Avatar Singer Says Modern Metal Is ‘Castrated,’ Has No New ‘Judas Priests’

Pistenwolf, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
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Formed in 2001, Sweden’s Avatar has proven themselves to be a captivating force of metal, blending prog with melodic death and industrial metal.

Next month, the band will be releasing their ninth studio album titled Dance Devil Dance. And through this new record, band singer Johannes Eckerström wants to rejuvenate the metal world (or at least to inject the scene with more “dancing”).

Per a recent conversation with Metal Hammer, Eckerström is asked a variety of questions about the band’s upcoming album; among the points discussed, the interviewer brings up a past comment Eckerström made about “saving” heavy metal with Avatar’s upcoming album.

In response to this point, Eckerström shares what he feels is missing from the scene and what he would like to see more of in metal. Per Eckerström:

“I mean, we don’t need to save Megadeth! The masters will continue to be the masters, but what’s going on now is too intellectual.

“It’s castrated. It’s too brainy, with not enough dancing.

“There aren’t enough speeding tickets gathered to this music. Where are the Judas Priests and Motörheads that don’t sound like sloppy seconds?”

What do you make of the Avatar singer’s points? Do you think that metal is “castrated” and missing a “dancing” quality? Or are you happy with where the scene is at?

As it stands right now, the metal landscape is in a fascinating place; there is such a diverse range of metal being created and performed, with many bands redefining the definition of the genre.

If you are curious to know what bands and artists you should be checking out, follow the link below; there you will find a feature that covers 20 bands/artists that are changing the game when it comes to heavy music.

Avatar’s new album, Dance Devil Dance, will be released on February 17th.

The New Age Of Metal: 20 Bands + Artists Redefining Heavy Music

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