Album Review: Avatar – Dance Devil Dance

Dynamic, anthemic and undeniably powerful

Swedish heavy metal band Avatar has been creating musical chaos since 2001 and continues the tradition with their recent album Dance Devil Dance. As a whole, the album serves as a fantastic contribution to the band’s catalogue with thrilling instrumentation and powerful vocal performances. Avatar’s skills as a band shines brightly on this album.

“Dance Devil Dance” kicks things off with a bang as each guitar riff fills the air with a bittersweet sound. Heavy hitter “Valley of Disease” is a dark tune which shows how powerful Johannes Eckerström is as a vocalist. Right at the beginning, Eckerström uses his dominant voice to scream out the lyrics in pure hatred while admitting he is the problem. 

“Gotta Wanna Riot” is a mind-blowing track made delightfully catchy thanks to John Alfredsson’s drum playing. Alfredsson’s drum beats evoke the urge to head bang while the dynamic noises blares from the speakers. “Gotta Wanna Riot”  can very well be an anthem for those who want to raise havoc while the insane drum playing dominates the universe.

“Hazmat Suit” is a thunderous vein jolter with Henrik Sandelin’s bass guitar playing relentlessly, shaking the background with hard hitting riffs. The powerful vibrations from each note contributes to the never ending intensity of the track and by extension, the entire album. “Hazmat Suit” is filled to the brim with Sandelin’s killer bass guitar skills.

Closing track “Violence No Matter What” finishes things on a high note. Even so, the best part is hearing Lzzy Hale of Halestorm lend her talent to the track with her mind-blowing vocal performance. Eckerström’s vocals remain strong and authoritative but Hale’s vocals capture the feeling of wanting to raise hell. Fans and critics alike are in for a treat, Hale’s dynamic vocal performance steals the show while still complementing the band’s style.

In all, Dance Devil Dance is an album that shows how serious Avatar is about creating and performing righteous music.

Cait Stoddard: Hello! My name is Caitlin and my job is writing music news stories and reviewing metal music albums. I enjoy collecting vinyl, playing video games, watching movies and going to concerts.
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