Photo Credit: Johan Carlén
Swedish metal troupe Avatar have just dropped their third single and music video, “Tonight We Must Be Warriors,” ahead of their newly announced 10th studio album. With the release of the song, the band confirmed the name of the new album, “Don’t Go in the Forest,” as well as the cover art and release date of October 31, fitting for a band that pulls some influence from the horror genre.
The music video for “Tonight We Must Be Warriors” can be watched HERE.
Much like the previous single “In the Airwaves,” this latest song defies all expectations of what to expect. “Tonight We Must Be Warriors” is completely different from the first two singles, with “Captain Goat” being anthemic and heavily rhythm based and story-driven, while “In the Airwaves” calls back to the “Hail the Apocalypse" era of Avatar from 2014-15.
If “In the Airwaves” alludes to their 2015 record, then “Tonight We Must Be Warriors” alludes to 2016’s “Feathers & Flesh.” It is almost conceptual, both in the lyrics and the instrumentals. The song begins with a rolling snare and flute like an army march. The tension slowly rises before dropping into the chorus, grandiose and giant, a feeling that carries through the rest of the song.
The music video, like all the others from Avatar, got the Johan Carlén special, utilizing heavy practical effects with a touch of CGI. Stylistically, it is reminiscent of the music videos for songs such as “The Eagle Has Landed” and “New Land” off of “Feathers & Flesh.” At around 2:40 in the video, the band even brings back an eagle prop used in some of the “Feathers & Flesh” music videos.
Formed in 2001 in Gothenburg, Sweden, Avatar consists of frontman/vocalist/occasional trombone player and balloon animal artist Johannes Eckerström, guitarists Tim Öhrström and Jonas “Kungen” Jarlsby, bassist Henrik Sandelin and drummer John Alfredsson.
Coming from the Gothenburg melodic death metal scene, which gave rise to bands such as In Flames, At the Gates, and Dark Tranquility, Avatar has evolved from another melodeath band to what they have become today: a wild and chaotic dark circus, with the ever-eclectic Eckerström as ringmaster.
"It has become a necessity to me over the years to be able to answer one question: Why is this important? It can't be just another album. We need to discover something, try something else. It has to come from the heart. What is being said matters. In days of isolation and despair, maybe we need to be reminded that we are not alone? We are one of many. Maybe we also need a reminder that the burden is on our shoulders? To get it done, we need to do the fighting ourselves. In our shared pain, we find solidarity."
–Johannes Eckerström (vocalist)
Avatar will be on the road touring across North America and Europe for the next year. They are currently supporting Iron Maiden on the European leg of their “Run For Your Lives” tour through early August.
The band will then hop across the pond for a one-show headliner in Mexico City on Halloween with support from Ladrones. Following that they will be embarking on their U.S. headliner “In The Airwaves” tour in early November through early December with support from Alien Weaponry and Spirit World.
After a two-month break they will head back over to Europe in February for their “A Night to be Torn Apart” headlining tour with Alien Weaponry, Agabas, and Witch Club Satan. To round out the band’s touring cycle, Avatar will be alongside Pantera in supporting Metallica for four dates in Europe of their no repeat weekends of their “M72” world tour.
Supporting Iron Maiden
7/19 — Paris, FR — Paris La Défense Arena
7/20 — Paris, FR — Paris La Défense Arena
7/23 — Arnhem, NL — GelreDome
7/25 — Frankfurt, DE — Deutsche Bank Park
7/26 — Stuttgart, DE — Cannstatter Wasen
7/29 — Berlin, DE — Waldbühne Berlin
7/30 — Berlin, DE —Waldbühne Berlin
8/2 — Warsaw, PL — PGE Narodowy
8/9 — Kortrijk, BE — Alcatraz Festival*
Headlining
10/31 — Mexico City, MX — The Pepsi Center
11/5 — Phoenix, AZ — The Van Buren
11/6 — San Diego, CA — The Observatory San Diego
11/7 — Riverside, CA — Riverside Municipal Auditorium
11/8 — Las Vegas, NV — Brooklyn Bowl
11/10 — Seattle, WA — Moore Theater
11/11 — Portland, OR — Roseland Theatre
11/12 — Boise, ID — Revolution
11/14 — Salt Lake City, UT — The Union
11/15 — Denver, CO — Fillmore
11/17 — Minneapolis, MN — Fillmore
11/18 — Madison, WI — The Sylvee 1
1/20 — Detroit, MI — The Fillmore Detroit
11/21 — Pittsburgh, PA — Stage AE
11/22 — Columbus, OH — KEMBA Live!
11/23 — Silver Spring, MD — The Fillmore Silver Spring
11/25 — Huntington, NY — Paramount
11/26 — Boston, MA — House of Blues
11/28 — Allentown, PA — Archer Music Hall
11/29 — Charlotte, NC — The Fillmore Charlotte
11/30 — Louisville, KY — Old Forester's Paristown Hall
12/2 — Chicago, IL — Riviera Theater
12/4 — Nashville, TN — Marathon Music Works
12/6 — Tulsa, OK — Tulsa Theater
12/7 — Dallas, TX — House of Blues
2/5 — Stockholm, SE — Fållan
2/7 — Helsinki, FI — Kulttuuritalo
2/9 — Oslo, NO — Sentrum Scene
2/10 — Copenhagen, DK — Vega
2/11 — Osnabrück, DE — Die Botschaft
2/12 — Brussels, BE — A.B.
2/14 — London, UK — Exhibition
2/15 — Manchester, UK — Academy
2/16 — Glasgow, UK — Barrowland
2/17 — Nottingham, UK — Rock City
2/18 — Bristol, UK — O2 Academy
2/20 — Amsterdam, NL — AFAS Live
2/21 — Esch-Sur-Alzette, LU — Rockhal
2/22 — Zürich, CH — Komplex
2/24 — Barcelona, ES — Razzmatazz
2/25 — Madrid, ES — La Riviera
2/27 — Lisbon, PT — LAV
2/28 — Bilbao, ES — Santana 27
3/2 — Lyon, FR — Le Cube
3/3 — Milan, IT — Alcatraz
3/4 — Vienna, AT — Gasometer
3/5 — Munich, DE — Tonhalle
3/6 — Cologne, DE — E-Werk
3/7 — Paris, FR — Le Zenith
3/9 — Wiesbaden, DE — Schlachthof
3/10 — Zlin, CZ — Sports Hall Datart
3/11 — Warsaw, PL — Stodola
3/12 — Berlin, DE — Columbiahalle
3/13 — Hamburg, DE — Docks
Supporting Metallica
5/24 — Frankfurt, DE — Deutsche Bank Park
6/11 — Budapest, HU — Puskas Arena
6/19 — Dublin, IE — Aviva Stadium
7/5 — London, UK — London Stadium
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