Review AVATARIUM ‘Death, Where is Your Sting’

When I heard ‘Moonhorse’ by Avatarium for the first time, I immediately felt a pleasant chill. These intense and dark sounds, together with Jennie-Ann Smith’s clear and emotional vocals was and is impressive. Then followed a performance at the 2014 Roadburn Festival, the first one outside Sweden. Even then you could already tell that this band has great potential, even if logically at that time not everything was fully coordinated.

Over the years Leif Edling, the founder of the project, withdrew more and more for health reasons and it was guitarist Marcus Jidell who pushed the further development of the band. More great songs like ‘Rubicon’ and ‘Pearls and Coffins’ followed.

After 10 years of Avatarium and four albums, the latest work of the Swedes is now in the stores. It is called ‘Death, Where is Your Sting’ and contains eight new tracks. The latest album is the most mature so far and contains tracks with many facets.

Already the beginning is gloomy. The strings involved give the song a melancholy from the beginning, which Smith also supports skillfully with her voice. ‘A Love Like Ours’ comes next on the tracklist and is kept relatively calm, but has an immense emotional depth.

‘Stockholm’, already released as a single, spreads its grim atmosphere next. Nevertheless, it is a song about hope and courage, even in dark hours. And whoever has experienced the Swedish capital in the late gray days of November, immediately gets picture before his eyes, too.

With the title track Avatarium manage to add another hit to their discography. Especially the irresistible chorus is a masterpiece and immediately remains in the listener’s mind. Moreover, the acoustic guitar dominates and is a sign that the heavy doom metal riffs are less dominant. Fortunately, these have not disappeared and songs like ‘God is Silent’ still build on the Sabbathian heaviness.

Avatarium combine on ‘Death, Where is Your Sting’ classic rock, metal and progressive elements in a skillful way, which is also reflected in the epic ‘Mother can You Hear Me Now’. With ‘Nocturne’ the group proves again that no song is like the other and yet it is a well-considered musical direction that connects everything in an amazing way.

The band has placed another emotional highlight at the end with ‘Trascendent’. Quiet acoustic parts are combined with heavy riff assaults, while the cello once again brings a wistfulness to the surface.

With ‘Death, Where is Your Sting’ Avatarium manage to continue the remarkable development with a very well done album. This band has been special from the beginning and the new record is no exception. Music and emotion are skillfully blended on this album. This record is a soundtrack for the coming gloomy autumn and winter days.