Band:	Avatar
Album:	4 Reasons To Die
Style:	Melodic death metal
Release date:	2004
A review by:	Undercraft

01. Tied, Torn And Twisted
02. My Shining Star
03. Apocalypse Showtime
04. Stranger

4 Reasons to headbang

Yeah, more Melodeath from Sweden, seems that the flow of Melodeath bands never cease from the Nordic country, this time we have a newcomer, Avatar and this "4 Reasons To Die" their second Demo Cd.

While I was expecting another Dark Tranquillity or In Flames clone, I got a quite enjoyable Cd, 4 songs with catchy riffs, varied vocals and good ideas overall. The artwork is quite good, different from what we're used to receive from Metal bands, the drawn comic style is an eye-catcher definitively, I hope they continue using this graphic style in the future.

Production wise, this sounds quite good for being a Demo, the twin guitars sound crisp and the overall mix sounds pretty tight. The Demo opens with "Tied, Torn And Twisted" a excellent headbanging piece, while it may seem a little chaotic at first, the song soon grabs you with some brutal sections countered with some catchy riffs. "My Shining Star" is the single and video of the Cd (video available at their site), the song is more groovy and catchy than the previous one, but still works for me.

"Apocalypse Now" dwells more in the Gothenburg terrain, reminded me a little of In Flames. Last song "Stranger" begins with a calm piano & guitar intro and then becomes this mid-paced song with a dramatic feel to it.

The album is quite cliché free except a few things in the music and the back cover photo? I mean how cliché is the photo of the band posing for the camera? in a graveyard? Ideas, ideas! All that needs the scene is new ideas!

Despite minor flaws the band shows some real talent, maybe they're not bound to be the next sensation in the Metal scene, but I'm sure they can make a dent if they try. Hope that they got a record contract soon so I can listen more from them with a polished sound.