Review Summary: An owl fights an eagle and somehow I feel emotion about this. Oh also the music is pretty great.
Avatar are a band that don't take themselves seriously, and in metal that can sometimes be polarizing. Personally, I like a band that can play some good music and also have a tongue and cheek approach. So when I tell you this album is about an owl and an eagle going to war and fighting to the death, you may hesitate to give it a spin. But I implore you to give it a try. Worst case scenario you skip the over-arching themes and enjoy a diverse album with a ton of good songs on it.
This album has a lot in it, and that is what makes me really enjoy the full ride. We start off getting some foreshadowing of the end followed by very different introductions to our main characters. Interestingly enough, House of Eternal Hunt (the Owl) and The Eagle Has Landed (the Eagle, naturally) are two pretty different songs but give us a peer into the characters we will be following through our journey. The Owl is one of beauty and ferocity (thus the faster riffs). The Eagle is one of pomp and ego (the the grandiose chorus).
And just as we've learned about the two, the fight begins with the Eagle threatening the Owl (hinted by New Land picking up the pace), each recruiting members (Tooth, Beak, and Claw and For the Swarm), and the first casualty of their drawn out battle (Fiddler's Farewell). Each of these songs stand out on their own and you don't really need the context to appreciate them, except for maybe For the Swarm (funnily enough they released this as single so that's.... something). I just find context helps give another ear to hear it from.
It's at this point I think we hit the weak point of the album, though, as the next few tracks do blend together a bit to me. And funnily enough it's just more about the ongoing war in the story. That's not to say the songs are bad, because they're still good in their own way, it's just the weakest tracks exist here. It isn't until we hit Pray the Sun Away does the album hit the final act in which the Owl and Eagle finally confront each other, one last time, and you know where this leads: death. The final song (of the non-deluxe version), Sky Burial, reprises our opener where the Owl lies dying regretting everything she's done.
The album features some great things: impressive dual guitar work by Kungen and Tim Öhrström alongside the great vocal delivery of
Johannes Eckerström, and obviously the fun and bombastic story. I will say I have always felt the drum work of John Alfredsson isn't anything to write home about, and a similar story for Henrik Sandelin on bass. Not to say that they're boring or lacking any skill, just that a strong backing to the main parts of Avatar, that being the vocals and guitars, is their purpose in the band and rarely do they get a moment to shine.
On the surface, an album about an eagle and owl tearing each other limb from limb would sound like an attempt to rile up PETA so they give you publicity. But in reality the story is over-the-top, very creative, and just a fun ride. Sure there isn't too much in terms of depth for the story, but it helps that the music accompanying it is just as entertaining, albeit in a less ridiculous way.
