Avatar - Hail The Apocalyse

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Hail The Apocalyse

by Jeff Legg at 22 May 2014, 5:46 PM

With the new album, “Hail the Apocalypse”, AVATAR storms back into the Heavy Metal spotlight, a place they feel so comfortable with. There’s no question that this band needs to be heard and by the sound of this straightforward metal assault, they will.

Hailing from Sweden, this flamboyant, three-ring circus has created a buzz worldwide with their “Sideshow” image and “in your face” style of music. They are setting themselves apart from most of the cookie-cutter metalcore/nu-metal bands that are everywhere now days by putting their showmanship front and center. But without great music, this circus style mentality would get old fast. Not the case with this band. Their music is a mix of ALICE COOPER and ROB ZOMBIE theatrics, the power-groove riffs of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, with  vocals that range from ATREYU to HIM to SYSTEM OF A DOWN. Their live shows are something to behold and an experience you won’t soon forget. AVATAR consists of Johannes Michael Gustaf Eckerström (vocals), John Alfredsson (drums), Kungen (guitars), Tim Öhrström (guitars), and Henrik Sandelin (bass).

Following up on the momentum they created with their last album, “Black Waltz”, would be no easy task. The album was a breakthrough for the band and was hugely successful worldwide.  But fear not, the task has been accomplished. “Hail the Apocalyse” is an 11-song step above anything they have ever released, and that’s saying a lot. The songs are heavy, creatively written, and very “catchy”. They slow it down a little bit on my favorite song on the album, “Something in the Way”, eerily reminiscent of HIM (Actually a NIRVANA cover song), but all of the other tracks are up tempo and mind-blowing. “Hail the Apocalyse” artistically flows like the soundtrack to a Heavy Metal Broadway show with plenty of flair and substance. If you’re already a fan of AVATAR, you’ll wear out your speakers on this new release. If you have not heard of them before and are a fan of metalcore/nu-metal, this is a great way to get introduced to this fast rising band.