🔥NEW UPCOMING ALBUM RELEASE ANNOUNCEMENT!🔥
🤘New release from: AVATARIUM – Between You, God, The Devil and The Dead (January 24, 2025)🤘
Masters of melancholic heavy metal since 2013, Avatarium are a unique and formidable musical force. Originally formed as an extracurricular project by Candlemass legend Leif Edling, the Stockholm-based doom mavericks have since evolved far beyond their roots and become one of the most creative and unpredictable hard rock bands on the planet. Now led by real-life partners, vocalist Jennie-Ann Smith and guitarist Marcus Jidell, Avatarium have continued on their singular journey and grown even more powerful along the way. From the acclaimed doom purism of their self-titled debut to the richly-detailed rock indulgence of 2022’s Death, Where Is Your Sting?, each chapter in the band’s recorded history has been a benchmark for substance and soul in heavy music.
On January 24, 2025, the Swedes release their sixth studio album, Between You, God, The Devil & The Dead. As with each of their previous four records, the new opus reveals previously unseen shades and textures in their classic but malleable sound. Full of giant riffs, otherworldly atmosphere and astonishing melodies, Between You, God, The Devil & The Dead has been gestating for the last 18 months.
“We’ve been working on this album for one and a half years,” says Jennie-Ann. “Of course, it has been at a slow pace because obviously we have a life together that includes other things as well! But these things take time, writing material that didn’t find its way to the album, and that’s just how it is.”
“Eventually we have to set a deadline because otherwise we’d continue forever!” laughs Marcus. “Now we’re older, we have new perspectives on life and music. I think one of the big things for this album, music-wise, is that I’ve started playing much more piano, so I’ve been composing for the album that way. There’s been a focus on classical music, so maybe the album is a little bit influenced by that.”
“It’s been very inspiring and things have evolved in a very nice way,” Jennie-Ann notes. “You know, we’re married and we have a son together, so things are a little different for us. But we also grew as a songwriting team. The process has evolved. We had to learn how to write music together. Obviously we come from a background of working with such a master as Leif Edling. He’s been ground-breaking and working alongside him, learning from him, sets the bar quite high, I would say. We feel grateful to him, and now we are learning from each other.”
Recorded in Stockholm at DeepWell and The Cave Drumstudio, and mixed by Marcus Jidell, Between You, God, The Devil & The Dead continues Avatarium’s journey towards desolate, soul-drenched perfection. Darker and heavier than their most recent work, it delves back into the crushing but mellifluous doom of their earliest works, while expanding their compositional vision to include everything from ethereal torch songs to thunderous, psychedelic hard rock. From the cataclysmic drama of opener and first single “Long Black Waves“, to the colossal emotional avalanche of the closing title track, the sixth Avatarium album confirms that this band are brimming with inspiration and have zero interest in repeating themselves.
“Maybe some bands like to do that, but we’re not like that,” says Marcus. “We’ve always tried to make every album different. It’s a way for us to explore the music and to push boundaries, but still to keep the musical vibe. This time I wanted more riffs in that classic doomy style. When you write songs you have to follow what happens. We have one song that started like a “Paranoid”-type song, but now it’s just a great song and it doesn’t sound anything like “Paranoid” at all! It’s doomy and heavy. That’s just how things go. So I guess we have matured as songwriters. I feel that we’re more confident and just better. It’s no use to make the same album over and over again.”
In contrast with the legions of doom purists, Avatarium have always been open to the evolution and expansion of their sound. Between You, God, The Devil & The Dead is the most potent expression of that liberated mindset to date. Musically rich and adventurous, the new songs are also the most poignant and emotionally vital the Swedes have written to date. Dominated by existential tumult and philosophical conundrums, songs like “I See You Better In The Dark” and “Until Forever & Again” are elegant explorations of the human condition, and the meaning of life itself. Eschewing fantasy or conceptual indulgence in favour of a stark but poetic dive into real-life challenges, Between You, God, The Devil & The Dead is a fiercely intelligent but unashamedly raw and emotional rollercoaster ride.
“It’s not a concept album! I’m not really into that kind of thing,” says Jennie-Ann. “But we’re both very interested in these existential questions. For me it’s a lucky accident that I got into the doom genre. It was not intentional on my part! But my whole life, I’ve been interested in these things, so to have this forum where we can dig into questions of life, death and its meaning is really inspiring. I work as a psychotherapist when I’m not doing Avatarium. I meet a lot of patients who deal with death anxiety, so it’s part of my everyday life, and these questions are constantly in my mind. It’s great to be able to connect with others through these deep and sometimes very difficult questions through music. That’s an amazing thing.”
“This kind of music, of course, is a good foundation to write about these ideas,” adds Marcus. “The lyrics have to be about something more. It has to have some meaning. Of course, I love Sabbath and Deep Purple and all that stuff, but if you compare the music to Bach or Beethoven, it’s quite simple music. It’s fantastic, but then if you put some interesting lyrics to it, you get a little twist in the classic sound, you find your own angle in the lyrics, and you put in some unusual musical elements, and then it’s interesting.”
Blessed with a huge, timeless sound and performed with Avatarium’s customary class and meticulous attention to detail, Between You, God, The Devil & The Dead is the culmination of many months of feverish creativity and a dazzling showcase for the chemistry between Jennie-Ann Smith, Marcus Jidell and their band mates, bassist Mats Rydstrom and drummer Andreas Habo Johansson. Another laudable addition to the Avatarium legacy, Between You, God, The Devil & The Dead is an invigorating show of strength from one of heavy music’s most idiosyncratic forces.
“This has to be a meaningful experience for us, and when it is, people will know that it’s authentic,” Jennie-Ann concludes. “We’ve done this for ten years, and I really didn’t expect any of this to happen, because I didn’t come from a hard rock background. But I love the pure, raw energy that I’m allowed to take part in, and to contribute to. Obviously I had it in me!”
“One of the best things for me is to play guitars extremely loud,” says Marcus. “It’s about being alive. You feel alive inside. Playing a guitar really loud is like controlling a wild horse or something, you know? When you get to play music that you really feel is great, that’s an amazing thing. We’ve been playing for ten years and this is the sixth album, and it’s such a fantastic thing to make a setlist and play our songs. We have a lot to thank Leif Edling for, but now we’ve managed to make some good music ourselves. We have a lot of good songs, but we also have songs that are really fantastic, and that’s an amazing feeling.”
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