If there's a metal band capable of making the devil dance, we're definitely talking about AVATAR . The Swedes' dedication to this noble purpose is the title of their ninth album, Dance Devil Dance , and the Satanic figure cultivated by frontman Johannes Eckerström certainly surprises even headbangers versed in infernal secrets: "A chill guy, feminist and in favor of equality."
In the final stretch of their most recent US tour, which they embarked on in April, and about to begin the festival season in Europe, the charismatic vocalist of AVATAR spoke with Wikimetal via Zoom to talk about the new album and how Brazil has become a priority when it comes to the band's future tour schedule.
“Life is much easier when you can breathe without having to measure your body temperature, so we’re having a lot of fun,” Johannes rejoices about the successful months on the road, without any of the five band members getting sick.
Before launching into a spontaneous reflection on the meaning of the devil figure in his own life and art, Johannes commented on how the setlist for the new tour presents a new challenge by betting on a rollercoaster ride, opening the shows with the intense "Dance Devil Dance". In metal terms, this would be the equivalent of a marathon, according to him.
“And that means a physical challenge, because when you’re writing and recording a song, you don’t think much about breathing, like you do when you’re on stage,” he explains. “I can hit relatively high notes, but I wouldn’t be able to do a full traditional power metal show or something like that. Traditionally, that would be for tenor singers, but I have more of a baritone voice and I’ve learned just through willpower to do certain higher notes. But that also means I can’t flex those muscles as easily as the others.”
And then, the conversation, which discussed songs from the new album that could be included in the setlist (“On The Beach”, “Gotta Wanna Riot” and “Hazmat Suit” were mentioned), became something deeper. Created during the pandemic and perfected to be the best album of AVATAR's career, the album Dance Devil Dance also became a “strangely spiritual” album for Johannes.
Despite not having a specific faith, the frontman found a spiritual perspective during the album's songwriting process. “Even if you don't need to believe in magic for that. It's just a way of organizing your mind and recognizing the power of symbols, the power of rituals, because we all perform rituals all the time to structure the world. We blow out candles on a birthday cake, even if we don't believe those wishes will come true. They're just things we gather around, in the same way we gather our symbols,” he reflected.
And in this process, beyond the mocking clown who leads the AVATAR circus and translates the work and vision of his troupe to the world, Johannes understood himself as Satan himself. But not the version told by Christianity, which came later, but the devil as an empowering symbol.
“This connects to the idea of responsibility, of self-realization, of being connected to the world, to nature in some way. And it’s also an antagonist, an adversary as a symbol, so to speak. And I think that more conventional religions, in the end, seem to represent blind obedience to authorities. They tend to be somewhat misogynistic, authoritarian, and all that. And so I feel that, in this case, Satan as a symbol should be a calm, feminist guy who believes in equality. That’s what I strive to be, taking responsibility for my actions,” he concluded.
It's difficult to simply steer the interview back on track after such a personal and, at the same time, profound conversation about the kind of art and ideals that guide AVATAR as a band. But after their tour in Brazil last year , as the support band for none other than Iron Maiden , it's necessary to ask: are there plans for shows in South America? Fortunately, the answer is yes, for 2024.
“We made it very clear to the people we work with that we want and need to return. At this point, the [South American] promoters need to say 'yes' to our timeline, but this issue is being treated with much higher priority than before, so it should happen as soon as possible,” he assured.
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