Feathers & Flesh

These prolific Swedes might just be my discovery of the year. Back in June, my brother took me to Download festival - where there were A LOT of people dressed in red & yellow circus-like costumes. None the wiser, we decided to see what the fuss was about. Avatar stole the whole festival, and we instantly understood the fanaticism. Their imagery, their attitude, their quirkiness - finally a truly unique, refreshing new band. Oh wait...they've been around for 15 years, and have 6 albums. Well colour us stupid!

It's criminal how exceptional artists like this slip under the radar for so long. "Feathers & Flesh" is the 6th full-length from Avatar, and apparently it's a concept album about an owl or something. Yeah, I'll admit that doesn't entirely shine through. But from the hulking riffs, peculiar eccentricities, catchy choruses and Johannes Eckerström's wacky personality (more on him later), there's plenty to enjoy on this release.

This album rockets out of the starting gates with the awesome one-two punch of "Regret" and "House of Eternal Hunt". The former being a swelling crescendo full of grandeur; the latter being a vibrant, up-tempo, power metal-esque number that reminds me of Primal Fear before they got boring. From this point, it's anyone's guess what the next track will sound like! That's half the fun of this album, it's like genre bingo. "Fiddler's Farewell" is a bleak, depressive lament; whereas "Night Never Ending" is almost a metal jig! "The Eagle Has Landed" is a radio-rock anthem; whereas "One More Hill" reaches pure death metal at points.

Tempos fluctuate and styles bounce back and forth all over this album. But there are some highlights that I always wait for. Previously mentioned "House of Eternal Hunt" is a sure-fire winner. The chorus of "The Eagle Has Landed" will latch itself onto your brain for years. The sludgy dirge of "Black Waters" is like a quagmire of riffs which contrasts wonderfully with the festive "Night Never Ending". With its unusual drum rhythms, chants, and vocal athletics, it's definitely my favourite song on the album. The brutal groove of "Pray The Sun Away" proves this is a band firmly rooted in groove metal - but even this is not without its quirks.

The majority of these 'quirks' are down to vocalist/ringmaster/general psychopath Johannes Eckerström. I am in no way seeking to disparage the other members' talents. Some of the guitar leads are incredible and unconventional; the bass is prominent and ever-active; and the kit work is not boring for one second. But this inimitable vocalist growls, sneers and snarls his way through "Feathers & Flesh", simultaneously vicious and fun-loving. His clean vocals may waiver a little in pitch sometimes, but this only adds emotive power to tender moments like "When The Snow Lies Red". If you really want to experience this madman at his best - see them live. You won't be disappointed. Until then, check out his berserk performance on "For The Swarm". WORK WORK WORK WORK!!

The production is a little thin on the ground. The size of the riffs demands a beefier tone, and perhaps the drums to come down in volume a little. However, in the album's sparser moments, this works perfectly. The swelling opening to "Raven Wine" is especially notable - tell me that doesn't make you think of Gojira! If you're a fan of Avatar, then you own this already. But if these Swedish maniacs are fresh faces to you - go check them out, especially in a live setting. "Feathers & Flesh" may be a track too long, and suffer from schizophrenia, but it's a journey you won't soon forget.

"Ladies and gentlemen,
Your hero has returned again!
Everything is going to be okay - ay - ay- ay!"

Avatar is a band that, to me, has had a very interesting trajectory in terms of musical style. Earlier work, such as the self-titled album, were somewhere in the ballpark of melodic death metal. With Black Waltz and its general circus theme, things shifted into more of an experimental territory, with the band combining their existing sound with raw death metal sections, softer sounds, and some interesting carnival sounds. Hail the Apocalypse continued this trend, adding a bit of nu metal while keeping the weird circus vibes. Now we have Feathers and Flesh, and boy is it completely different.

Through various interviews, the members of Avatar made it clear that with this album, they were making a departure from what they had become used to. Of course every band says this about their newest record, and in Avatar's case, it is true. While there are still theatrical vocal performances (The Eagle has Landed), weird experimental parts (Tooth, Beak, and Claw), and some old school death metal sections (One More Hill), this is largely a traditional heavy metal album. The band fully embraces the huge, epic atmosphere that this style of music is capable of creating, with opening track Regret and first single House of Eternal Hunt showcasing extremely fast, melodic, Helloween-inspired guitar licks. The genre shift also comes through in the vocal performance, with the majority of the album consisting of various clean vocal styles. The band even took steps to allow this album to be epic outside of the music itself; it's a concept album, just over an hour in length, and it is accompanied by a full-on, hardcover epic poem that details the events of the story. Undoubtedly, Avatar have delivered on the promise of a huge album that also serves as a departure from their previous style.

I'm not going to spoil the entire plot of the album, because the best way to absorb this album is honestly to read the accompanying poem beforehand. However, the basic plot of the poem is that an owl is waging war against an eagle, because the owl wants to keep the sun from rising. It sounds goofy and akin to a children's fable, which is exactly what the band is going for. Without revealing everything, I can assure you that this album is a dark, twisted story, and will definitely entertain you.

As far as what I think about the actual quality of the album, there is not a single track that I dislike on this. Some musical highlights for me were the swaggering choruses of The Eagle Has Landed, the bleak and loss-themed Fiddler's Fairwell, the rapid shifts between melody and brutality in Raven Wine, and of course the thematic and beautiful closer that is Sky Burial. As I already mentioned, the guitars on this album are everything that one could ask for from a heavy metal album. They run to gamut from harmonized, whammy-filled solos, to slow and dramatic clean sections. The drums, as always with Avatar, are a very effective marriage of slow grooves and blistering double bass sections. The bass is also nothing to scoff at. Avatar have always been a band that know when the bass should follow the drums and guitars, and when it should break off into its own ideas. As mentioned before, the vocals on this album seem to mostly consist of cleans. That may turn some people off, but it is actually not a bad thing given that Eckerström's performance on this album is excellent. While he uses his traditional growl less on this album, this still the most vocally diverse Avatar album. The vocals seem to cover all possible ground, with aggressive traditional metal singing, bluesy yelling, and cartoonish moaning all showcased extensively. Along with the guitars, Eckerström's vocals to me are the most impressive part to this album.

All in all, this has to be the best Avatar album to date. Not only is it just a kickass listen when taken at face value, but when one analyzes all of the bits and pieces that make up this band, there is nothing but improvement to be found. I would recommend this album to any metal fan, regardless of your preconceived ideas you may have about this band. You won't be disappointed.