Avatarium
All I Want (EP)
Nuclear Blast
2014
Avatarium is the band that Lief Edling, the bassist and mastermind of Candlemass did conjure up, after, deciding to put the latter into a studio hiatus, for the foreseeable future. They are an artsy and doomy hard rocking 70s inspired band with female vocals and occult lyrics, something that could be considered as a bit “trendy” these days, but the way in which these guys approach the subject and the results they come up with, totally blow away, every pretender band.
While there are slight Candle and Crux influences, Avatarium are very much a new band and after a very impressive debut, in 2013, the band offers a couple of new songs and three live cuts in the form of an EP to keep a momentum going… nicely priced and nicely timed, it’s not a bad idea, I’d say, even if they didn't get to properly support their debut with a full tour.
“All I Want” which also lends its name to the EP is a mid-tempo but playful number with a strong riff and quite interesting vocals. There’s this warm atmosphere and it greatly reminds me of Sabbath, old Mass, but very much of mid-era Lake of Tears in a good way...
“Deep Well” is a lot more weathered, but it’s still pleasant, even if it’s rather downtrodden and sad in its anguished and sorrowful yet melodiously pessimistic groaning rhymes…
The “live” tracks, thankfully are well recorded. The sound a bit more “minimalist” than on the album and thus a lot “heavier” and “deadlier” and far more “dark” and “dramatic”...
“Pandora’s Egg” (live) at times, sounds as dark or evil as some of the heaviest Mass or Sabbath, ever did, which is quite an achievement… drenched in the right purple lights and with some smoke rising, Avatarium, must be quite a sight so see, I’d imagine and I hope that sooner or later, I’ll get a chance to find out for myself…
“Tides of Telepathy” (live) is nice, but in all honesty, I’d rather have something like the eponymous song or “Lady of the Lamp” in its place, as it’s jammy, eerie gloomy atmosphere, just doesn’t translate as well – as “Pandora’s Egg” for instance…
Last but not least the fantastic “Bird of Prey” (live) gets an airing… and it sounds both massive and good if not a little strained vocally in a couple of places. From what I saw, all these live performances do come from the Tilburg performance of the band at the Roadburn Festival and I take it that other than some proper mixing, they must have remained rather unaltered otherwise, so they sound authentic... (you can hear a mic’s peaking ‘n all when that could not be avoided) etc...
All in all this EP is a nice – little release that should keep fans happy until the band tours more and hopefully a sophomore album should not be too far off. Well as long songs are kept to this level and the band is not forced to put an album out before it’s absolutely ready to do so, it should be rather cool!
While there are slight Candle and Crux influences, Avatarium are very much a new band and after a very impressive debut, in 2013, the band offers a couple of new songs and three live cuts in the form of an EP to keep a momentum going… nicely priced and nicely timed, it’s not a bad idea, I’d say, even if they didn't get to properly support their debut with a full tour.
“All I Want” which also lends its name to the EP is a mid-tempo but playful number with a strong riff and quite interesting vocals. There’s this warm atmosphere and it greatly reminds me of Sabbath, old Mass, but very much of mid-era Lake of Tears in a good way...
“Deep Well” is a lot more weathered, but it’s still pleasant, even if it’s rather downtrodden and sad in its anguished and sorrowful yet melodiously pessimistic groaning rhymes…
The “live” tracks, thankfully are well recorded. The sound a bit more “minimalist” than on the album and thus a lot “heavier” and “deadlier” and far more “dark” and “dramatic”...
“Pandora’s Egg” (live) at times, sounds as dark or evil as some of the heaviest Mass or Sabbath, ever did, which is quite an achievement… drenched in the right purple lights and with some smoke rising, Avatarium, must be quite a sight so see, I’d imagine and I hope that sooner or later, I’ll get a chance to find out for myself…
“Tides of Telepathy” (live) is nice, but in all honesty, I’d rather have something like the eponymous song or “Lady of the Lamp” in its place, as it’s jammy, eerie gloomy atmosphere, just doesn’t translate as well – as “Pandora’s Egg” for instance…
Last but not least the fantastic “Bird of Prey” (live) gets an airing… and it sounds both massive and good if not a little strained vocally in a couple of places. From what I saw, all these live performances do come from the Tilburg performance of the band at the Roadburn Festival and I take it that other than some proper mixing, they must have remained rather unaltered otherwise, so they sound authentic... (you can hear a mic’s peaking ‘n all when that could not be avoided) etc...
All in all this EP is a nice – little release that should keep fans happy until the band tours more and hopefully a sophomore album should not be too far off. Well as long songs are kept to this level and the band is not forced to put an album out before it’s absolutely ready to do so, it should be rather cool!