Avatar is deep into the creation of their tenth studio album, the follow-up to Dance Devil Dance. Once again produced by Jay Ruston — known for his work with Anthrax, Steel Panther, and Uriah Heep — the album is expected to arrive in late 2025 via the band's own Black Waltz Records, distributed by Thirty Tigers.
In an interview with Vrotherhood, frontman Johannes Eckerström offered a detailed and introspective look at how the album is coming together — and what sets this one apart. 'For me, I set a starting date around August 2023. I was thinking next album a lot. Also, because of touring and life in general, there's not this huge long period of just disappearing and writing,' he shared (via Blabbermouth). 'So I kind of personally rely on having a bit more manic periods.'
He described the scattered but focused nature of the band's writing timeline: 'It was something towards the end of that summer, then a bit around December, January, that year. Then we did a lot of touring again, and a few things can happen on tour, some really important things even in the songwriting, but not a huge volume of stuff. The big volume of stuff means that you get to sit at home and work in peace and fail in peace, and succeed in peace.'
Each band member worked on their own schedule. 'I think [guitarist] Tim [Öhrström] — well, he started a bit after me, and [guitarist] Jonas [Jarlsby] really got most of his stuff together much later,' Eckerström said. 'But, well, at the end of the day, we all climb different paths up the mountain, but we still reach the same mountaintop.'
When it comes to the album's lyrical themes, Eckerström noted a departure from the conscious mind and a deeper dive into surreal, dreamlike territory. 'It seemed like dreams influenced this album way more than they have in the past, and some kind of letting something subconscious out,' he explained. 'And with that come, to a certain degree, some kind of take on surrealism.'
Rather than forcing meaning, the band leaned into instinct. 'I feel I worry less and less over time that I have to understand a song immediately while writing it,' Eckerström said. 'Where I now have been trusting beauty, just the aesthetic of [it]… If the words, in the context of the music and everything I wanna write there, if it feels beautiful, it is probably right.'
Still, the intention is to communicate something — even if that message is as lighthearted as a rock cliché. 'You still want all of these things; whatever process is going on together with creating the music, it still also needs to be something that communicates and articulates something,' he said. 'Even in cases, if it just articulates, 'I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day,' it needs to say something about something.'
Some songs take the form of ghost stories, while others reflect inward. 'Some songs are reflective, introspective in a way that I don't think I would've had the ability to do earlier in my life,' he admitted. "Cause that's the other thing — always, always, always look for a way to feel like a beginner, find something to be excited about as a songwriter, as a creative person.'
After nearly two decades and nine albums, Avatar is still chasing something new. 'If we are one of the few who are gonna get to do what we do to the level where we can feed ourselves and our families with it… then I think that comes with a certain respect towards the people that you are trying to pull in,' Eckerström said. 'And also a respect for the art form, a simple respect for heavy metal and what that means to us.'
That respect drives the band to evolve — both musically and thematically. 'There's a way of dealing with age, death, change on this album that goes deeper. And I also think this is an album that has way more of caring about people,' he said. 'In a way, there's some more romantic parts or intimate parts and not necessarily only spousal, that kind of love song-ish… It's just buried in the heavy metal.'
On the sonic front, Eckerström insists fans will still recognize the band. 'Musically, it's an Avatar album,' he stated. 'The big changes — I feel I took some huge leaps as a singer… not that high heavy stuff, but also going back to [someone like Judas Priest singer] Rob Halford.'
He pointed to Halford's signature delivery for inspiration. 'The people who are able to have a drive and energy in your mid-range… there's that drive to. It's the drums and the weight of the words and all that. And to do that without screaming your head off, there are moments on the album where I finally feel I did a bit of that and feel pleased with it.'
Fans can also expect some experimentation. 'Parts of this album is more progressive than Avatar has been before, I believe,' he noted. 'We didn't do [something like the classic] Yes [album] Close To The Edge — it's not that, but it's something. Sometimes you have to stop and count a bit, and lose yourself in that a bit.'
From intricate rhythms to heartfelt melodies, the new material is shaping up to be a varied mix. 'There's also probably stuff that [is] the most melodic that we have done, especially vocally speaking,' he said. 'Because the guitars have always been mainly melodic. And then we have some of the murder riffs as well because we like that.'
And yes — there's even piano. 'So it's very multifaceted in a way that is hard to make sense from a band that isn't Avatar. But we can do it. And also I play piano, so that was fun.'
