AVATAR: Dance Devil Dance (INDUSTRIAL METAL): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

While Avatar amazed us in 2018 with "Avatar Country", the Swedes had hit rock bottom with their last album "Hunter Gatherer" in which all their energy and creativity had evaporated to offer only a very average and uninspired metal. The release of a new album at the dawn of 2023 was not likely to upset the metal world, especially as the title of this new album, "Dance Devil Dance", was not the most refined.

Swedish proverb: sometimes you have to watch out for the sleeping clown. The terrifying Johannes Michael Gustaf Eckerström finds the line-up of "Avatar Country" around him, which was not the case on the previous album with one exception. The guitars are switched on like chainsaws right from the start and we start dreaming of a return to 2018, which will happen to everyone's great pleasure. The whimsical and rather eclectic spirit of Avatar is quickly established. Each of the 11 songs of this macabre dance is defined as a sonic vignette, with its own atmosphere, identity and energy, the band having fun - like A.C.T. in another genre (again Swedes!) - to redistribute the cards by upsetting its patterns ('On The Beach' and its sometimes doom, sometimes groovy sound galleries) or by trying unexpected approaches (funky on 'The Dirt I Am Buried In'). However, a great schizophrenic track is missing to unite the darkness of this 2023 vintage: the indus blast of hell of 'Valley Of Disease' would have deserved further developments, while 'Do You Feel In Control' reminds us of the previous album...

The sinister clown's vocals strike a good balance between growl and clean vocals, sometimes opting for high-pitched flights reminiscent of the genre's canons (especially on the eponymous track, which could well become a radio hit, or on the extreme 'Clouds Dipped In Chrome'). We'll also be amused by the incursion of very Beach Boys choirs on the transitions of 'Gotta Wanna Riot' or by the successful attempt at a crooner on 'Train'. The album ends with 'Violence No Matter What', which sees the presence behind the microphone of the delicate Lzzy Hale (Halestorm), whose angry, rocky voice goes well with that of the demonic august. The vocals are obviously one of the strongest points of this record.

With a reasonable length of 41 minutes, this new opus allows us to find the Swedes doing what they do best: manipulating different influences to create a unique and here totally frenzied sound. This ninth Avatar opus will please fans of the genre as well as the curious who are not afraid to indulge in extreme experiences. - Official website

AVATAR

DANCE DEVIL DANCE

AUTRE LABEL

INDUSTRIAL METAL