CDThe heavy metal, dark, madcap visionaries collectively known as Avatar — vocalist Johannes Eckerstro?m (vocals), guitarists Jonas Jarlsby and Tim O?hrstro?m, bassist Henrik Sandelin, and drummer John Alfredsson — have emerged from deep within the Swedish forest in which they have been working on their ninth album.Dance Devil Dance was recorded in the Swedish wilderness, far away from all the perceived glamour of the big city and modern studios. Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Mr. Bungle, Crobot, Stone Sour, Amon Amarth, Uriah Heep etc.) returned as producer. He first worked with us when he mixed Hail the Apocalypse, a role he reprised on Feathers and Flesh before taking the wheel as producer on Avatar Country and Hunter Gatherer. No extra personnel were wanted nor needed. We stayed together for a month, eating, sleeping and breathing Dance Devil Dance, just the six of us."You always hear bands say, 'This is our best album yet.' Ths is our best album yet. It is Avatar at our most laser focused, at our most razor sharp. There's no BS, no extra fat. Every track is a weapon and has a purpose. It's all in the title, as this album is our angriest, horniest and most spiritual release, all at once. It's a must-hear," the band says.With grit and sheer force of will, we made the music the only way metal ever should be done. Modern metal too often becomes homogenized by everyone using the same drum samples and pre-sets for guitars. Dance Devil Dance is the sound of our bodies in motion, and nothing else. It sounds hard because we play hard. It's loud because we are loud. Every band knows the challenge of capturing the rage of a stage performance on tape. This time we succeeded. This album bleeds black blood, bludgeoned by the road.
