Category Archives: Avatar

Avatar Premiere New Song “Valley Of Disease”, Announce European/UK Tour

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Avatar have released a new song titled “Valley Of Disease.” You can find a lyric video for that track below:

Vocalist Johannes Eckerström said the following about the new song:

“There is a sickness, a stranger, and a harmful way. A twisted landscape untouched by the sun. I leave the rest up to either you or me, but never both at the same time. You can only enter this place alone, and my path isn’t yours. Your secret is safe with me, but so is mine.”

The following was also added about the band’s upcoming album in a press release:

“There are no weapons on this planet that can challenge might of the electric guitar. For decades, metal has been the most powerful force known to man. Its sonic teeth have gnawed through the status quo over and over, pushing the boundaries for what can be created in the marriage between blood and machine. If a Mount Rushmore were to be carved for all the titans of the genre, it would span the entire globe many times over. It’s a burning beacon, the misfits, and rebels.

As time has passed, much of the scene has become divided in two equally stale camps. The first is forever stuck in the past, no longer seeking to lead. The second are those who have forgotten the most important ingredients to what made metal what it was and must remain. They’ve lost touch with the devil. They’ve forgotten how to move. In a genre best experienced with your whole body, they’ve lost the lust.

Avatar, however, have NOT lost anything.

It is with this fire in their bellies that they continue to craft their next album.”

In other news, the group have also announced a European/UK tour:

With Veil Of Maya and Mastiff:

02/18 Manchester, UK – Academy
02/19 Nottingham, UK – Rock City
02/20 Glasgow, UK – SWG3
02/22 Wolverhampton, UK – KK’s Steelmill
02/23 Bristol, UK – SWX
02/24 Southampton, UK – 1865
02/25 London, UK – O2 Forum Kentish Town

With Veil Of Maya and Kassogtha:

03/10 Paris, FRA – L’Olympia
03/11 Esch-sur-Alzette, LUX – Rockhal
03/12 Tilburg, NET – Poppodium 013
03/14 Koln, GER – Essogfabrik
03/15 Hamburg, GER – Markthalle
03/16 Berlin, GER – Columbia Theater
03/17 Leipzig, GER – Hellraiser
03/18 Warsaw, POL – Proxima
03/19 Brno, CZE – Sono Centrum
03/21 Vienna, AUT – Simm City
03/22 Pasing, GER – Freiheitshalle
03/23 Villeurbanne, FRA – Transbordeur
03/24 Barcelona, SPA – Razzmatazz
03/25 Madrid, SPA – But
03/26 Lisbon, POR – LAV
03/28 Cenon, FRA – Le Rocher de Palmer
03/29 Brussels, BEL – Ancienne Belgique
03/30 Zurich, SWI – Komplex
03/31 Karlsruhe, GER – Substage

Johannes Eckerström On New Avatar Album: “I Feel Like We Have To Save Heavy Metal”

Posted by caemanamelio on

During a recent interview with TotalRock, Avatar’s Johannes Eckerström discussed the band’s upcoming album, which is expected to be released early next year. The frontman says the group are hoping to “save heavy metal” with the effort.

Eckerström said the following:

“The short version is we will make you see the devil, and we will make you dance. You’ve heard every band say it’s their best album yet. This is our best album yet.

My best thing to liken it to is [Judas Priest‘s] ‘British Steel‘ in the sense of that… Judas Priest were always great, and before ‘British Steel‘ you had ‘Killing Machine‘, you had ‘Sad Wings Of Destiny‘ and all this, but they were a great heavy metal band, a great rock and roll band, a great prog band at times and kind of eclectic. And then with ‘British Steel‘ I find they really got laser focused, cut off the fat. And we’re focused on what we feel right now metal needs — this very pompous but yet…

Honestly, I feel like we have to save heavy metal. Because either people are lost in the past… They did it better than we will ever do what they do. Don’t do that. What’s next? What’s next for us? And do that without disappearing up your own asses completely.

When people end up doing metal that is best enjoyed while sitting down and shutting up, you miss the point. Metal is the music that you move to — in the pit, banging your head, dancing around, whatever, lifting weights, drinking too much, getting pregnant, impregnating someone, doing things. It’s music to move with. You have drums in the band; why would you have drums if you don’t move?

We look a lot to the masters — that is wisdom from Motörhead, from Judas Priest, from a lot of things — but then just… yeah, that, but not that. They did that. We’re now and what’s next with that. Where can we try to help bring it? And that is this album.”

[via Blabbermouth]

The Callous Daoboys To Replace Otep On Avatar & Light The Torch’s Upcoming Tour

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Otep has dropped off of her upcoming tour with Avatar and Light The Torch due to “travel logistics.” The Callous Daoboys will now be taking her place.

Tour Dates:

07/06 Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall (no The Callous Daoboys)
07/07 Montreal, QC – Corona (no The Callous Daoboys)
07/08 Portland, ME – AURA
07/09 Hartford, CT – Webster Theater
07/10 Norfolk, VA – The Norva
07/12 Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
07/13 Indianapolis, IN – Deluxe
07/14 Cadott, WI – Cadott Rockfest
07/15 Grand Rapids, MI – Upheaval Festival
07/16 Mansfield, OH – Inkcarceration Festival
07/17 Knoxville, TN – Concourse
07/19 Charlotte, NC – The Underground
07/20 Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom
07/22 Fargo, ND – Outdoors at Fargo Brewing
07/24 Calgary, AB – The Palace (no The Callous Daoboys)
07/25 Edmonton, AB – Midway Bar (no The Callous Daoboys)
07/27 Vancouver, BC – The Vogue (no The Callous Daoboys)
07/29 Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades
07/30 Santa Ana, CA – Observatory
07/31 Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre

Avatar Announce North American Tour With Light The Torch & Otep

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Avatar have announced a headlining North American tour. Light The Torch and Otep will serve as support.

Tour Dates:

07/06 Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall
07/07 Montreal, QC – Corona
07/08 Portland, ME – AURA
07/09 Hartford, CT – Webster Theater
07/10 Norfolk, VA – The Norva
07/12 Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
07/13 Indianapolis, IN – Deluxe
07/14 Cadott, WI – Cadot Rockfest
07/15 Grand Rapids, MI – Upheaval Festival
07/16 Mansfield, OH x Inkcarceration Festival
07/17 Knoxville, TN – Concourse
07/19 Charlotte, NC – The Underground
07/20 Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom
07/22 Fargo, ND – Outdoors at Fargo Brewing
07/24 Calgary, AB – The Palace
07/25 Edmonton, AB – Midway Bar
07/27 Vancouver, BC – The Vogue
07/29 Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades
07/30 Santa Ana, CA – Observatory
07/31 Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre

Avatar Postpone UK Tour With Veil Of Maya & Mastiff To 2023

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Avatar have postponed their upcoming UK tour with Veil Of Maya and Mastiff. The trek is now set for February 2023.

2023 Tour Dates:

02/18 Manchester, UK – Academy
02/19 Nottingham, UK – Rock City
02/20 Glasgow, UK – SWG3
02/22 Wolverhampton, UK – KK’s Steelmill
02/23 Bristol, UK – SWX
02/24 Southampton, UK – 1865
02/25 London, UK – O2 Forum Kentish Town

Avatar commented:

“We have waited two years in hopes of being able to guarantee the shows we announce, and follow through with our plans. We thought we had finally reached that point earlier this fall, but again the rug got pulled out from under us.

With the current situation with the Omicron variant being what it is, we are very sorry to announce we have to postpone the UK portion of tour to February 2023. All tickets purchased will still be valid. We know this is a long time away but unfortunately, there were no earlier opportunities with the venues without having to cancel one or more shows. We have hope that we will see you sooner than that though UK. Please stay tuned for more updates.”

Avatar Premiere New Song “Construction Of Souls”

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Avatar have premiered a new song titled “Construction Of Souls.“ You can check that out below. A new “children’s book” based on the track is also available HERE. The band said the following about the song:

“This song will be to Christmas songs what Die Hard is to Christmas movies. It wasn’t intended to be that, but ultimately, it makes a lot of sense. It’s about us — meaning the robots taking over the great human project of our ancestors, building our way out of the planet on sandy soils, saturated with the withering bones of our ancestors.”

Veil Of Maya, Mastiff, & Sonic Assault Added To Avatar’s European/UK Tour

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Veil Of Maya will be serving as direct support on Avatar’s upcoming European/UK tour. Mastiff and Sonic Assault will also appear on select dates.

Tour Dates:

With Mastiff:

01/08 Nottingham, UK – Rock City
01/09 Manchester, UK – Academy
01/10 Glasgow, UK – SWG3
01/12 Wolverhampton, UK – KK’s Steel Mill
01/13 Bristol, UK – SWX
01/14 Southampton, UK – 1865
01/15 London, UK – O2 Forum

With Sonic Assault:

02/12 Paris, FRA – L’Olympia
02/14 Brussels, BEL – Ancienne Belgique
02/15 Karlsruhe, GER – Substage
02/16 Lyon, FRA – Le Transbordeur
02/17 Barcelona, SPA – Razzmatazz
02/18 Madrid, SPA – Kapital
02/19 Lisbon, POR – LAV
02/21 Bordeaux, FRA – Le Rocher Palmer
02/22 Geneva, SWI – Alhambra
02/23 Zurich, SWI – Komplex
02/24 Vienna, AUT – Simm City
02/25 Brno, CZE – Sono Centrum
02/26 Munich, GER – Freiheitshalle
02/27 Leipzig, GER – Hellraiser
02/28 Warsaw, POL – Proxima
03/01 Berlin, GER – Columbia Theater
03/02 Hamburg, GER – Gruenspan
03/03 Cologne, GER – Essigfabrik
03/04 Tilburg, NET – O13
03/10 Gothenburg, SWE – Tradgarn
03/11 Stockholm, SWE – Fallan
03/12 Malmo, SWE – Slagthuset

Avatar Premiere New Song “So Sang The Hollow”, Announce Rescheduled U.S. Dates

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Avatar have premiered a new song titled “So Sang The Hollow.“ You can check that out below:

Johannes Eckerström commented:

“I think the song fits the season. ‘So Sang The Hollow‘ lives between a dream and our waking nightmares. It’s like a seance with ghosts of your own creation. It’s one of those songs that was a very long time in the making, with the main guitar part having been kicked around since I entered the workforce. It also answers the question what Simon And Garfunkel would’ve sounded like if they grew up listening to Black Sabbath.”

In other news, the group have also announced the rescheduled dates for their recently postponed U.S. shows:

01/28 Grand Junction, CO – Mesa Theater
01/29 Billing, MT – Pub Station
01/30 Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory
01/31 Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre
02/01 Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
02/02 Garden City, IA – Revolution Concert House

Avatar Postpone Remaining U.S. Dates After Johannes Eckerström Tests Positive For COVID-19

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Avatar’s Johannes Eckerström has tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, the band’s remaining U.S. dates have been postponed.

The group issued the following statement:

“We are very sorry to announce that the remaining dates of the Going Hunting tour are postponed. Johannes has tested positive for COVID-19. He is fully vaccinated, feels fine under the circumstances, and expects a full recovery shortly. Sadly, this will not be in time to make the remaining shows happen. We are already working on solutions to make the dates at a later time. We are looking into routing around our dates in January at Shiprocked, so please stay tuned for that!

We made a point to not see friends, fans, or anyone outside our bubble on this run in order to minimize the risks. We thank everyone who helped make this tour as safe as possible. It’s amazing that we made it this far and that was a team effort.

This is just a bump in the road and we WILL see you all very, very soon!

Be good to yourselves. Take care of each other. / Avatar”

This news comes after Tallah were previously removed from the trek due to positive COVID-19 tests.