Doom Metal is quite diverse genre with apparent narrowness of its frame. Here can be found a place for the deepest darkness, heaviness and many other things. In case of Avatarium it’s also female vocal.
In 2012 Candlemass‘ bassist Leif Edling starts to work on a new project. Soon he was joined by guitarist Marcus Jidell (Soen, ex-Evergrey, ex-Royal Hunt) and vocalist Jennie-Ann Smith. Then Avatarium was born. Already next year their self-titled debut album was released; two years later there was The Girl With The Raven Mask and in 2017 – Hurricanes And Halos. This autumn the fourth effort of the band named The Fire I Long For was released as well.
In a new album Leif Edling stepped out of the band (with this he wrote three songs for an album), so the songwriting mostly fell on Marcus and Jennie-Ann’s shoulders. “This is really a band effort. We have all been very involved in the arrangements of the songs on The Fire I Long For, — says Marcus. — We move with ultimate dynamics between heaviness and fragility. It is emotional and it will always have those dark elements in it, it is all about light and shadow.”
All nine songs of the album saturated with the classic Hard Rock and Heavy, with interesting riffs, solos and charismatic Jennie-Ann’s vocal. “Rubicon” probably will be the good example: fused guitar, comparatively fast pace (as to the album) and great, memorable chorus. “Shake That Demon” with its solo and interesting drum part sounds perky as well.
An opener “Voices” with “Porcelain Skull” and “Epitaph Of Heroes” are the typical Doom: leisurely and sinister. However it’s quite conditional: here and there can be heard some 80s Heavy and in Jennie-Ann’s voice you can hear not only grim notes but melancholy and tragedy as well.
The most atmospheric and outstanding songs in the album, as for me, are “Lay Me Down” and self-titled “The Fire I Long For”. Both of them are slow, melodic and very sad. “Lay Me Down” mostly reminds Blues Rock or Southern and “The Fire I Long For” sometimes goes to the nearly Symphonic Metal thanks to its epic. All in all, they are tragic, atmospheric and they just beautiful.
It can be said that Avatarium found their unique sound, mixing Doom Metal with classic Heavy and Hard Rock. Until now the band hasn’t released even one weak album and I really hope that they wouldn’t henceforth.
The Fire I Long For was released on November, 22 via Nuclear Blast Records.
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