Now five studio albums into their career, Swedish epic doom act Avatarium are operating under their own leadership now that founder Leif Edling has decided to give his main act Candlemass his full attention, though the bass player has continued to help out occasionally with songwriting over their last few albums. Death, Where Is Your Sting is their latest release for AFM Records, and features the line-up of Jennie Ann Smith on lead vocals, Marcus Jidell on guitars, Daniel Karlsson on keyboards, Andreas Habo Johansson on drums, and bassist Mats Rydström, along with a few guests on violin & cello. The band once again blend their love of classic doom, epic metal, progressive rock and folk throughout this latest release, and the results are stunning as always.
Jennie is just an amazing singer, her soaring vocals coming across more in a blues and folk style, certainly add that extra special element to Avatarium's epic sound, which you can hear right off the bat on the enchanting "A Love Like Ours", complete with layers of clean guitars chords, doom riffs, violin, cello, and haunting keys, with the vocals just sweeping the listener off their feet. "Stockholm" is pure, crushing doom might, Jidell's riffs enormous and Johansson's drums potent, but it's the little folky bits and prog atmosphere interjected throughout the song that makes it work so well. The title track is another curveball, as folk and pop melodies blend with '70s hard rock riffs, and Jennie on the chorus is a thing of beauty, while the melancholy "Psalm for the Living is a haunting slice of gothic folk littered with acoustic guitar, keyboards, and Jennie's soaring vocals, embellished at the end with some fuzz guitar...marvelous stuff. "God Is Silent" bursts with doom laden riffs and more of those tremendous vocals, plus nice use of atmospheric keys, while "Mother Can You Hear Me Now?" again continues the trend of doomy folk and prog rock leanings, dripping with melancholy and despair, giving way to the headbanging "Nocturne", which could be my favorite cut on the album, massive riffing and stabbing synths battling over the top of frantic drums and Jennie's mystical vocals...just a killer song. After so much variety, the album almost has to end with the dreary, somber "Transcendent", as electric piano and liquid guitar lines give way to booming riffs and soaring violin & cello strains before lovely piano and acoustic guitar takes us out...stunning stuff.
Thus ends another terrific Avatarium album...I almost feel like a broken record when I say that much of my favorite music the last few years seems to come from Sweden, but Death, Where Is Your Sting just seems to further reinforce that statement. In a year where we got new Avatarium AND Candlemass albums, I say we are indeed living in good times musically. Essential!
Track Listing
01. A Love Like Ours
02. Stockholm
03. Death, Where Is Your Sting?
04. Psalm For The Living
05. God Is Silent
06. Mother Can You Hear Me Now
07. Nocturne
08. Transcendent
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