by Steve Patrick
– Sr. Columnist —
@ Rock on the Range 2016
Swedish metal exports Avatar exceeded all expectations on their triumphant return to Rock on the Range. Riding on the wave generated from their most recent studio record, Feathers & Flesh, Avatar put on a performance in front of thousands that only these crazed Swedes could deliver.
Following their buzz-worthy set, frontman Johannes Eckerström and drummer John Alfredsson sat down with Hardrock Haven for a chat. During the interview, Eckerström and Alfredsson discussed the inspiration behind the band’s current stage outfits, returning to ROTR, and why Sweden is so damn Metal.
HRH: So this is Rock on the Range number two for you guys. What’s it like coming back to play this festival again?
JE: It’s good. What hits me when you wake up at a festival you’re very lost and confused, angry and scared, but now this being the second year you actually kind of know where you’re at and where things are. That’s convenient. And aside from that, it’s sensational that we got upgraded a stage since last year and upgraded the crowd … the amount of people watching and all that. It’s all going the right way, so it feels good. I’m all about it.
HRH: John, any thoughts?
JA: I’m pretty much agreeing. It was very fun. The last time we were here was such a blast because we…it was the first major festival that we did in America ever.
JE: That’s true! I forgot about that.
JA: Yeah and we had like absolutely zero expectations at all and it just turned out to be a blast. We played the smallest stage outside.
JE: The Jäger stage. And we broke the attendance record.
JA: Yeah. It was so many people. So many people. A lot of stuff started from here, so it was nice to be back and actually on a bigger stage. You could also see like the last time we were here Avatar was some kind of spectacle for a lot of people. People went to see us because they heard about us. This time, we played and we could actually see everybody in the crowd singing along and actually knowing what we were doing onstage, you know because they actually listened since.
HRH: Ah, so it was more about the music this time?
JE: Yeah, absolutely.
HRH: Obviously the visuals are very important to the product that Avatar puts out there. Where do you get the inspirations from for your look as a band?
JE: In general, it’s all over the place and then what we try to do now is apply it specifically to what the music is about on that particular album. Like now with Feathers & Flesh, that is a fable and all the creatures in the story are from the Nordic fauna, so there are no alligators or camels there, but there are owls and wolves. So everything has this Nordic flair and these outfits we’re wearing now are basically Swedish folk costumes like something the farmers would wear for festivities in the late 19th century. We just put it in the Avatar colors and put our own little twist on it. But that’s why you have these furry balls here for instance. It’s part of a folk costume.
HRH: So is your national history very important to you? It must be since you’re bringing it to American audiences in this way.
JA: Bringing it to America in our own way, like in the Avatar way. It’s not traditional Swedish folk costumes, just based upon it. It is the Avatar folk costume.
JE: Yeah, we are definitely in a phase where the Swedishness of us is something that is on focus. Because we have played over here so much and it’s so clearly that we are offering an alternative approach to the metal we make, how we perform it, and our attitude to things. I don’t know, you get a little bit older all the time and a little bit better at embracing what you are and who you are and heritage is part of that. And especially with an album like this.
HRH: I would imagine that if you’re out on the road in a foreign country that it would be nice to have a reminder of home anyway.
JE: Yes, but there’s always that feeling that you’re invading the country you’re in, you know? You’re in your country’s uniform and weapons in hand. Plunder, conquer, rape and pillage. (laughs)
HRH: Well let’s talk about that new record Feathers & Flesh. I love the cover artwork. Could you please talk a bit about the artist?
JE: His name is Henrik Krantz. What happened is we were looking for a long time…we tried to be early this time with figuring out the artwork for the album, but every person we tried frankly sucked. And this is just my brother’s old pal.
HRH: Really?
JE: Yeah, what happened was my brother was visiting us in the studio at the end of the recording session. We were working on the last parts that we did in Sweden and we were sitting, me and John, basically going through (the art) like, “This is crap, this is crap. What are we gonna do?” And he hands over his phone with an Instagram account of his friend that I also happen to know, but I didn’t make the connection of “Oh it’s that guy!” until later. So, again, we usually end up getting the best results when we keep things in the family and this is a typical example of that.
HRH: Excellent. So, I don’t know what it is about Sweden, but sometimes it seems like the whole country is a makeup of hard rock and metal musicians from the American perspective. (laughs) I mean, there’s Ghost, Graveyard, Korpiklaani…
JA: Sabaton … and In Flames. If you go back a while you’ve got Dismember, At the Gates…
HRH: Dark Tranquillity.
JE: Bathory.
HRH: Let’s just keep going. (laughs) What is it about Sweden that creates so much great music?
JA: It’s so present. It’s so present everywhere you go. Literally in Gothenburg, every guy, every dude that has long hair and is below 20 has a band. That’s just the way it is, you know? It’s so present everywhere you go. We can always see the examples of our neighbors that made it, so it’s a different kind of encouragement from yourself and also from your surroundings…like parents and friends.
JE: No one gets spanked and are told we need to become doctors. Like, becoming something in music is a valid career choice for most people in Sweden, that helps. And the state kind of sees it the same way. The kids in Sweden…you get your first instrument for free around the age of 9-10. You get the opportunity to learn to play something. So, you know, he did flute and I did the trombone…got some clarinets in the band like that. Music is really all around and all there and not just in metal. That’s just the tip…the best part of the iceberg, but just the tip. All your Top 40 songs…like 50% of those are written by Swedes. Now it’s Taylor Swift and Katy Perry … and it used to be Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys, but it’s a bunch of middle-aged Swedish dudes sitting in Stockholm and writing, cranking out pop hits and between that you’ve got, I don’t know, Swedish House Mafia and crap like that (laughs). But it’s just all over the map in any genre you find lots of Swedes around.
HRH: What current music really inspires you guys?
JE: Fleshgod Apocalypse. Love them.
HRH: Ah, Italy’s finest!
JE: Yeah, absolutely. Finest in a long while. I also grew up loving Rhapsody. But yeah, one of the best bands out there now … doing things now … is Fleshgod Apocalypse, for sure.
JA: And Gojira.
JE: Yes. And Gojira.
HRH: New album coming out soon for those guys.
JA: I haven’t heard it yet, but I’ve heard it’s amazing. So notice…it’s all Europeans. (laughs)
HRH: There are some naysayers out there that might think Avatar is just about the image. What do you want those people to know about the band?
JE: Well when they ask if it’s more than just the image, then obviously yes it is. The whole thing is like this. We treat this as art. We do this…the whole Avatar thing is a concept where everything is as it fits. Like I said, we want to tell the same story with our outfits that we are with our lyrics and that is an artistic statement. But on the other end of that, that becomes pretty fucking entertaining and if people just want to consume the product, so to speak, and just bang your head, chug a beer, drive too fast, and enjoy good heavy metal with us then I’m fine with that. For being such an ambitious storytelling concept album writing thing, still I’m not interested in any pretentious side of it. We put on a silver plate the offering of hopefully a deeper experience and that there’s more to it, but we also made a point that it had to be 14 kickass tracks and 2 weird bonus tracks as an album has to be, you know? So, any way of misunderstanding it, I’m okay with it. It’s like with any other art, you know. Anything you release out into the world, people are free to do whatever interpretation of if they want and so the short answer is “No.” (laughs)
HRH: What is next for the band in terms of touring?
JE: We’ll finish this one. We’ll go to Europe. It’s festival season. A bit of clubbing around in our own name and opening a bunch of dates with Disturbed. Then late summer we come back here for a couple of dates and then after that, in the fall, we’ll start touring up the States a bit more. Later, sometime before Christmas, we want to do Europe properly and keep on doing it like that until we get bored and then we do a new album.
HRH: Sounds exhausting! (laughs)
JE: It is. (laughs)
HRH: Well, I know you guys can pull it off. Johannes and John, it’s been a pleasure. Thanks for doing this.
JE & JA: Thank you very much.
Avatar’s new album Flesh & Feathers is out now through eOne Music and available wherever records are sold. For more information, please visit www.avatarmetal.com.
[Photos appear courtesy of Chris A. Photography]
