Review Summary: Despite handing out more tricks than treats in the past, Avatar mixes in at least as many full-sized Snickers as they do Abba-Zabbas this Halloween.
Happy Halloween everyone! While I don’t know if Avatar’s original plan was to release their tenth long player ‘Don’t Go into the Forest’ on 10/31 itself, the title certainly houses a creepy subtext to it that fits the bill. Plus the vocalist likes to wear face paint and carry around a red balloon ala Pennywise the Clown. So the timing DOES make perfect sense I suppose. But existing within a genre that has created a plethora of the most dark evil art ever expressed through music, what are the chances that THIS aural document makes a dent into the lexicon of All Hallows Eve? I dunno. Let’s find out…
Choosing to play with pomp and circumstance early on, “Tonight We Must Be Warriors” is pure glory bound (but lite-hearted) Power Metal grandiosity. It’s certainly a fun enough romp for those who find this sort of tongue-in-cheek Nottingham jam pint-worthy, although it doesn’t really raise my drawbridge to be honest. “In The Airwaves” is back to the middling Groove Metal muck that these clowned up carnivores usually sink their teeth into; fast paced but fairly stock, save for a silver lined chorus that pops in with some Prog-meets-New Wave verve to shake up the standard chugfest. The instrumental sandwich filling is also pretty tasty, serving up a well curated guitar lead as well as bedrock deep riffage that crunches like a bag o’ chips. “Captain Goat” is a fairly dynamic batch of "Yo-Ho-Ho and a Bottle of Weird” Pirate Rock that marries moody Nevermore with early Mastodon heaviness while letting Alestorm handle the chorus vows. It’s actually a pretty well conceived track that smartly mixes up the dynamics to keep it from drowning under a sea of cheese. A tip of the cap. The title track, “Don’t Go In The Forest” is propelled by a fat groove riff that promises some punctuation, but then limps into the verses, turning the heat down to a simmer. To me this track encapsulates the frustration I’ve longed gleaned from this band. They clearly have some really solid ideas and conviction towards merging the grounded groove of Nu Metal with more fantastical realms, but there’s far too often a sense of pure mediocrity in the songwriting and overall performances, which is something I’d love to see them improve upon.
“Death and Glitz” is a warped whammy-bar abusing trip of darkly danceable Funk Chunk that throws shade at diva downfalls proclaiming “they like you more like this….a tragedy with tits”. Ouch. It’s a fun flip of the script, adding a fresh dimension to the proceedings. Speaking of fresh, the smash and grab titled “Abduction Song” crushes out of the gates with a Morbid Angel sized wall of Death Metal dominance that could’ve been ridden from the cradle to the grave. However, vocalist Johannes Eckerström puts on one of the best performances of his career, careening from guttural glory to a Alkaloid/Into Eternity/YES bit of Progressive cleans for the tremendous chorus that really wraps a bow around one of my favorite Avatar songs to date! THIS is the type of conviction I’d like to see on a more regular basis! “Howling at the Waves” unfortunately halts the momentum that was building by being flatter than a steamrolled pancake…flatter than a Japanese take-out menu in a vice grip…I dunno…it sounds like the way I’d envision sitting through a Coldplay or latter day Linking Park album….just song after song of sterile fluff, barely eliciting a legitimate pulse.
“Dead and Gone and Back Again” leads us down the closing stretch, dialing up another dose of funk strut subversion, leaning into a melodically dark alley way of Serial Killer conundrum, that is commercially viable within its catchy ear worm dynamic; perhaps the likeliest song being released on Halloween here that will endure as a future holiday classic. “Take This Heart And Burn It” is pure filler, riding the same balance beam of Death Metal meets Proggy melody but slipping off before the dismount. For anyone familiar with Jason Bieler and the Baron Von Bielski Orchestra, closer “Magic Lantern” hits the same overall vibe of downtuned groove with (mostly) upbeat melodic vocals; this understated, but classy Prog dense composition bringing the curtain down in a relaxed manner, tidy, clean, maybe a bit underwhelming. Overall I like this album to a degree. The variety within is far reaching without feeling forced, and the high points pop, but unfortunately there are a few tracks that simply don’t rise to the occasion. Avatar seem to be slowly inching towards really hitting on something next level, but reaching that summit will have to wait for at least one more album.
