Avatar at the Rust Belt -- May 14.
Sunday, May 14, 7:30 p.m.
The Rust Belt, 533 12th Avenue, East Moline IL
Billboard-charting Swedish artists currently in their third decade of performance, the heavy-metal rockers of Avatar headline a May 14 concert at East Moline's The Rust Belt in support of their 2023 release Dance Devil Dance, a recording that inspired Subjective Sounds to deem it the band's "most rhythmically melodic groove-based metal album to date."
Formed by two kindred musical souls in 2001, Avatar originated in Sweden's Gothenburg by drummer John Alfredsson and guitarist Jonas Jarlsby, who decided that their then-current positions in Lost Soul were going nowhere, and chose to regroup under their new moniker. Eventually, Alfredsson and Jarlsby would be introduced to Johannes Eckerström, and the core of Avatar would be in place. To round out the membership and roster, Henrik Sandelin and Simon Andersson joined the fold in 2003, just in time to record the band’s debut demo Personal Observations. While gigging to promote the band’s first calling card, Avatar stepped back into the studio to record their debut EP, 2004’s 4 Reasons to Die. Following its release, Avatar was given the opportunity to take their sound outside their native Sweden for the first time since the band’s inception. They entered the studio to work on a debut full-length and scored a deal with Gain Records during the recording process, and Thoughts of No Tomorrow was released in 2006. This was followed by two European tours -- one with Impaled Nazarene, the other with Evergrey -- and the rockers' busy year was rounded out with two shows alongside original Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di’Anno.
Avatar had an equally momentous 2007, starting off the year as the opening act for major metal band Stone Sour and finishing it with a new album in the shops. Schlacht, released in October of that year, was followed by a support slot on the 2008 Obituary tour. The group’s eponymous third studio album was released in 2009, and the next two years found Avatar hitting the tour circuit hard, including their first-ever U.S. jaunt. Arriving in 2012, the well-received Black Waltz peaked at number 25 in their native Sweden, and 2014’s Hail the Apocalypse became the first Avatar outing to crack the Billboard 200. In 2016, the band issued its sixth studio long-player Feathers & Flesh, a conceptual piece about an owl who declares war on the world. Their seventh, Avatar Country, arrived in early 2018, boasting the singles “A Statue of the King” and “The King Wants You,” as well as Avatar’s spin on the Swedish royal anthem “Glory to Our King.” Since then, Avatar released both their first live outing The King Live in Paris and the studio album Hunter Gatherer in 2020, and their new Dance Devil Dance found Sonic Perspectives calling the work "full of fantastic twists and a superb dynamism that allows for intermingling different musical approaches."
Avatar headlines their East Moline engagement on May 14 with additional sets by Veil of Maya and Orbit Culture, admission to the 7:30 p.m. Concert starts at $35.75, and more information and tickets are available by visiting TheRustBeltQC.com.
