Grab your studded leather passport and prepare your neck: it’s time to take a trip to a very metal place. You don’t have to believe in Satan, but you do have to be comfortable throwing up some devil horns when that feeling arises. Swedish metal maniacs Avatar are ready to take you on a wonderful musical journey with their seventh album.
Avatar Country—out now via eOne Music—is the culmination of the group’s evolution into a singular powerhouse, a trip into the heart of what makes metal so distinctively powerful. It’s an album that pays tribute to the greats of ages past and present, from The Haunted to Iron Maiden to Queen to The Beatles. Avatar Country maintains its quality and identity through a surprisingly diverse sonic palate: a progressive groove masterpiece is preceded by a country-fried metallic anthem, and “Legend of the King” features seven guitar solos.
Most importantly, Avatar Country honors a new nation’s benevolent and gloriously shred-tastic King—who just so happens to be Avatar’s lead guitarist, Jonas “Kungen” Jarlsby. As an emissary of the King, vocalist Johannes Eckerström wants to make the mission of King and country clear. “It’s all about the hidden potential within human beings,” he explains. “In the context of Avatar Country, the album, our King wants to see his people grow and improve themselves and reach further in whatever ventures they’re on. So, the idea of hidden potential and strengthening, that is one side of the coin of the meaning of a band called Avatar doing this.”
“Then, of course, the other thing,” he continues, “our King is a demigod. That’s why it’s so easy for him to have an approval rating of 100 percent, which is why we don’t bother with elections. We don’t need a prime minister or president to lead our nation. Our King is without fault. Democracy is a great system for the rest of us mere mortals. We have faults and can certainly do wrong, so there is a value in a system where we can switch leadership here and there, but in Avatar Country, there is no need.”
Eckerström quickly dispels the notion that the other band members may harbor resentment over the choice of the King. “That’s the whole thing that I should say: to be a King, that’s your birthright,” he says. “It’s a destiny there at play. The rest of His Elite Orchestra, we are very well aware that it was not our particular birthright, not our particular destiny, but the rest of us are relieved. As glorious as being King is, it’s quite a burden—you could call it a Glorious Burden, to be a King. It’s something that I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy, to be a King. The rest of the band feels that way, so there’s no hostility. It’s something that has inspired the whole group equally.”
Avatar Country comes hot on the heels of the heels of Avatar’s previous magnum opus, 2016’s Feathers & Flesh, a concept album based on the story of an owl who goes to war against the world. Eckerström is quick to note why now is the time to spread, as he calls it, the gospel of his King. “Feathers & Flesh, which was an album about death, failure, loss, fear, and depression, was an album all about the darkness,” he explains. “This time around, we have an album based on the concept and feel of victory, success, strength, and joy. It’s the polar opposite of our last record. That might have been why the time felt right for us to do this, for us to open the borders and reveal the truth of our King.”
What exactly is this truth? According to this diplomatic representative, Avatar Country is, indeed, a real place—at least in our minds. Eckerström clarifies, “Avatar Country is, of course, a state on the map, but it is also, maybe more importantly, a state of mind, which means there is no need to forsake anything. I believe that there are many people feeling lost in the world and that lack the feeling of belonging. Avatar Country is a place where those people can belong. People who long for it and want to join are the type of people in search for what we have to offer.”
So, what does it take to be a citizen? “First and foremost,” he elaborates, “we do accept dual citizenships—even triple citizenships, if necessary. Everyone is welcome. The big secret to the rule of law in Avatar Country is: if you want to become a citizen, you have already qualified. No one tells me you have to love metal, but I don’t think you would want to become a citizen of a nation whose main export is metal of various sorts and who is built around the power of metal if that does not appeal to you. Your longing and search for our country is what qualifies you.”
At its core, Avatar Country is a place for unity and acceptance. “It’s a bit archaic to describe it for me, but I would suggest that my King is not against anything,” Eckerström shares. “We are striving towards something—we are for something, and the rule of law is unspoken. It’s moving towards that journey of self-improvement. There is no one forbidding you to do anything in particular. The King is inspiring us to do the right thing.”
It’s very unlike our concepts of government and religion that breathe down your neck. “Yes,” he agrees, “that is why Avatar Country is the happiest place in the universe.”
Unlike many other nations, Avatar Country is not full of resistance and rebellion. It’s a land that remains safe on the inside, but not void of outside trouble. “What we showed in the video for ‘The King Wants You’ is—and it’s always like this—that the things that bring people joy tend to provoke those that don’t understand,” Eckerström says. “The video represents outside threats. There are people that want to destroy the beautiful thing we have, which is why we are documenting it. As you can see with ‘A Statue of the King,’ all’s well that ends well. Ultimately, our King tends to be victorious. We don’t have any internal threats to our country, but we have the threat of not being understood—and envy: frankly, there’s always a risk there. Some people just want to watch the world burn. Of course, we love watching things burn, but onstage.”
With all this talk of metal, it’s important to nail down its definition. Unfortunately, Eckerström acknowledges that this is a nebulous term—more a state of mind, perchance. “It’s hard to go beyond saying ‘when you hear it, you know,’” he shrugs. “As musicians or fans of music, I am a big fan of classical and of big band jazz. I have more than one Bob Marley album, and so on and so forth. Yet, it is so important for us to play metal, specifically because, for us, there is something that carries a meaning to it beyond words. I don’t know if I’m qualified to describe what metal is except to say it’s heavy. I know that discovering metal music has been the most mind-expanding experience of my life. I really saw the world changing around me, which is why it has remained interesting and important to me and why I’m still doing metal beyond some phase of my teenage years. I really believe it shaped my existence, and I can speak for my band as well. That sensation that we get from metal we find empowers us, and it goes for a wide variety of sounds. When it’s done right, it’s there—from Helloween to Marduk.”
And when did Eckerström’s world become warped? “In 1999, and I was 12, and I borrowed my brother’s Helloween album, Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II,” he states. “That was the album that really pushed me from the cliff, and it was the first time I heard music that made me feel like I was flying. It was also because of that album that I stopped cutting my hair.”
Wait, does on need to have long hair to be a part of Avatar Country? Do they allow short-haired members? “Yes, of course!” Eckerström replies. “Honorary citizen Bruce Dickinson [of Iron Maiden] cut his hair in the ‘90s, so we are very tolerant of that. Of course, the King has his aesthetic preferences, but at the same time, we respect the choices people make for their own bodies.”
So, how is spreading the Gospel of the King going in the States? “It’s been going amazingly well!” Eckerström states. “We are three state visits in, and people are pledging their allegiance to our flag, left and right.” He pauses, “It’s been really special, actually. We knew we had something special and different. The message that we are trying to convey this time is, of course, a bit different from what people might have expected, albeit it was a very glorious message, but people have been embracing it with open arms.”
No bloodshed so far? “No, no!” he assures. “There is no hostile takeover in Avatar Country. Have you ever played the ‘Civilization’ computer game? Well, there was this tricky way to win the game without starting wars, which was to have a cultural victory. It’s the hardest way to win ‘Civilization,’ but nothing is hard for our King. Peaceful action and being impressive and inspiring, that is how Avatar Country spreads.”
Given the quality—and quantity—of metal on display in Avatar’s latest achievement, the Avatar Country Department of Citizenship should be fielding a great number of applicants. However, given the density of the concept, it’s important to note that Avatar Country is, above all else, a fucking good old-fashioned metallic good time: full of energy, melody, and an abundance of great musicianship. Glory to the King!
Tour Dates:
Jan. 16 – Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom
Jan. 17 – Atlanta, GA – The Buckhead Theatre
Jan. 18 – New Orleans, LA – House Of Blues
Jan. 19 – Houston, TX – House Of Blues
Jan. 20 – Dallas, TX – House Of Blues
Jan. 21 – San Antonio, TX – The Aztec Theatre
Jan. 23 – Tempe, AZ – The Marquee
Jan. 24 – Los Angeles, CA – Regent Theater
Jan. 25 – Sacramento, CA – Ace Of Spades
Jan. 28 – Seattle, WA – Studio Seven
Jan. 30 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex
Jan. 31 – Denver, CO – Summit Music Hall
Feb. 1 – Lincoln, NE – Bourbon Theatre
Feb. 2 – Chicago, IL – The Bottom Lounge
Feb. 3 – Green Bay, WI – Sand Lot
Feb. 5 – Lawrence, KS – Granada
Feb. 7 – Detroit, MI – St. Andrew’s Hall
Feb. 8 – Cleveland, OH – House Of Blues
Feb. 9 – Indianapolis, IN – Deluxe
Feb. 10 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave II
Feb. 11 – Grand Rapids, MI – Intersection
March 13 – Utrecht, Netherlads – Tivoli Vredenburg
March 14 – Paris, France – Le Trianon
March 15 – Lille, France – Le Splendid
March 16 – London, UK – Islington Assembly Hall
March 17 – Sint-Niklaas, Belgium – De Casino
March 18 – Cologne, Germany – Luxor
March 20 – Remis, France – La Cartonnerie
March 21 – Nimes, France – Paloma
March 22 – Cognac, France – West Rock
March 23 – Bilbao, Spain – Sala Santana 27
March 24 – Madrid, Spain – Sala Mon Live
March 25 – Barcelona, Spain – Sala Bikini
March 26 – Lyon, France – Le Transbordeur
March 27 – Geneva, Switzerland – L’Usine
March 28 – Zurich, Switzerland – Dynamo
March 29 – Milan, Italy – Alcatraz
April 1 – Munich, Germany – Technikum
April 2 – Prague, Czech Republic – Lucerna Music Bar
April 3 – Berlin, Germay – Bi Nuu
April 4 – Hamburg, Germany – Gruenspan
April 5 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Pumpehuset
April 6 – Stockholm, Sweden – Klubben Fryhuset
April 7 – Göteborg, Sweden – Tradgarn
Top photo by Alan Snodgrass
