Interview: AVATAR talks about their latest album and plans to return to Brazil.

The visionary heavy metal band known collectively as AVATAR released their newest masterpiece, Don't Go in the Forest , on the symbolic date of October 31st. Avatar's growth and momentum have only increased in recent years since the band opened for Iron Maiden and with the release of the acclaimed album Dance Devil Dance (2023) . Following the new album, the group will spend a good amount of time on the road, with tours planned for the next two years.

In an interview with Wikimetal , vocalist Johannes Eckerström and bassist Henrik Sandelin talked about the new album, touring with Iron Maiden , and their upcoming visit to Brazil.

Wikimetal: Don't Go in the Forest presents a dark and almost folkloric concept. Was there any 'childhood fear' or personal legend that most influenced the writing of this album? What does this metaphorical forest represent to you?

Johannes Eckerström: I wouldn't say there was one specific event per se, but probably a thousand events, or simply that, a certain feeling about fears or confronting fears. Instead, I would say it's about using strength as a recurring theme, like this magical, dark, forbidden place and all that. I think that came about when I realized that many lyrics on this album and many previous albums have a lot to do with water. We grew up on the west coast, so the ocean is right there, there are lakes everywhere, and we're surrounded by trees.

Everyone grew up with a moose coming into the yard, eating apples, getting drunk, and getting stuck on the swing. We basically live in the forest, if you're Swedish. So when you grow up, when you come home at night or something, whatever it is, it's a place to go into. You get lost in it. The forest can mean many things. As I said, regarding this album, there's something about fear, maybe even more about taboos and the idea of ​​"don't do that," "don't go," "don't have the forbidden thought," or something like that. There are many taboos that must be broken for our own good, that prevent us from moving forward, or taboos that we impose on ourselves because of what? External pressure.

So, something that's considered forbidden to you, something you have to confront, and that line of thought, those painted images, come from multiple experiences, not just one. And, superficially speaking, the song "Magic Lantern" definitely has that dreamlike layer of childhood, and there are fragments of memories in it. But that's, again, more a state of being than a very specific event. It's more about the memory fading as an idea. And then, what specific memory was fading that I was trying to remember, if that makes sense.

WM: The red balloon on the cover and the album's theme made me think of Stephen King's "IT." Did his work inspire you in any way?

Clearly, in a way. But honestly, I… Personally, when we started working on “The Balloon,” I completely forgot about Stephen King for a few weeks. And then, when we did, someone said, “Oh, Pennywise, ” and I thought, “Sure, why not?” But I don’t know, as far as Stephen King is concerned…

And my favorite version of anything by Stephen King is the one directed by Stanley Kubrick [referring to the film The Shining ]. I think Jonas [ Jarlsby , AVATAR guitarist] has read several Stephen King books, although he hasn't written any lyrics. But this whole thing about being a clown… What can that mean and why is it so… Why does it keep working for us, why do we keep doing it? Because AVATAR is a metal circus, and because there are so many things a clown can be.

As a child, I was never afraid of clowns. I thought clowns were funny. Pie in the face. That's my clown, you know? But then there's Pennywise and everything in between. There's something kids love, and something people fear. And it also has this mystery because it's someone partially masked. And part of it… The traveling circus, the carnival, the secret society and all that. And also the funny and the silly. 

So, the clown has so many layers, or whatever you want to call it, just like AVATAR, that we have this very serious and sincere side. And… Well, it's always sincere, but sometimes it doesn't take anything seriously either. And all these things are happening to us at the same time.

WM: If this album were to become a movie, which director would you choose to adapt it into a film and why?

HS: Well, it's not going to become a movie, so… But I think I'll choose Johan Carlén . Maybe because he's cheap.

JE: Because he's cheap. And because David Lynch died. It doesn't matter, honestly. I think the right answer is that you want Johan Carlén, because there's something about long-term relationships where, over time, you develop a shared language, simply because we've grown and learned so much about music and about who we were as people and everything else in the band. The way we talk about music is the way we talk about music in the band, and those are little sensibilities that have developed over the years.

What the different things mean, the meaning of the references and everything else. And as we listen to things, it all becomes very interconnected over the years. And since we've been with Carlén since Black Waltz [2012 EP], the same thing happened in relation to creating things for music videos and all the other crazy things we created with him. So, I feel that if we were to make a film with AVATAR, it would be very cruel not to have him involved.

HS: He was going to kill us.

Touring with Iron Maiden

WM: After opening for Iron Maiden, Avatar gained exposure to a much larger and more diverse audience. Do you feel that this exposure accelerated the band's growth and directly influenced the reception or ambition of Don't Go in the Forest ?

Henrik Sandelin: Yes, I think touring with bands like Iron Maiden always helps, as long as you don't do too badly. So, I think that's the answer, playing to those crowds. And our fans, obviously, are very dedicated, super fans.

JE: Well, they had very dedicated fans. We toured Europe for a month. But that was also the first time we went to Brazil to open for Iron Maiden. And that's not normal. You don't go to a country for the first time with Iron Maiden. When we went to Denmark for the first time, we arrived in a van and played at 1 or 2 in the morning and they just wanted to listen to drinking music… That was the first show in a different country, you know? So the experience in Brazil was very rare, strange and wonderful in that sense. And our band provided that for us. And since it was the first time we opened for Iron Maiden, that was also huge… Both for the fans and for the people who grew up listening to them… Yes, the whole week we spent in Brazil was surreal because of that.

HS: Especially for us, who have been huge fans since we were kids. Playing in arenas was surreal.

WM: How do you intend to translate the menacing and mysterious atmosphere of the forest to the stage? Are there any new set design elements?

JE: Each new album means new clothes, new shoes, new music videos, and a new stage production. There are many things in motion, and sometimes there's also the weather. But sometimes there are little ideas that are kept under wraps. The most mysterious part of the show, and the one with the most atmosphere, happens thanks to a remote-controlled car and a balloon hanging from a wire. So, there are a lot of things involved. And if we get the atmosphere right… Well, you have to ask someone who's seen it. I think it has a great atmosphere, at least.

WM: The Brazilian audience is known for "adopting" heavy metal bands. What was the exact moment when you realized that Brazil had fully embraced AVATAR?

HS: We've always had comments on social media and elsewhere for years, even before the first shows. So, we've felt the support for a long time. It was more than time for us to finally play there.

JE: I would add that this feeling was already solidified when we played at a festival in São Paulo, Summer Breeze (now Bangers Open Air). And that was when we came back after I finished an Armenian project. And it's also a festival, so people would have been there even if we hadn't shown up. But still, with the people in front of us, you felt more like, "okay, these are our fans now." Some of them became our people because we were able to share moments with them. And that gave the feeling of "now it's real."

The big thing we have to do now, obviously, is go. Actually, because we only went to Brazil on vacation, we went and played for 40 minutes. That's a vacation. So now we want to go back to Brazil and work, do our almost two hours, or however long we are on stage. And I feel that after Summer Breeze, you could feel that we can do that now.

HS: Yes, exactly. It's time for us to get back and do our own shows.

WM: So, can we expect a band tour in Brazil next year?
JE: Maybe. I saw our schedule, so I know our plans, but I can't say for sure if we can… So, I have to be careful what I say. But we will definitely play in Brazil.

READ ALSO: AVATAR releases new album 'Don't Go in the Forest' after the success of 'Dance Devil Dance'