Swedish metal outfit Avatar have returned with a powerful new anthem, "A Statue of the King." It's the first single from the band's seventh full-length Avatar Country, due out January 12th via eOne/Century Media. The thunderous ripper accompanies an equally dramatic music video directed by Johan Carlén, which finds Avatar performing before a massive crowd, and later, unveiling an impressive, gigantic statue of guitarist Jonas Jarlsby – or to borrow the epithet bestowed upon him by his bandmates, "His Royal Highness the King." Watch now, and pre-order Avatar Country here.
Fantastical as it may seem, Avatar insist that their latest clip is rooted in reality, describing it not as a work of fiction, but rather a collection of "footage," straight from Avatar Country itself. "In agreement with the Royal Television (Kungliga Televisionen, KTV), we have chosen to let this be accessible to non citizens through the 'YouTube,'" they declared upon premiering "A Statue of the King." How benevolent of them to consider!
Avatar Country, the follow-up to last year's Feathers & Flesh LP, was produced by Jay Ruston (Stone Sour, Anthrax). The band, who is currently on tour in North America, will hit the road for an extensive world tour behind the album early next year. Check out Avatar Country's artwork and track listing below, accompanied by the band's upcoming itinerary.
Avatar - Avatar Country track listing:
1. "Glory to Our King"
2. "Legend of the King"
3. "The King Welcomes You to Avatar Country"
4. "King's Harvest"
5. "The King Wants You"
6. "The King Speaks"
7. "A Statue of the King"
8. "King After King"
9. "Silent Songs of the King Pt. 1 – Winter Comes When the King Dreams of Snow"
10. "Silent Songs of the King Pt. 2 – The King's Palace"
Avatar tour dates:
Oct. 25 – Riverside, CA – Riverside Municipal Auditorium
Oct. 27 – Garden City, ID – Revolution Center
Oct. 28 – Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory
Oct. 29 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
Oct. 31 – Seattle, WA – The Moore
Nov. 01 – Kennewick, WA – Toyota Ice Arena
Nov. 02 – Vancouver, British Columbia – Commodore Ballroom
Nov. 04 – Calgary, Alberta – Macewan Hall
Nov. 05 – Edmonton, Alberta – Shaw Conference Centra
Nov. 06 – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan – O'Brians Event Centre
Nov. 07 – Winnipeg, Mantioba – Burton Cummings Theatre
Nov. 08 – Sioux Falls, SD – The District
Jan. 06-18 – Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall
Jan. 07 – Toronto, Ontario – The Opera House
Jan. 09 – Montreal, Quebec – Astral
Jan. 11 – New York, NY – Gramercy Theatre
Jan. 12 – Boston, MA – Brighton
Jan. 13 – Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage
Jan. 14 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre Of Living Arts
Jan. 16 – Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom
Jan. 17 – Atlanta, GA – The Buckhead Theatre
Jan. 18 – New Orleans, LA – House of Blues
Jan. 19 – Houston, TX – House of Blues
Jan. 20 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues
Jan. 21 – San Antonio, TX – Aztec
Jan. 23 – Tempe, AZ – The Marquee
Jan. 24 – Los Angeles, CA – Regent Theater
Jan. 25 – Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades
Jan. 28 – Seattle, WA – Studio Seven
Jan. 30 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex
Jan. 31 – Denver, CO – The Summit Music Hall
Feb. 01 – Lincoln, NE – Bourbon Theatre
Feb. 02 – Chicago, IL – The Bottom Lounge
Feb. 03 – Green Bay, WI – Sand Lot
Feb. 05 – Lawrence, KS – Granada
Feb. 07 – Detroit, MI – St. Andrew's Hall
Feb. 08 – Cleveland, OH – House Of Blues
Feb. 09 – Indianapolis, IN – Deluxe
Feb. 10 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave II
Feb. 11 – Grand Rapids, MI – Intersection
Mar. 13 – Utrecht, Netherlands – Tivoli Vredenburg
Mar. 14 – Paris, France – Trianon
Mar. 15 – Lille, France – Lille / Le Splendid- (Les Paradis Artificiels Festival)
Mar. 16 – London, England – Islington Assembly Hall
Mar. 17 – Sint-Niklaas, Belgium – De Casino
Mar. 18 – Köln, Germany – Luxor
Mar. 20 – Reims, France – La Cartonnerie
Mar. 21 – Nîmes, France – Paloma
Mar. 22 – Cognac, France – West Rock
Mar. 23 – Bilbao, Vizcaya, Spain – Sala Sanatana 27
Mar. 24 – Madrid, Spain – Sala Mon Live
Mar. 25 – Barcelona, Spain – Sala Bikini
Mar. 26 – Villeurbanne, France – Le Transbordeur
Mar. 27 – Genève, Switzerland – L'Usine
Mar. 28 – Zurich, Switzerland – Dynamo
Mar. 29 – Milan, Italy – Alcatraz
Apr. 01 – Munich, Germany – Technikum
Apr. 02 – Prague, Czech Republic – Lucerna Music Bar
Apr. 03 – Berlin, Germany – Bi Nuu
Apr. 04 – Hamburg, Germany – Gruenspan
Apr. 05 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Pumpehuset
Apr. 06 – Stockholm, Sweden – Klubben Fryshuset
Apr. 07 – Göteborg, Sweden – Trädgår'n
