### Avatarium: Avatarium

#### 11/12/13 || gk

Avatarium is pretty much a super group. Leif Edling (bass) from Candlemass, Marcus Jidell (guitar) from Royal Hunt, Carl Westholm (keyboards) from Jupiter Society and long-time collaborator of Edling’s, Lars Sköld (drums) from Tiamat and newcomer Jennie-Ann Smith on vocals. If you thought the band was going to play around in the doom metal field, then you’re right. Avatarium play an interpretation of doom metal that includes classic Swedish doom metal with bits of classic rock, folk, progressive and pop music. The result is an album that is consistently high on quality and occasionally, pretty fucking mesmerizing.

Moonhorse starts things off with a classic Edling riff but quickly alternates between soft, acoustic verses and a soaring middle section that lets Jidell and Smith come to the party in an impressive manner. Smith brings the full power of her voice to bear in the middle section just after Jidell pulls off a memorable solo and the effect is remarkable. It’s a pretty stunning opener from the band and things just get better from here. “Pandora’s egg” has a laid back melancholic feel initially with Smith pulling off a dramatic feel to the verse but it isn’t long before the doom metal kick in and Smith once again lets her voice soar. Jidell pulls off another impressive solo but then it’s the quiet last verse with Smith accompanied by Edling playing the main riff that brings the song home with its melancholic beauty.

Boneflower showcases a slight hint of Blue Oyster Cult while also playing to a more pop-rock approach in its melody and it works quite well. “Tides of telepathy” is ominous from the start, slowly building momentum and then bringing things to a halt before another bass riff leads us into the first verse. It’s a solid song but the band once again changes track with the second half of the song going off in a prog-rock direction and Jidell lays down yet another blistering solo. The album ends with the melancholic and beautiful “Lady in the lamp”. Starting with a slide guitar and a peculiar blues feel, the song changes direction at will with Smith’s soulful vocal approach leading into a lead guitar break and by the time the second verse rolls in, you’ll be humming the melody even if you don’t know the words yet. This is a superb ending to one hell of a debut album.

“Avatarium” really does not sound like a debut album. The songs all sound fully evolved and the songwriting is top class. Sure, you can say that most of the songs follow the same formula of soft verse, soaring chorus, blistering guitar solo but it’s a lot more than that. The heavy doom metal riffs are the perfect counterpoint to the gentle fragility that Smith brings to the softer verses and the soaring guitar leads compliment her own soaring vocals quite perfectly. Such is the presence of Smith and Jidell on this album that it takes a few listens to fully grasp the performance of the other musicians. Edling and Sköld make a formidable rhythm section with Edling often anchoring the heavier riffs while the guitar goes off on a run and while Westholm is largely relegated to providing texture for these songs, his little touches on “Lady in the lamp” and “Tides of telepathy” make those songs special.

Avatarium manage to avoid the Candlemass comparison, sounding like the spiritual successor to Krux’s “II” and bring something fresh to the table. This is quite possibly the best thing Edling has done since that second Krux album. “Avatarium” should appeal to a wide variety of metal fans and not just the doom metal crowd. Here’s hoping there’ll be more from this band and that this album is not just a one off.

- Information
- Released: 2013
- Label: Nuclear Blast
- Website: www.avatarium.com
- Band
- Jennie-Ann Smith: vocals
- Marcus Jidell: guitars
- Leif Edling: bass
- Lars Sköld: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Moonhorse
- 02. Pandora’s Egg
- 03. Avatarium
- 04. Boneflower
- 05. Bird of Prey
- 06. Tides of Telepathy
- 07. Lady in the Lamp