast. Imagine the speed of a thousand galloping horses. That’s how fast their fingers have got to be flying. It’s almost a ballad of sorts. At eight minutes, this track may be long, but it doesn’t lack in momentum. With its ever changing show of emotions, this track doesn’t feel as lengthy.
Track three, “The King Welcomes You to Avatar Country”, completely takes a different route. Southern rock wasn’t an expected sound from Avatar although it works surprisingly well. It’s an invitation to join Avatar Country and have a drink with this King. The unique quality of this track made it a must for a mention.
“A Statue to the King” is the seventh track and also found itself the first single released from the album. With a radio friendly vibe and catchy tune, it’s not hard to hear why. Its playful melody that gets crashed into by strong and loud lyrics is sure to be a fan favorite. It embodies the sound Avatar is known for but also continues the story line of the king.
Overall, Avatar Country is an album that will be listened to by all metal lovers. The sound is so fun and energetic. Expect to hear a lot of this album in the future. Rating a 5 out of 5 because it is just that freaking Awesome! Check these guys out on their Avatar Country Tour kicking off in January of 2018.
