* En anglais uniquement
Founded in 2013 by
Candlemass mastermind
Leif Edling, Sweden's
Avatarium specialize in ultra-heavy and epically dark doom metal with a classic rock twist that invokes names like
My Dying Bride,
Black Sabbath,
Cathedral,
Rainbow,
Entombed, and
Blue Öyster Cult. Featuring the talents of
Edling (bass),
Marcus Jidell (guitar),
Lars Sköld (drums), Carl Westholm (keyboards), and Jennie-Ann Smith (vocals), the Stockholm-based outfit issued their debut EP
All I Want in early 2014, followed by their eponymous
Nuclear Blast-issued debut long-player later that November. Live shows followed across Europe and the rest of the world after the release of their sophomore album, 2015's
The Girl with the Raven Mask.
Edling stepped away from touring with the band -- replaced by
Tiamat's
Anders Iwers for live shows -- yet continued as chief songwriter. 2017 saw the release of their third album
Hurricanes and Halos, which featured songwriting by Smith and
Jidell. By 2019, Smith and
Jidell had taken the reins, joined by organist Rickard Nilsson and drummer
Andreas Johansson, who became full-time members. Their fourth album,
The Fire I Long For -- which featured a handful of tracks written by
Edling -- was issued at the end of 2019 on
Nuclear Blast. ~ James Christopher Monger & Rich Wilson