Avatar Singer Names Bands That Inspired His Showmanship

Who are the bands that have honed Avatar singer Johannes Eckerstrom's love of live concerts? The veteran metallers certainly know how to put the "show" in their concerts and during a chat with Full Metal Jackie for her weekend radio show, Eckerstrom discussed the bands that he loves for putting special attention on their live presentation.

"Iron Maiden are certainly up there. The first trip we took as a band before going to play anywhere outside of our hometown was going to Stockholm to see Iron Maiden. We were maybe 16 and 17 years old, all of us. So they've been there from Day One," confesses the singer, revealing that their initial two guitar style certainly played a role into how they modeled their own band.

A professed fan of '80s heavy metal, he was also very complimentary of Judas Priest. "Halford carrying himself to this day with that type of charisma ... we say you can't teach that. But he gets more and more of it every year so maybe he can at least. But trying to decipher those intangibles in him, that's a huge thing." He also named two other significant acts of note that you can read about below.

Within the chat, Eckerstrom also discusses the band's new music, revealing the reasoning behind taking on a more surreal approach and how he purposefully considered adding to his vocal approach for their latest material. Jackie also spoke with Johannes about their close relationship with video director Johan Carlen and got some insight on the bands that will be supporting Avatar on their U.S. touring.

Check out more of the chat below.

It's Full Metal Jackie and I'm very excited to welcome back to the show, the one and only, Johannes Eckerström. It's great seeing the band always trying to keep it fresh. And I understand the upcoming album has a bit more of a surreal feel to it, influenced by dreams. Was that a conscious move or something that just seemed to be developing as the material came together?

Definitely developing. There's something about how each album becomes some kind of reaction to what you just did out of boredom or fatigue or just that you're looking for something else every time. And part of that is that pendulum swinging.

If I look back on the albums we've done, every other album has had a very outspoken plan for a while now roughly. Every other is not even true, but something like that. There have been a couple in between, like last one, Hunter Gatherer, was definitely more like this one, seeking that process where there was an exploring factor in what the goals were. But then it just comes together at the end.

There was a way more clear mission statement for Dance Devil Dance or Avatar Country or, well Feathers & Flesh was more of a searching record, albeit it ended up being a concept album. So I guess it is kind of every other in the in the last handful of albums.

But this grew out of a kind of trusted process, which I, for myself, rephrased it in terms of especially when it comes to lyrics, that this idea of trust is what's beautiful. I would rather say trust the process, in the sense of, I don't worry about figuring out what this song is about until the very last minute. I let it go where it needs to go in the meantime, which is way more freeing than I have as of late.

I think that just opened up the subconscious part of writing way more. That is that intuitive thing of just those words mean something. What is it? I think the difference was maybe that I staved off trying to answer that question as soon as possible in comparison to what I've been doing in the past.

Avatar, "Captain Goat"

We already have our first taste of new music and our first visual from the upcoming album in "Captain Goat." The song itself paints a cool visual, a credit to the band's songwriting, but as always, you guys make great videos.

Thank you.

This clip reunites you with Johan Carlen, who feels almost like he's an uncredited member of the band at this point. As a creative person, what have you most appreciated about Johan's work that has kept the band coming back to him repeatedly for videos? And can you speak to how that relationship works between he and the band?

I think what I'm most appreciative with Johan or anyone that we have worked with for a longer time is that through the years, you develop a common language and the value of that.

We now work with a new person, a girl named Linea to make the stage outfits, and this was her first round working with us. So in the first couple of emails, a real sheet of sketches she sent based on what I had talked to her about, I see, oh yeah, this is exactly what I've asked for but it's absolutely nothing that I want here, meaning she's great but it's just that this is totally a valid interpretation of what I said. It wasn't what I meant. So you have to work developing a language and a common idea of what things mean and who we are and all those subtleties.

With Johan, we've done this a whole lot of times now so that is very much in the pocket. And I think also 'cause we started with Johan when our budgets were nonexistent. But at the time, it was the most creative fun he got to have in his work as a photographer and everything he's done, you know?

'Cause now we tend to take way more of his time anyway throughout the year so he's almost full time Avatar. At least six out of 12 months this year, I would guess it's pretty much full time Avatar. So we would do those corporate gigs and whatnot in between so we could afford him early on.

So we were motivated in solving problems and have these grand visions with very small budgets, and some of our finest work that still stands the test of time is purely out of creative ideas and creative problem solving early on.

We have grown together in that way, where there's always at least one of us in this relationship that will bring a starting point of an idea to the table, and if we can't, he does. Sometimes he doesn't but we do, and then we can pick up that ball and run with it, all of us together.

So yeah, he's an uncredited sixth member. I feel like he gets tons of credits nowadays though.

Johannes, each record is its own adventure. I've seen talking a bit about this record really pushing you vocally as well. What specifically were you looking for to emphasize the vocal approach you wanted for this new album?

I listen to Judas Priest all the time, but I end up listening even more while writing. I end up studying Judas Priest a bit extra there. And as a singer who loves '80s heavy metal in general, and Judas Priest being one of those I really like in particular, it's a lot about the high notes.

But then you go back a bit and think about what's going on there that's so great when it doesn't do that. And I've been relying, and keep on relying a lot of the time, on making it heavy metal by being really loud, by really pushing yourself in range and volume and intensity. And that's still a huge chunk of it.

But the verses to "Breaking the Law" is carried by [Rob Halford's] ability to tell a story. So there's an old school soulfulness there, in just that the lyrics matter. There is a comfortable mid-range place relative to his speaking voice that he's in for most of it, so there's a dynamic. He has places to go in that song.

A big chunk of using that as an example of a place that inspired me would be using my baritone range more. I'm going back to an old school soul, just the importance of lyrics and different ways of conveying a story.

When I sing lyrically I go to a place of a person like Leonard Cohen. There is a song that I don't think they allow me to name yet, but the verse, the pre-chorus and the chorus have lots of similarities in what melody does, but it does it in three different octaves.

Of course, I'm belting it all out in the choruses, but in the verses being down in the Cohen range and in between pretending that I'm George Michael. But all of it, I'm utilizing the lower stuff in more ways. That's a huge part of it for sure.

From what I've seen, one of the main themes of this record appears to be breaking taboos and exploring the forbidden. Through your own life, have you had moments where you've pushed through your own initial reluctance to pursue an idea or thought process that ended up being truly rewarding? Or even the other path of being totally regretful?

Very little regrets when it comes to those kind of things.

I guess I can call myself an artist in the sense that I come up with things and write things down and record them and I'm a songwriter what comes with that. And the other foot in entertainment, show business, doing that in front of people and hope they have a good time.

But just to exist in the Venn diagram where, when the overlap of that Venn diagram where those two worlds meets, is stuff that you maybe would safely say or we're dealing with within a song and then wanting to respect the art and bring those part of yourselves up with you onstage into people's good times. Meaning that, you're constantly exposing yourselves and even if it's not super clear exactly from what deeply private space some stuff comes from, it's all there and I'm carrying it with me.

There's a certain respect towards the audience where I feel I owe it to them to carry those pieces with me up onstage. So, that kind of breaks through a lot of those things and the whole process of becoming comfortable and growing with and enjoying and embracing the role I have with the band. There's a lot of that built into that whole process. And on the other way around, I think knowing that we are aiming this towards an audience means that there's certain degree of articulation and clarity, even if it's metaphor heavy or whatever, but somehow you want to emotionally connect with something that is from a deep emotional place within you.

It requires a certain openness and that's constantly ongoing, I would say.

Avatar, "In the Airwaves"

Avatar have a big year of touring ahead. And I can't help but notice shows with Iron Maiden. Given the dedication you've given to putting on eye-grabbing live shows with great production value, how much appreciation do you have for how Iron Maiden have presented themselves to audience? I was curious if they were up there for you and the bands that rank atop your list of live performers who bring you the show?

Iron Maiden are certainly up there. The first trip we took as a band before going to play anywhere outside of our hometown was going to Stockholm to see Iron Maiden. We were maybe 16 and 17 years old, all of us. So they've been there from Day One.

We did an awful cover of "The Trooper" in the early days before we started to write our own songs. But they are absolutely a huge presence and a huge influence. It can't really be measured. It's been there a lot. The whole foundation of heavy guitars in bands. There's still different little sub-genres of that but being a band where rhythm and lead duties are shared equally between two guitar players and all that comes with that in the style of songwriting and, and presentation of the band, Iron Maiden are certainly one of the key ingredients to the very structure of being.

There are six of them now so let's see if Simon ever comes back to Avatar. I doubt it. We're friends though. But historically, being a two lead guitar Iron Maiden is what the coolest bands looked like at the time when we started.

Rammstein was always up there. Alice Cooper, who I ended up seeing relatively late in more recent years finally for the first time. And aside from the show elements, my favorite thing that he did where I was just taken by his his abilities as a stage performer was this medley with basically old friends of his who died.

He did "Break On Through" by The Doors. He did "Revolution" and wore some round glasses like John Lennon for that. And I think it was "My Generation," with love to Keith Moon. It was that medley and how to make that fit within that kind of rock and roll kitsch thing, with little fake tombstones onstage and everything, and kind of carrying some mannerisms of the people he was paying tribute to while still communicating nothing but love and respect for these artists. It was incredibly well done and I don't know how that many people would have been able to do that. So those are big.

I mentioned Judas Priest before and Halford carrying himself to this day with the type of charisma. We say you can't teach that. But he gets more and more of it every year so maybe he can at least. But trying to decipher those intangibles in him, that's a huge thing. And what else? This is a list that can go on for very, very long so I'll cut it off there but there are many. These are some of the classic examples that meant a lot to me.

Johannes, there are landmark moments in every band's career. As soon as this was advertised, I couldn't help but think how exciting this must be for the band but you're advertising what is presented as the band's biggest show ever, taking place in October in Mexico City. First of all, how did Mexico City become the destination for this? And secondly, do you allow yourself the chance to take it all in or are you treating it like all other performances?

No, I'm better at taking things in now. But there's something good to take in on most days when you're around like that if you are open to it.

We heard that Latin America in general but Mexico in particular, they were beckoning us for so long. It's just that going to play somewhere for the first time is really, really hard to have a promoter take a chance on you and all those things. We got to play two festivals in the area with a pandemic in between those two, but we went and it was amazing and that got our foot in the door.

Once we finally toured Mexico, we sold a lot of tickets very, very fast which means that, "Hey, we can book a bigger place next time," which is what we did, and yeah, it's exciting.

It's also I vibe with Mexico City a lot. Speaking again of intangibles, sometimes you just come to a place and you just like it. There's something there for you, and Mexico City did that to me very much. I got to go there in a completely different context than going with the band and got a taste for that prior to all this, so now I have a favorite store to buy outfits for my chihuahuas. Mexico is great for chihuahua outfits. Which goes without saying, I guess.

I think I'm better than I used to be at taking things in. Speaking of the pandemic, I think that for all the harm it did, it helped that aspect of what we're doing in terms of like once we were back onstage like, "Oh yeah, let's not take this for granted ever again." In the last few years I think I've been pretty good at staying true to that.

The fall brings you back to the U.S. for a headline tour. Two great bands joining you in Alien Weaponry and Spiritworld. What about the two acts made you want to take them out? And as a music lover, are there other young bands you think everyone should have on their radar?

Oh, wow. Yes. I got so stuck in talking Cooper and Priest that I have to think which bands are young again. Witchclub Satan are cool 'cause earlier today, for instance, I was in an old school death metal spell at the gym all day. So I'm in such an early mid-80s to mid-90s kind of place in my head. So Witchclub Satan are Norwegian. Another great Norwegian band that there's some members who have some pedigree in it.

I would still consider a fairly young band is Blood Command. Then I think the whole world now knows that Orbit Culture are great, but it's worth saying again, we toured with them as well, and good things are coming their way in a very deserving manner. So that's a handful.

With these bands we're playing with in particular, well, Alien Weaponry, we were aware of for a longer time, and also got to be a little bit in touch and stuff and get along and we think they're amazing. Most importantly, they just have kickass songs. We're looking forward to that. I haven't seen them live yet, but from what I've seen filmed and stuff, they live up to what the music promises onstage in an eye-to-eye situation.

Spiritworld is the same. Great band, it was later that they were introduced to me because we were looking for opening bands. So I still am yet to get more familiar. But we start with a wishlist, and usually many times you don't really get exactly what you want. So many things have to align for that wishlist to end up happening. But Alien Weaponry were one of those. And then you go out looking and people start looking for you. You send out smoke signals and bands answer, and that was Spiritworld's way in. It's a good blend of new introductions to us and something we have been wanting to tour with for a long time.

Before we go, as I was scrolling through the band store I noticed there's a trio of Avatar hot sauces available.

Oh, yeah.

I guess there's probably someone in the band who is the hot sauce aficionado. Who is it in your band? And anything that stood out from testing out these flavors or putting the hot sauce to use?

Well, everyone in the band are always are up for enjoying spicy food to varying degrees, but everyone's certainly into it. We recorded an entire album in Thailand, which was a great inspiration. I told you that the love between us and Mexico is mutual and all the kind of cuisines where you find spicy food, also Indian like those palates are near and dear to us in the band.

So that was kind of nice because there are all these bands releasing beers and sure, we have certainly have beer drinkers in the band and wine drinkers and all that's released. But I think hot sauce, we found a serious actor to do it with, a good partnership where it's not just about putting the band's logo on a bottle, but there's also the craft itself makes sense.

And I remember especially with the first one, King Special Sauce, that it was like, "So what's Swedish? What can we do..." You know, and what's would fit Avatar to think of it further with it. And hence, lots of blueberries in the King Special Sauce, but it's also very Swedish.

And so there's that continuation really, really thinking about it. Then we got the last one being called Holy Shit from a song where you're singing holy shit, we're gonna die. And that fits when we decide to make the hottest sauce we have ever done, but we all like them.

They all taste great. For my palate, there's been a tradition where I've been drinking the first two on camera. The third one, I didn't even dare to do it. It's just that hot, but also that good. But in the right amounts you might be able to chug it. But in any case, they're all good.

Thanks to Avatar's Johannes Eckerstrom for the interview. You can stay up to date with Avatar through their website, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok platforms. Find out where you can hear Full Metal Jackie's weekend radio show here.