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2008 - IS NOW! 2007 - Total Fucking Schlacht Avatar starts off the year playing with Stone Sour, touring Scandinavia with In Flames and reuniting with Evergrey. The live phenomena Avatar grows with every day. After a bunch of summer festivals (including a highly appriciated show on the Hultsfreds Festival) the second album Schlacht is recorded and released on October 24. It's a record showing a band which has grown in every direction, displaying a solid mix of all the essential true metal branches. A wild release party in Gothenburg is followed by a Swedish mini tour with a.o. Soilwork. Shows are also played with Deathbreath, Volbeat and Pain. A video for the title track of the new album is recorded in a slaughter house in Gothenburg. It smelled like shit but the result was wicked! 2006 - Never thinking about tomorrow ever again The year gets a kick start with the release of Avatar's first album Thoughts of no Tomorrow. Two release parties are held. One for the underaged and one for those who want their concerts fueled with alcohol. The west coast is being destroyed under the weight of Avatar and friends during the winter and early spring. This is followed by shows with Hardcore Superstar and the legendary Dismember. In the month of May, Avatar embarks on their first European tour, together with Impaled Nazarene. This tour turns out to be a rock'n'roll boot camp with a lot of crazy things going on, including bus crashes, cancelled shows, angry extremists and free booze. The band couldn't wait for the next chance to hit the road. The summer is kept hot with kick ass party shows and a show on EM-festen in Gothenburg with a record breaking attendance. In the fall, Avatar joins Evergrey and goes on their second European tour in less than six months. The tour opens many new doors all over the continent and the band falls in love with their fellow Europeans and a promise to come back as soon as possible is made. On the way home, two shows with childhood hero Paul Di'Anno are held in Denmark. The year ends with a monstrous perfomance on Trädgårn', Gothenburg with old 'pals Hardcore Superstar and Evergrey. 2005 - Building the future The very young and hungry band participates in every talent contest you've heard of on the west coast of Sweden and a devoted fanbase grows day by day. A release party for 4 Reasons to Die is held on their second show at Meeths, a legendary venue for young promising bands in Gothenburg. Avatar slowly wins over the home town audience to their side. The dudes pack their equipment into a van and drives all the way to Copenhagen to do their first show outside of Sweden on the Rock. John plans the murder on the other members when they discover the benefits of free Danish beer as he is wound up being the designated driver. He scratches the idea when he gets the two beer bottles that were left to bring with him home. During this year, Avatar is featured in an underground Zombiemovie and get to do a gory, groovy music video for the song My Shining Star. Avatar doesn't sit around, waiting for record labels to show up. The band have never been known as being lazy so - they decide to do the dirty work by themselves! In the fall, Avatar enters the studio to record the first album with money from their own pockets. Mr Tagaris from Gain Records, having his office wall-to-wall with the studio, couldn't keep his dirty hands off when he heard what the pack was cooking, so he ran in with a contract and a pen, begging the band to sign. After bitch slapping him around for a while, the band agreed to land a deal and once again the world caught up with Avatar's pace for a few seconds. 2004 - Observations on a strictly personal level The band spends most of the year promoting their first demo, Personal Observations. All the typical school kids stunts and shows are pulled off, including playing for only old people, dress up in christmas related clothing, crashing Daddy's car and performing on every talent contest possible. In the fall the second recording is made. This turns out to be 4 Reasons to Die, a piece of art showing a band which has travelled lightyears in their development in just a year. It's tighter, more dynamic and simply waaaaay better than the first attempt. This is an ambition kept close to the bands hearts ever since. Always grow, always evolve and always try to kick as much ass as physically possible. 2003 - The Rebirth... The first live shows are played with mostly Slayer and Cannibal Corpse-covers on the set list. Johannes is a stupid asshole and quits the band instead of learning proper vocal technique. Less important members come and go before he realizes his mistake and starts to practice properly. The first real tunes (including the ever-green hit of the millenium War Song) are written in the summer and in the fall some higher power sends Henrik and Simon to the band. For the first time in the band's short history the chemistry clicks between all members and big things are bound to happen. The sparks turn to lightnings! The first recording session ends in disaster and soon-to-be label manager Marcus Tagaris yells at the band for the first time. The band decides to yell back with distorted guitars and returns for their first proper demo recording, the disasterpiece which was to be known as Personal Observations. 2001 and 2002 John wants to start the best band in the world and decides to call it Lost Soul. He finds Jonas under a rock and there are sparks between them. Sadly they didn't find much spark in the other members, so they ended the band and started over as Avatar. They found some nice people with way too short hair who led them to Johannes... more sparks. The guys had a lot of fun with each other (and lots of fights) and other members who came and went. They played covers by all kinds of groups, such as Cannibal Corpse, Slayer, Vader, Helloween, In Flames and Iron Maiden. The less passionate members left, but the core stood strong. Early attempts on songwriting were made. |