Avatar : "Don't Go in the Forest'

These guys have always struck me more as a mix of power metal and thrash, than the kind of prog metal the press and their fan base tries to paint them as. The opening track finds theis leaning even further in the power-metal direction with a more rock n roll vibe in the guitar solo. Despite their image they do not sound all that dark. There is a more aggressive snarl to the second song, with a recycled Slipknot riff powering it and a bright pwoer-metal chorus to jerk the wheel hard left. 

Perhaps it is because they are from Sweden, but moments like "Captain Goat" even feel like they are dipping into folk metal, though it is less frollicking than some. It makes you feel like they should be cosplaying vikings rather than clowns. The title track tries to be darker, but I am not really convinced and it feels more like filler to be that a centerpiece of the album. I find the more carnival like mood of "Death and Glitz to be more entertaining. The sung vocals are a little over produced and too double tracked, to the point of it almost sounding like something AI would write. 

They are not as dynamic as most pwoer ballad on "Howling at the Waves". This lack of inspiration feels like it carries over into the marginally more interesting "Dead and Gone and Back Again' which is a stupid title that almost sounds worst when sung on the chorus. "Take This Heart and Burn" finds them getting heavier with harsher vocals but the harmonized guitar attack and power metal chorus takes some of the burn out. There are some sonically intersting moments on the last song but it is not as focused as the strongest songs here. I will give this album an 8, as they continue to capture what they do in a manner than should please their fans, it jsut feels like they know their days of riding the hype are numbered and trying to prolong it in the only way they know how, repeating what worked in the past. 

pst524