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AVATAR
Formed by two kindred musical souls who realized that their band was holding them back, Avatar were born when John Alfredsson and Jonas Jarlsby decided that their then-current positions in Lost Soul were going nowhere, so they left and regrouped under their new moniker. Eventually, Alfredsson and Jarlsby would be introduced to Johannes Eckerström, and the core of Avatar would be in place. To round out the membership and roster, Henrik Sandelin and Simon Andersson joined the fold in 2003, just in time to record the band's debut demo, Personal Observations. While gigging like mad to promote the band's first calling card, Avatar stepped back into the studio to record their debut EP, 2004's 4 Reasons to Die. Following the EP's release, Avatar were given the opportunity to take their sound outside their native Sweden for the first time since the band's 2001 inception. They next entered the studio to work on a debut full-length and scored a deal with Gain Records during the recording process. That album, Thoughts of No Tomorrow, was released in 2006 and followed by two European tours, one with Impaled Nazarene, the other with Evergrey. Their busy year was rounded out with two shows alongside original Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di'Anno.
Avatar had an equally momentous 2007. They started off the year as the opening act for major metal band Stone Sour, and finished it off with a new album in the shops. Schlacht, released in October of that year, was followed by a support slot on the 2008 Obituary tour. The group's eponymous third studio album was released in 2009, and the next two years found Avatar hitting the tour circuit hard, including their first-ever U.S. jaunt. Arriving in 2012, the well-received Black Waltz peaked at the number 25 slot in their native Sweden, and 2014's Hail the Apocalypse became the first Avatar outing to crack the Billboard 200. In 2016 the band issued its sixth studio long-player, Feathers & Flesh, a conceptual piece about an owl who declares war on the world. Their seventh, Avatar Country, arrived in early 2018. Produced by Jay Ruston (Stone Sour, Anthrax, Steel Panther), the album featured the singles "A Statue of the King" and "The King Wants You," as well as Avatar's spin on the Swedish royal anthem "Glory to Our King." The following year, the band released their first live outing, The King Live in Paris. 2020 found them returning to the studio once again with Jay Ruston to record their eighth album. The resulting Hunter Gatherer -- which delivered a blast of melodic death metal -- was issued toward the end of the year. (AllMusicGuide)
