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Interview With 'Avatar'


Here at 3 Songs and Out we are lucky enough to ask the mighty Avatar some questions...

Greetings Your Majesty! Now that it's been a few months since the release of 'Avatar Country', how has response been from fans?

Correction: I am not His Royal Majesty the King of Kings Above All the Things Typically run by Kings. I am but a humble servant in the Court of Thunder and Steel.

All response have been positive and government approved.

Now that summer's over and festival season has ended, were there any stand out highlights this year? (Seeing you guys at Download Festival was certainly one of ours)

Personally for me I’d say that meeting the King was a very powerful experience. It never really gets old. Finland was really cool too.

Next up is a sold out UK tour with Halestorm - looking forward to that one?

I am sure they are.

Is the UK a place you look forward to visiting on tour?

Yes of course, but do you think I would tell you if it wasn’t?

After Halestorm, it's the mighty Trivium! Is touring with bands that draw in different crowds difficult or is it something you embrace?

In my experience we are a band that never quite fit in and thus always face crowds that will be equally confused, enlightened and entertained. We are just glad when we get to play with bands we deeply respect, which is the case with both Halestorm and Trivium. This fall is going to be great.

Now that you’re 7 albums deep into your career, is it getting difficult to pick your setlist? Especially for those shorter support sets!

Opening spots tend to force the set lists to become pretty self evident. We have little choice than to focus mainly on songs with a well proven track record and just top it off with a surprises or two when possible to keep it fresh. It is what it is and therefore not really an issue.

You guys certainly look the part on stage - few bands come close in fact. How important is it to Avatar to have that striking appearance that will stick with potential new fans long after the concert is over?

The idea is that Avatar is an art project that goes beyond the songs. We want to communicate visually as well as through words and sound. It obviously becomes very potent when done right.

Sticking with having a striking appearance, why do you think that we don't get so many bands doing that? Ghost are an example of another band that pull it off, and of course KISS are probably the pioneers - Is it a tough act to keep up?

Slipknot, Rammstein, Alice Cooper, Behemoth, Dimmu Borgir, Sabaton… The list goes on. Metal has a rich history and present when it comes to visual expression in my opinion. All the examples above have been very successful because they make it real, honest and in complete synch with their music.

An often talked about topic at shows these days is the overuse of mobile phones, with Avatar being so visual do you find that this is more of a problem than it is for other bands?

I think it has calmed down in the last five years or so. I don’t like it personally but I also don’t like to dictate how people should entertain themselves. If you are stuck behind your screen on a live event it’s you loss and you’re missing out.

Finally - what is Sweden's secret? It really is quite amazing just how many great bands come from a relatively small country. Hardcore Superstar and Backyard Babies being two of my favourites!

They share border with Avatar Country.

Thank you for taking time to chat with here at 3 Songs & Out.

Interview - Sam Robinson

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