The year was 2013. I was living in Germany, when the self-titled debut came out. I remember being intrigued by the thought of Leif Edling maybe doing something else than doom metal. I bought the CD at a SATURN shop, and I liked it at the time, but since the CANDLEMASS legend delegated the project to realtime partners Jennie-Ann Smith and Marcus Jidell, AVATARIUM (the name has strong power metal connotation, and can be misleading imo) has taken a different albeit not too exotic route.
Fast forward twelve years, and the band is at album number six with a three year gap between the last two (somehow I missed out on “Death Where Is Your Sting?”). The Stockholm quartet is back to ensure hope for analog music, because there is truly need for it in order to balance the scales, we need some raw emotion to counter the online digits and the “content creators”.
Lead single “Long Black Waves” was already released last summer. It’s a strong opener with all the band’s trademark being in full force, be it seventies rock bombast, the big chorus, bluesy guitar licks or the natural yet powerful presence of Jennie-Ann. “I See You Better In The Dark” goes for a poppier approach, focusing on vintage catchiness but still presented in a fresh, electrifying energy with some tasty hammond parts.
After a more traditional entry, the album switches gears with two more experimental tracks. First up is the dirgeful and rather strangely titled “My Hair Is On Fire (But I’ll Take Your Hand)”, boasting some funereal melodic hooks to counter the gentle build-ups with Jennie-Ann again delivering a shivering performance. “Lovers Give A Kingdom To Each Other” comes with beautiful acoustic guitar runs and lush arrangements, making it a playful tune, one of my favorites AVATARIUM tunes.
“Being With The Dead” (check out that boss intro riff) and “Until Forever And Again” goes back to the more heavy stuff with some CANDLEMASS vibes, which are obviously inherent for obvious reasons. It doesn’t come off as plagiarism but rather a fitting tribute. Leif is sure to be proud of his protege.
Instrumentals are a gamble for me, but “Notes From Underground” is a well balanced execution of Mr. Jidell’s guitar talents, before ending with the doomy and ethereal redemption song that is the title track. I feel that the climax is missing though, maybe it’s the sequencing, but I feel like there could’ve been a heavier track than the instrumental track, setting up the ambient finale of the title track. However, it doesn’t really take away the pleasure of listening to the album.
“The long black waves, oh what hides beneath the sea…”. I think this particular lyric is a good metaphor for the stark existentialism that this band reveals through their songs and lyrical themes, as is their want. AVATARIUM may not be reinventing the wheel, but they found their niché pretty early on, all within tags like doom metal, doom rock, heavy metal, hard rock, stoner rock, and all done with a great sense of experimentation and a healthy focus on dynamics.
“Between You, God, The Devil And The Dead” is very real, spearheaded by ace musicians and a psychotherapist. It has meaning, it has the songs, the riffs, the hooks, the nuances, and most importantly, the down to earth presence and simultaneous awe-inspiring influence of Jennie-Ann Smith, which brings the material and themes to life with a compassionate zeal. There’s hope!
Rating: 8 /10
Release date: 24th January 2025
Label: AFM RECORDS
Writer: Extreme Metal Voyager
Tracklist:
- Long Black Waves
- I See You Better In The Dark
- My Hair Is On Fire (But I’ll Take Your Hand)
- Lovers Give A Kingdom To Each Other
- Being With The Dead
- Until Forever And Again
- Notes From Underground
- Between You, God, The Devil And The Dead
