Review: Avatar- Feathers & Flesh

Ever searched for an album that has a deeper meaning? Maybe a storyline to peak your interest? Hailing from Goteborg, Sweden, Avatar presents to you Feathers & Flesh. This is not your normal metal album with stellar guitar solos, along with metal chords that make the hair stand up on the back of your neck. It has an elaborate story- one that cannot be told specifically through the lyrics and songwriting. But one that also incorporates Feathers & Flesh: A Fable Book. This book is a 60 page, hardbound, poetic masterpiece illustrated to perfection by Henrik Krantz. In a recent video interview published on the bands Facebook page, lead singer Johannes Michael Gustaf Eckerstrom describes the storyline of the album: an owl at war to prevent the sun from rising and puts it into context of the human nature. Watch the video here: https://www.facebook.com/avatarmetal/videos/10154027092280256/ Now that you have the gist of the story lets dive into one of the most extensive metal albums that has been constructed to date. “Regret” kicks of the album with a seamless transition into one of the best songs on the album “House of Eternal Hunt,” which has major tempo changes throughout the song drawing the listener into the hunt and how it would progress if there was actually a musical score to go alongside a hunt on the Discovery Channel. In a story it’s comprised of various characters, the owl runs into its foe in the next song “The Eagle Has Landed.” The gingerly stroll of this intro jumps right into a heart pounding compilation of guitars and a little cow bell. This song draws some very similar comparisons to their past works they have done like “Smells Like A Freak Show,” but the vocals that Eckerstrom puts together in this song along with “Tooth, Beak, & Claw” show his continued work on making his voice and talent so unique. Though the majority of the album is upbeat and extremely heavy, “Fiddler’s Farewell” shows off the bands ability to pull off a ballad. This slow meticulous at times song helps break up the album perfectly. It also shows that the band has more than just heavy or death metal on their brain. In “Black Waters” the band pulls out another surprise, an organ intro. The song intro sounds like it would fit perfectly into a Marilyn Manson album but the song gives way to a little southern rock. A simple review of this album does no justice to how extensive the musical talent is, along with the vast spectrum that this album reaches. From sounds similar to Marilyn Manson to System of a Down to a little Blink 182 at times in “Night Never Ending.” Feathers & Flesh is the album of a lifetime and is awe inspiring, which is why the album should be receiving 10 out of 10’s across the board in all countries that this band has landed. Rating: 10/10 -Luke Ballengee