If you haven't listened to
AVATARIUM before then it's certainly time to now with the release of the
''All I Want'' EP released on
Nuclear Blast Records.The gloomy band lead by
Leif Edling of
CANDLEMASS is definitely something you aren't used to hearing from him but when he is joined by band members
Jennie-Ann Smith, Marcus Jidell, Lars Skold and
Carl Westholm magic is born and you will fall in love with their unique sound immediately.
AVATARIUM are heavily influenced by the likes of
BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW and
BLUE OYSTER CULT so if you're a fan of any bands of that style then you will love the
''All I Want'' EP.
First up is catchy hard rock track
''All I Want'' which catches your opinion with its groovy riffs by
Marcus Jidell and
Jennie-Ann Smiths dark and hypnotizing vocals but it would be nothing without the deep bass tones of
Leif Edling and the simple yet effective drumming of
Carl Westholm.
''All I Want'' is the perfect track to open the EP up with and especially great to listen to if you've never listened to
AVATARIUM before, the lyrical content along with
Jennie-Ann's vocals just makes you want to check out the rest of their discography straight away.
AVATARIUM have created a flawless song in every way possible,
Leif Edling has created a band to blow minds away and change a genre of music forever.
Next up is
''Deep Well'' which is a completely different vibe to what you hear on the previous song, you are hugely surprised to the change in vocals by
Jennie-Ann where as in the first track they were perfect for hard rock but now they are something you could compare to
Patti Smith which gives you a whole new opinion on the music of
AVATARIUM.Marcus Jidell leads the band through the song with his spellbinding solo's and riffs, whilst the rest of the group gently push the beats through to keep the heaviness flowing.
Though
''Deep Well'' is a weaker song compared to the title track it is one you should listen to and decide how you feel about it, this could easily be a classic track for the bands discography.
With a name like
''Pandora's Egg'' it's obvious it's going to be a lengthy track at nearly 7 minutes long.
Vocally
''Pandora's Egg'' is hugely alike to the previous song with it's old fashioned yet rock influenced vocals by
Jennie-Ann which rocket through the song, her vocals will instantly remind you off
PINK FLOYD's ''The Great Gig In The Sky'' with it's sheer epicness.
But
Jennie-Ann takes the back seat with this song as guitarist and drummer
Mark Jidell and
Carl Westholm take you
''Pandoras Egg'' with simple yet effective riffs and drum fills which make you leave lots to the imagination but at half way through the song you're surprised by the psychadelic solo from
Mark at 3.09 which is only made better by
Leif's deep bass tones echoing throughout the solo.
But the high point of this song is that it's performed live and it's still flawless.
Carrying on with the live recordings it's
''Tides Of Telepathy'' which is 8 minutes long.
''Tides Of Telepathy'' carries on with the old school hard rock vibe of
''Pandora's Egg'' yet with more of a psychedelically touched by
Mark Jidell's trippy riffs with
Carl's dramatic drumming which could make
''Tides Of Telapathy'' into a
James Bond soundtrack.
There isn't much to say about this song about the song apart from it has strong 70's and 80's influences and turns into a hit after the 5 minute mark.
Jennie-Ann as usual has diva like vocals but perfect for the rock genre.
Last track of the album is
''Bird Of Prey'' which goes along with a 70's/80's classic rock feel to it except with a essence of modernisation.
The song is a typical EP closer with it's enticing riffs and wailing vocals to relax to, this is dramatic yet relaxing but it's not one of the best tracks of the EP.
Jennie-Ann's voice is different on here than the rest of the songs as it's seems to have projected better yet nearing the end it's gentle to hear and really pleases the ears.
Overall the
''All I Want EP'' was great but could have been better, it needs more songs like the title track as that is something that needs to be heard by any fan of good music but that said the other 4 are also great.
Leif Edling is simply leading this band to victory with great writing skills and phenomenal music performances.