Morning Metal – Avatar “Hail The Apocalypse” Album Review
Avatar – Hail the Apocalypse
Released: May 13th, 2014
4/5
On May 13th, Swedish melodic death metal band Avatar released their fifth studio album, titled “Hail the Apocalypse” – and to be honest, it should have come sooner.
I came across Avatar just after they released 2012’s “Black Waltz” with their song “Let It Burn” which instantly got me hooked on these guys. My first thought when listening to Black Waltz was “These guys are like circus freak headbangers.” After listening to Black Waltz, I checked out their previous work which I must admit I wasn’t too excited with. Granted, they had some stellar songs off previous albums like “Queen of Blades” and “Reload”, but other than that, I didn’t dig old school Avatar.
When they released the first single which serves as the title track, “Hail the Apocalypse” back in March – I knew it would be an awesome album. So, I went out to about three different stores and only one store had one copy. Thank you, HMV.
“Hail The Apocalypse” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKe8jze56Vg
The second single, “Bloody Angel” was released in April and I must confess I wasn’t too pumped about it. It’s not a bad song, but it just didn’t entice me like the title track did. It’s more of a ballad with their signature heavy guitars thrown in – which worked out well, but not to my liking.
I decided to give the album a second chance and listen to it in full on my way to work, to which it provided a background jolly. Hail the Apocalypse is an album you need to listen to when doing something else, because it provides perfect background jamming. Songs like “Murderer” and “Tsar Bomba” are so damn heavy, you should be killing zombies while listening to it.
“Bloody Angel” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h71NBBbOjmw
Back in high school, I used to play this little chord progression on acoustic guitar which I named “The Fat Walk”, which is…self-explanatory. “Puppet Show”, the 8th track on the album is almost identical. I couldn’t even contain my laughter when I first heard it. It’s so bouncy and hypnotic, and then comes in the gain. “Puppet Show” is easily one of my favourite songs on the album because it’s a very fast paced laugh-along diddle.
While others may love the tracks, “Something in the Way”, “Get In Line” and “What I Don’t Know”, I felt like they were filler tracks. They each have their own spark, but it didn’t spark my interest. It’s also kind of repetitive because although “What I Don’t Know” is the second track on the album, it has the same exact bounciness to it as “Puppet Show”. It could be on purpose, but to someone who is new to Avatar – it might throw them off.
“Vultures Fly” is also a track on Hail the Apocalypse that I need to be hammering zombies away to. If Avatar had one thing they were good at – it would be writing riffs. I may not be too happy with some of the songs, but ALL of the riffs for those songs are awesome. Well, that and front man Johannes Eckerstrom’s vocal style – holy lord, good sir.
Avatar stands as one of the most diverse, eclectic and powerhouse groups in the scene today – generally because they bring a new flavor to the table. When they claim they are like “circus freaks”, they damn well prove it both musically and lyrically. “Smells Like A Freakshow”? “Black Waltz”? Oh yeah.
Hail the Apocalypse is on par with Black Waltz – judging it as a whole. It definitely has some of the best tracks Avatar has written and I would encourage everyone to go pick up a copy. They built up so much anticipation for me I nearly cancelled a Morning Metal show because I couldn’t find a copy. I am not let down in any way – I prefer heavy Avatar rather than mid-tempo ballad-hell.
My final impression on the album – it wasn’t a bad album at all. Avatar is one of the best melodic death metal acts that has come into the metal world in such a long time, and it’s sad that it took so long for them to get the recognition and following that they so deserve. My only problem with Hail The Apocalypse is the filler tracks – and while some fans may truly enjoy those tracks, that is my opinion.
The album stands as their best yet, and it makes me crave more Avatar than ever before.
Like them on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/avatarmetal
Follow them on Twitter – https://twitter.com/AVATARmetal
Avatar’s Website – http://avatarmetal.com/
Pick up “Hail The Apocalypse” at HMV, BestBuy & iTunes!
James Rockso
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Morning-Metal/286205571505773
Interested in a review or an interview? Send me a message through the link above!
Host of CKCU 93.1 FM’s “Morning Metal” & Producer/Engineer at “Pebble Studios”
Morning Metal 2014.