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Avatarium - Between You, God, The Devil And The Dead review



Reviewer:
7.4

76 users:
7.38
Band: Avatarium
Album: Between You, God, The Devil And The Dead
Style: Doom metal
Release date: January 24, 2025
A review by: AndyMetalFreak


01. Long Black Waves
02. I See You Better In The Dark
03. My Hair Is On Fire (But I'll Take Your Hand)
04. Lovers Give A Kingdom To Each Other
05. Being With The Dead
06. Until Forever And Again
07. Notes From Underground
08. Between You, God, The Devil And The Dead

There's still an element of doom in Between You, God, The Devil And The Dead, just with an extra step further towards the classic 70s rock era.

Avatarium may have started off as a side project for bassist Leif Edling of Candlemass, but they soon rose to become one of the biggest names in modern doom after their self-titled debut Avatarium left a great lasting impression on genre fans far and wide. The band's style has never been strictly doom in the traditional sense, though, as they've incorporated a variety of styles and influences, from jazz to psychedelic and progressive rock. The masters of Swedish doom now return 3 years following the impressive Death, Where Is Your Sting to present their sixth instalment, Between You, God, The Devil And The Dead.

Death, Where Is Your Sting was the first album released following the departure of founder Leif Edling; this certainly had an immediate effect on the band's approach, with it being their lightest to date, and strongly influenced by 70s psychedelic rock. Continuing with the same line-up led by guitarist Marcus Jindell and vocalist Jennie-Ann Smith, Between You, God, The Devil And The Dead also follows a similar path to its predecessor. Once again with heavy traditional doom at the core, elements of blues, jazz, and 70s hard rock are incorporated, and a range of 70s hard rock influences can be heard, from Deep Purple and Scorpions, to Black Sabbath.

With this risky combination of genres, Avatarium have created a style here unlike much else heard in modern metal. Jindell's 70s hard rock-inspired riffs are the main driving force behind the guitar work, but he often throws you off guard with heavy doom breaks and classic solos. Keyboardist Rickard Nilsson (Candlemass) provides 70s rock-style keys and organ inspired by Deep Purple. However, the highlight of the show once again comes from the exceptionally gifted Jennie-Ann Smith, whose powerful, soulful vocal performance once again shines all the way through.

When a band takes a step in a new direction like this, it doesn't necessarily go down well with everyone who's in favour of their original material. Whether this 70s rock noodling is a step in the right direction for a band that, under Leif Edling, originally set out to be much heavier and more doom-oriented, will be a matter of debate. Death, Where Is Your Sting set a new standard for Avatarium, and Between You, God, The Devil And The Dead carries this onwards. I, for one, find it a welcoming approach, being a fan of the classic 70s rock era, but at the same time I miss the band's doom-heavy material. This album veers down a slightly lighter path, and although I think it could be a long shot to expect the best of both, I'm hoping they don't make the mistake of abandoning their doom roots entirely.

Between You, God, The Devil And The Dead is certainly a good album overall, and has plenty of songs worthy of regular spins in the future, but I believe it just falls short of Death, Where Is Your Sting's quality, and doesn't quite match the magic heights of the band's early material.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 8
Songwriting: 7
Originality: 7
Production: 8





Written on 29.01.2025 by Feel free to share your views.


Comments

Comments: 1   Visited by: 55 users
30.01.2025 - 19:22
ForestsAlive
The first albums of Avatarium were just phenomenal. Too bad this one is missing some of the haunting atmosphere
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