Avatar
The King Live In Paris β Century Media Records
When you crawl home after a night of live music with two new piercings, an aversion to bright lights and the inability to cook, let alone stay awake to eat the meal your long-suffering husband lovingly hands you, you know it was a goooood gig. One of the bands? Nickelbβ¦ Noooo, Citizens – Avatar! The King-hailing, heavy metalling, growling, screaming, marvel. And now we can all be part of their live freak show on the daily. Or however often you choose to play βThe King Live In Parisβ (recorded at Download, France, 2018). Few things are as certain as this β if youβre an Avatar fan, it WILL be often. Youβre not? Dude! What are you playing at???? The set kicks off with βA Statue Of The Kingβ. Not even five minutes in, but can we just stop for a second and salute Johannes EckerstrΓΆmβs vocals? And the musicianship? Yep, be upstanding for that also. For. The. Duration. Of. The. Album. It delivers an all-encompassing live experience. So much so, that you get a sad, sinking feeling as the set draws to a close. Whether youβre listening in the car/cooking/running/writing/being walked by your dog, your mindβs eye is at Download. Itβs an awesome set. This album is kinda like all their best songs in one place. Weβve got βPaint Me Redβ, βBloody Angelβ, βThe Eagle Has Landedββ¦ Thereβs a lot of Avatar fans in da house too. Song after song, on the very first notes, the cheers of recognition are clear, and the crowdβs participation in βLet It Burnβ and βAvatar Countryβ are heartbeat-skipping to hear. Johannesβs sweet speech before we all lose our minds to last track βHail The Apocalypseβ is a joy. This album is majestic.
Review by Jo Wright