Release Date: 31. October. 2025
Swedish metal band AVATAR is releasing a new album, this Halloween, Don’t Go In The Forest.” It’s the perfect album to celebrate the spooky season. The album cover features vocalist Johannes Eckerström fading into the black void with a single red balloon–the perfect warning to not go into the forest.
The first track is a favorite of mine, “Tonight We Must Be Warriors.” It begins with a staccato flute and drum, like the Fife & Drum lines in Revolutionary War times which I thought was a great corelation to the title. AVATAR always has such great visuals, so you have to go watch their music video to accompany this song. Now, I’m very aware that I’m watching this as an America and they are from Sweden, but the music video has a lot of Americana and even Christian themes in it. It begins with a sepia hue and Johannes floats to a run down farmhouse, kind of like a Jack and the Beanstalk fable, where he meets the rest of the band and they come together to fight for the greater good, where a giant floating head is threatening them. A bald eagle delivers a rad guitar which then brings color, and they defeat the big giant head with a slingshot, like the biblical story of David and Goliath. I think the visualization of adding color right before defeat is an uplifting message of unity and brotherhood, which we can all use right now.
“In The Airwaves” is a song I can’t wait to see live. It has the growling guitar, heavy drums and guttural throaty vocals. The rhythm reminds me of Korn’s “Are You Ready?” and I immediately see the circle pit listening to this song.
The title track, “Don’t Go In The Forest” opens with a DIRTY bass riff. Johannes’ vocals are more melodic in this track, but it doesn’t take anything away from the heaviness of the song. The chorus “Don’t go in the forest, and don’t look, there’s something behind you” adds the perfect creep factor to play on repeat on release day this Halloween, especially with his deep voice in the bridge that adds an extra ominous touch.
When speaking of this album, Eckerström says “The mind is wild and we have lost ourselves in the darkest woods, filled with memories and fantasies. Forbidden thoughts that must be spoken.” Well, those thoughts have definitely been spoken…and any metal fan is gonna love them.
Head to their website to pre-save the album, and you can purchase it on CD or vinyl as well. And since AVATAR is even better live, mark your calendars, cause they have a massive tour coming, beginning Halloween in Mexico City.
Tracklist:
1. Tonight We Must Be Warriors
2. In The Airwaves
3. Captain Goat
4. Don’t Go In The Forest
5. Death and Glitz
6. Abduction Song
7. Howling At The Waves
8. Dead and Gone and Back Again
9. Take This Heart and Burn It
10. Magic Lantern
