Band Profile: Avatar

"Welcome to the freakshow!" This band has nothing to do with the movie about the big blue creature people, it's the Swedish metal band made up of five long-haired creature people- Avatar, and they are a bunch of awe-inspiring, sexy freaks in a demonic circus, and I absolutely love them. 

I saw these guys open up for Lacuna Coil and Sevendust earlier this month and from the moment they stepped on stage I was hooked. A mix between Alice Cooper and Marilyn Manson, the band thrive on insanity and promote chaos.

Made up of Johannes Eckerström (vocals), John Alfredsson (drums), Jonas Jarlsby  (guitars), Tim Ohrstrom (guitars) and Henrik Sandelin (bass), the boys hail from Goteborg, Sweden and commenced in 2001. Two years later the line-up was set in stone and the band took off.

Up until now they toured solely overseas in Europe, supporting big acts such as In Flames, Dark Tranquility, Helloween and Obituary. Four albums later the band finally made their debut on "American soil" during their current tour. Last year's senior record Black Waltz helped them rise to higher fame and gain well-deserved attention. The January 2012 work follows 2009's Avatar, 2007's Schlacht and 2006's Thoughts of No Tomorrow.

Front man Johannes Eckerström paints his face with demonic clown make-up and dons his red suspenders, combat boots and ringmaster cane. He naturally leads the band and knows how to please the crowd. The other members shred their guitars and head bang as their extra-long hair goes in every which way, symbolizing the personality of the band as a whole. They completely entranced me and blew up the stage. I left after their performance because I was so satisfied and didn't need to see anymore. They blew my mind and it took me days to recover. Their mix of circus background music and melodic death metal make for a sick and twisted elixir and an enchanted evening.

Watch the freakshow video for their hit single "Black Waltz:"

Watch more videos here!