Hear Avatar's Crushing New Song "God of Sick Dreams" | Revolver

Hear Avatar's Crushing New Song "God of Sick Dreams"

Swedish theatrical metal act goes hard on latest 'Hunter Gatherer' single

"The fact that we chose to crack jokes for two years turned us into ticking time bombs," Avatar frontman Johannes Eckerström told us in May. Those bombs first detonated in the form of "Silence in the Age of Apes," the lead single off the Swedish theatrical metal band's forthcoming album, Hunter Gatherer. Today (June 12th), the group unleashed its follow-up, the equally explosive "God of Sick Dreams." Blast above via its visualizer video; Hunter Gatherer is due out August 7th via eOne.

The forthcoming album marks a dark "new era" for the band, including a revamped visual aesthetic as well as a heavier sound and grimmer themes. Asked of the shift in direction after its more comedically inclined predecessor, Avatar Country, Eckerström said, "It's where we belong, ultimately. We use metal as a torch to illuminate darker and darker places within and around us. Avatar Country was cathartic. We were at a point where things needed to celebrated, more than anything our fans' willingness to take all these trips with us. Once that statement was made, it was always time to move forward."