June 12, 2025 • 25 mins
What can I say about Johannes Eckerstrom that hasn't already been said? This guy is always a treat to talk to, from his introspection to his philosophy, to Avatar's incredible, if not sometimes frightful music, he always has something interesting to say. Avatar just put out a new song called "Captain Goat" from an as-of-yet unannounced new album. They have a headline tour coming to the States this fall, then opening dates booked with Iron Maiden and Metallica! The man is still a fan at heart, even though his band now stands with the greats.
The new era of Avatar begins now!
The new era of Avatar begins now!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Attention please and no cutters, rock Cat. How are you?
Speaker 2 (00:06):
I'm fine? How are you?
Speaker 1 (00:08):
I'm not too shabby.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
That's good to hear it. Excuse me, I'm choke.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Yeah, that's good for radio.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Oh, it's perfect. There's nothing more than you like hearing
more when you turn on a radio or a podcast
or people talking to hear.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
You know. That's my best skill as well. I got
a lot of mute because I like to work with,
especially before a show of stuff. I'm popular backstage for well.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
I figured if I do it, if I do it
well enough and in key, I could be an Avatar
backup singer.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
That's yeah, sure, why not?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Thanks Johannas is good to see you, man.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Good see you too.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Oh who you got there?
Speaker 1 (00:49):
This is vincent fun dog that I think is you know,
better at chilling in my arms right now at this
hour when we do this so litlit? Did you we
right about there?
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Okay? I see yeah, let's start her there. She is nice.
My my pit bowls upstairs. If you're barking at any point,
it just means danger babies are going past the house.
M M yeah, yeah, exactly, dude. It's good to see
you man, it's good to have new Avatar music out.
Let me just say this first of all, I think
(01:26):
as we gain this conversation about Avatar, you know, reading
a post on Avatar's Facebook page about how we were
never supposed to be this far, we were never supposed
to be this big, it just reminded me, you know,
of that time of Avatar playing a free show for us,
and you know, introducing Avatar, who is this band from Sweden?
(01:48):
You know we're only you spoke English, and you know
it's that was.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Just the only one who spoke. They were all fine,
I Thinklishpec then too. They just would hit it very
very well.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
But over the years, man, you guys have done it.
You guys have sort of I guess, to take a
line from Captain goat the new song, right, you've rowed
your own boat. You've rowed your own way and have
been very successful at it. So congratulations, thank you so much.
Absolutely appreciate it, of course. Man. So now that we're
in this new era of Avatar, the band is, does
(02:23):
that mean no more trombone solos?
Speaker 1 (02:27):
Uh No, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
I really enjoyed the trombone solo man.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
I think well, okay, so I think looking at what
we might do. You know, the headline set is kind
of meticulously being worked over from all kinds of angles.
And I mean if we don't do it for a
year or two, that doesn't mean it's retired forever. It's
just that it was also part of for two years.
(02:54):
We got to surprise a lot of people with the
pearance of that. It's not just the trombone itself, but
where I would you sit and everything, right in the.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Middle of the crowd on a balcony.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Exactly exactly, So you know, there's always that balance now
with a new album but still being a band that
has named kept the same name for a minute is
a balance act. Though. What stuff do you keep in
that has become part of the tradition and what parts
do you take out in order to fit in new
(03:26):
ideas and to innovate and challenge yourself and come up
with new cool concepts. Right, for instance, I do imagine
that we will forever and ever and ever play Bloody Angel,
and I will go and put on a red coat
because that's what we do, you know, and certain stuff
like that you do want to keep around forever. Gene
Simmons Distorted Base spit the blood, you know, preferably to
(03:50):
got a thunder or something. You know, there's certain things
right that you develop over the years, and some stiff
stuff you move around, and some stuff you keep in
exactly as they ware or in one way or another.
And I think the puppet show and the Traumo solo
is something that will come and go to give room
for other ways of surprising you guys and telling news source.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
So what is this? For the last few albums, really,
the last few years, Avatar has sort of you guys
have done sort of the heavy metal circus show, you know,
so to speak. Captain goat the new Avatar song which
came out a couple of weeks ago, makes me want
to go pillage a small village. This new era of Avatar.
(04:37):
I mean, what kind of light can you shed on
kind of what you guys are up to right now?
Obviously all we know is the song. There's a headline
tour coming later this year. You're opening from Metallica, which
is mind blowing. We'll get into that later, but yeah,
what you know, what can you sort of verbalize?
Speaker 1 (04:55):
Yeah, so one thing it was a part of the
process in terms of just with what kind of intent
I wanted to write, meaning what is this supposed to become?
And it's really, in a way, maybe just a rewording
of things like trust your gut, trust your instinct, write
whatever you want to write, but that give mean a
(05:15):
million things. But the way it was worded now for
me this last time around was trust what you find
beautiful in enemy given moment and what And I think
the way that that came to what that came to
mean for me at the time is there's a lot
of the subconscious going on in this album. I just
(05:38):
realized after a while, like, oh, that's stuff. That that
that that thing that takes place in the lyrics literally
came from a dream or using dream as a motif
for whatever the different songs is. Really is a lot
of this album takes place in this surreal twilight world,
so you know, somewhere between being asleep and awake and
(06:02):
the psychology that goes with that. So for that reason,
I think surrealism and those ideas of little you know,
of doors into that other place that is a little
bit like this world but not quite Yeah, Twilight Zone
or Haaki Murakami novel or well, David Lynch's work. We
(06:27):
end up being them, you know, especially sitting down with
Yuhan always doing the videos and everything. We are quite
the lynch heads in stuff we like to attend.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
You know, there are you know, philosophers of old that
have stated that's sort of the place of genius, right,
the place between consciousness and subconsciousness is is where the
greatest work is sort of done.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Yeah. And I also think that in terms of just
depending on what the theme of a song or album
whatever is, there can be a need to work things through.
Like if I want to make a song about I
don't know what to take a very historical thing, you know,
(07:17):
let's Washington crosses the Delaware. See now I'm speaking to
my American audience and talking with that, I will maybe
it's very important to what characters are in the boat
and what we imagine that they are feeling, what he
said and when that was being said and everything, and
to work it out from a very practical standpoint. That's
what I'm trying to say. But I think maybe what
(07:42):
is happening when doing an album again trusting what's beautiful
and trying to you know, embrace a certain state of
mind as it comes to you, is that you know,
does if something lyrics on paper, if it doesn't make
immediate and it's the very first second I write it,
but I'm still super compelled to write it. I trust
(08:05):
that I will come around next week look back, you know, like, oh, yeah,
that's totally worth what that is. And I'm glad I
didn't stand in the way for that, you know, yeah,
so that it becomes an equal equal portions exploration for
me as it is for the listener at the time
of making it. And then you know that sometimes, like
(08:27):
any of created process, that can be hit and missed.
So sometimes like you come back one week later like no, no,
this is nonsense, this is crap, and you turn it out,
but then you repeat the process until you get right right.
But one when it got right and when it stayed
beautiful for a week and then a month and stuff,
and you feel there's that it makes sense beyond the
obvious to you, and then it starts to make very
(08:49):
obvious sense to you.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
You know.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
Then it was a very rewarding trusting out the process,
you know, and even those songs that are because that
some of it is that kind of more abstract then
for instance, Captain Goat, Yeah, you know, like it's spiritual
and it's a goat and a boat's which is weird
(09:12):
in itself, you know, I guess, but it's still more
concrete because yeah, you take a mythological figure like that
and put him in a boat, and then you are,
you know, in Greek mythology, Norse mythology, you're a bit
in everything there. So it's I guess more graspable. But
you use this that kind of imagery and then you
(09:36):
have songs that maybe are even more concrete and its
messages and what I want to say with it, but
still is you know, just the story through which is
told still includes someone taking a step in the air
and being able to fly.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
You know, so so curious, you know, given given the
part of the world that Avatar hails from, Norse mythology,
because I caught that right away when watching especially the
video to Captain Goat, that there seems to be some
uh look at it anyway, Yeah, there's a play there of.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Absolutely, especially like in the video is Joe he's low key.
That was Loki's punishment after causing whatever the blind one was,
but you know, causing Balder's death, and as punishment, he
was chained to a rock having this, but you know,
(10:36):
venom of the snake drip into his eyes until rang
the rock. But beyond that, I think we are one
of the less Viking adjacent bands Scandinavia.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
You know, you get no amount of marth.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
I mean yeah, you got everything between a mona marth
and enslaved and bath three of course and oh gosh
there and because there are a lot of different ways
of doing the Viking thing obviously, but we don't necessarily
dwell into a lot. But I can't help to to
(11:12):
that in any case. Water but it is a water.
I can't get away from it as a songwriter. And
I and now some type of question, is it just
because it's such a low hanging fruits? Because you also
caught yourself like fire? Okay, I can't have more fire out,
I said fire on this album? What's that? Oh? What good?
(11:32):
We can do one of those. But if it's just
a low hanging you know, because you can drown in it,
you can be cold in it, you can ride on it.
Is it that simple? Or is it that I, you know,
grew up on the coast right about as a kid
drowned to water, as you know, just grow up around
it so meaning that then maybe you you attached certain
(11:54):
emotions and moments and frame of mindset. You just had
the opportunity to see sunrises and sunsets along, you know,
over the ocean, your whole life, that you're therefore attached
to it, that it cares all this meaning. But there's
so much, you know, drowning and floating and sinking and
being wet. You know, go through the albums which I
(12:18):
you know, and this is another one of those. But
you can't be helped because Tim wrote those rifts. And
I start to mumble and think, and I hear okay, yeah, okay,
so sea Shanty now, you know, and trust was beautiful
and here we are on the sea, but it's weird underground,
(12:40):
you know, land of the dead ocean navigated by Eluciferian.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
Yeah, then you can start adding in that darkness and yeah, listen,
I mean, you guys are a couple of records away
from just being captain planet. You can get in air,
in heart and exactly the powers will combine and he
is our hero.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
Oh yeah I did. Yeah, I tried to think. I
don't think I've done a lot with wind yet.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
See, but maybe inspiration inspiration I'm just.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Exactly, I'm trying to trade the thing. Certainly have firewater
songs earth I feel have I Oh yeah, there's stuff
King's harvest. There's songs singing about this sure stuff. And
I'm sure there's there must be a mountain somewhere in something.
There always is. We're a metal band, European metal band.
But like our.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
Mouths, always there's always a mountain, there's always a monster.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
Yeah, So then the wind wind is left, I think.
Although I did a lot of a lot of songs
about birds, by the way, birds and angels, you know,
their vultures fly, and there's album about eagles and owls
and and things. I also caught myself like, god, damn,
another bird song. I guess that's I guess that's my style.
(13:58):
And how many times people keep on enjoying watching uh,
Stephen reading and watching Stephen King about authors killing his
loved ones, you know, So so if he can do
that over and over again, I guess I can just
you know, but it's just again it boils down now
to being you know, you use the big ones, the
(14:18):
eagles and ravens and you know, and all vultures, and
I'm down to well magpies are still left. But then
you're gonna have robins and blue tits. Great tits great,
it's good. Also there are many tits, which is funny.
So when Avatar finally gets to that stage that we
sing about tits, it's not going to be the human kind.
(14:39):
It's just going to be little you know, birds in
the forest.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Right not to be taken the other way, which is
what people will do because that's what we do.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
But that's why I'm making it very clear.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
Orthonological Expo say, well, can you tell me about this album?
I mean, outside of all we know is the song
Captain Goat, is there anything any other information you can
share with any little tidbits, any little nuggets.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
Well, there will be, you know, slightly less than a
dozen more of those, but they will start completely differently.
I think that the whole, the whole thing about the
dream and as Trust was beautiful is a big part
of it to me. For me, there's also I think
as a singer, I get to I don't have to
(15:26):
put this show off the most or just I get
to try so many new things. At least it felt
like it to me at the time, which I think
boils down to. As always while writing an album, I
end up listening to even more to Judas Priest and
try to decipher why this is awesome And one one
(15:49):
thing that as a singer, you know what certain singers
become known for, the short version of what a singer
is known for, the elevator pitch. Who is robal for it?
It's painkiller and stuff, right, But then you miss kind
of such an important thing that he used to best
at is in his comfortable spoken mid range just as
(16:13):
a drive, and what he does such a sense of
rhythm and storytelling and sense for emphasis in his words
that the verse of breaking the law are heavy metal
vocals without screaming your lung sut you know, so if
you can, if you do things right, you can be
way more dynamics. I think that's a big part of
what's stuff I do on this album. Also, I don't
(16:38):
know realizing that Black Sabbath is a soul band.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
What they're not b band. They always have been.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
Well in so many ways they are like I just
I remember, you know, skimming through yet another article about
the history of Black Sabbath and influence in one of
those you know, if the published a couple every year
in major printed music media, and just listing the word
soul in terms of influence was just there and like
(17:11):
huh and yeah, because who was screaming, who was belting,
who was over emoting, who was being massive and bombastic
before the heavy metal bands, well the soul bands, right, yeah,
So there's just a traditional gectory there, and I think
always went because the period when Ossi wasn't in Black Sabbath,
(17:33):
there was a lot of very skilled singers that took
his place for a while, and that we were still
very glad when he came back, you know, when the
reunion in late nineties and onwards, right right, And I
think they always when to compare him to other types
of singers who were in Black Sabbath aftor who made
it have higher range, squealier squeals and bigger vibratos and stuff.
(17:59):
I just also realized that all of them would struggled
with the really telling the story of early Sabbath songs,
and that is to me where soul comes in. Now.
I do think Gize Butler is truly one of my
favorite lyricists of all time, right absolutely, so the soul
(18:20):
comparison doesn't fall into it doesn't apply to that part
of it. But look at sixties soul music and how
if you read those lyrics off the page, Baby left,
baby came back, Baby's going somewhere, baby, you know, and whatever,
and it's not good, but when it's being sung by
the right singer, it is the best. This is the
(18:40):
best lyrics you've ever heard because of the.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
It's the way everything came together, you know, the instruments,
the vocal melodies, all of it. The way that all
came together, that's what made it.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Absolutely But just focusing for a second, like I think
I'll see maybe it might be the greatest singer in
heaven metal. Still to this day, in about projecting lyrics,
I try to think of like among those classics, or
being up there at least and being I think underestimated
(19:14):
for it. Just still that it matters. I feel unhappy.
I feel so sad. I lost a bad friend I
ever had. I go with the changes right right to
sing that and that he sounds unhappy. Feel sad because
he did indeed lose the best friend he ever had.
And you believe it when he sings it. To be
believable in what you sing and not just nailing notes
(19:37):
those singers are few and far in between, and metal
in general, in modern metal in particular. Although you know,
I'll go back to my health forwards and my osborns
and stuff, and there I find it. But and I
just try really really really hard to get better at that.
(19:58):
And which was has been on a citing a challenge
for this album, I went off on attention.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
There, No, you're fine. That makes me, It makes me
even more excited for a new Avatar album, which I.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
Think are cool too. That or at least that tell me,
you know that's got no time for that.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
I'll say this. I mean, that's the thing about Avatar, right,
is the music, like the way you're you're talking about
ju just precing Black Sabbath in soul music, the way
that your voice incorporates, you know, within the music that
the band rights. You guys do have a very you know,
solid point there as far as it all works together
(20:37):
really well. And this, and I think Captain goes another
fine example of that. That album should be out later
this year. I'm just going to say that I'll leave
it there because we don't have a date yet. Uh
in the airway, you.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
Get angry if I tell you, But I know the
date and a great dates.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
It's a great date.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
I came into a room and saw the date. I said, wow,
that's great dates.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
There you go even better in the airwaves. Tour kicks
off in the States in November Headline two or Alien
Weaponry opening for that. Then you go to Europe and
your you're you're playing some dates with Metallica.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
Mm hmmm.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
This. I just talked to Sam from Architects about this
sort of that that you're at this level of band, right,
You're doing good, there's a career, there's a good fan base,
all of that. All of a sudden you get that
call to open from Metallica and it's like, yeah, another
level opens up. It's like the XP level went up twenty.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
Yeah, it's I think at this point because we have
there's something, there's something I want to go back to
Junior High and say nah to someone because within the
same twelve month period we get to open for our
maiden and Metallic Yeah, it's it's that's true, you know,
(21:55):
it's it's a bit ridiculous, and but that remain a thing.
We got to you the other year as we went
to Brazil for the first time, which is a very
cool way I'll go into a country for the first time.
You know, that's not usually what your first time looks like.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
South Americans love the Iron Maiden too.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
Yeah, no, that was really cool. But also but I
learned to make sure to I all that is being
said to because metallic case, the one you were talking about,
I'm really taking it all in and enjoying it as
a fan boy. I'm allowing myself now to just go
(22:35):
that's really really cool. Good you should and embrace and
embrace that, and to do that now because it's because
once there, I think there's a part. You know, then
you have to step up to the plate to use
your American sports talks. We say too, but we don't
know why, and then we go, oh, oh yeah baseball.
(22:59):
And to deliver that, I'll show you, Lars James, whatever
your names are that I haven't studied carefully through booklets
since I was a kid. You know, We'll get you
whatever where your mindset. You got to get in to
actually own claim ownership on a stage with which work
(23:22):
was hard enough with Our Maiden again, like like, this
is my show for thirty minutes, this is mine and
I go up, Oh, there's Eddie, that's so awesome. And
the Metallica's cases as far as I got, it's going
to be still the round stage and all of that.
It's going to be like, oh yeah, this is my stage,
built exactly to their specifications. Damn it.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
I'm going to stand on this.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
Yeah. So there's this just a challenge in it that
I that I look forward to, but also know that
it's there to you know, own it for whatever amount
of time. Get to be there, but out buntil then.
I mean, uh yeah, listening to right likening, it's pretty awesome,
you know, I remember, I remember to enjoy it.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
It's still awesome the same way it was when I
was a kid. Uh, Johanna Zeckerstorm from Avatar, dude, thank
you as always for time. You know, I greatly appreciate it.
I love you guys to death and I can't wait
to hear more new Avatar music. But in the meantime,
the new song Captain Goat is available now, and go
watch the video because it's it's kind of intense.
Speaker 1 (24:35):
Yeah, it is intense and also made made by us,
completely by hand, by people we work with, which it
feels important to say because people use AI so much
now so just.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
You know, because you guys have always done so good
with your with your music videos, and that's that's what
sort of started drawing you and that's where the legend started,
right for Avatar.
Speaker 1 (24:58):
Was the music certainly helped we start to really have
fun with that. And you know which we you know
it is Our best marketing trick has always been do
things you did and be passionate about it and treat
everything as art. So it helped us a lot to
love making our videos, that's for sure.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
I think that's a perfect way to end this conversation
with those words exactly. Yoh honest, thank you, my friend,
greatly appreciate it. Thank you soon. We'll see you soon.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
Man Cutter's Rock Cast don't forget to tune in exactly
Attention please and no cutters, rock Cat. How are you?
Speaker 2 (00:06):
I'm fine? How are you?
Speaker 1 (00:08):
I'm not too shabby.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
That's good to hear it. Excuse me, I'm choke.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Yeah, that's good for radio.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Oh, it's perfect. There's nothing more than you like hearing
more when you turn on a radio or a podcast
or people talking to hear.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
You know. That's my best skill as well. I got
a lot of mute because I like to work with,
especially before a show of stuff. I'm popular backstage for well.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
I figured if I do it, if I do it
well enough and in key, I could be an Avatar
backup singer.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
That's yeah, sure, why not?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Thanks Johannas is good to see you, man.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Good see you too.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Oh who you got there?
Speaker 1 (00:49):
This is vincent fun dog that I think is you know,
better at chilling in my arms right now at this
hour when we do this so litlit? Did you we
right about there?
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Okay? I see yeah, let's start her there. She is nice.
My my pit bowls upstairs. If you're barking at any point,
it just means danger babies are going past the house.
M M yeah, yeah, exactly, dude. It's good to see
you man, it's good to have new Avatar music out.
Let me just say this first of all, I think
(01:26):
as we gain this conversation about Avatar, you know, reading
a post on Avatar's Facebook page about how we were
never supposed to be this far, we were never supposed
to be this big, it just reminded me, you know,
of that time of Avatar playing a free show for us,
and you know, introducing Avatar, who is this band from Sweden?
(01:48):
You know we're only you spoke English, and you know
it's that was.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Just the only one who spoke. They were all fine,
I Thinklishpec then too. They just would hit it very
very well.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
But over the years, man, you guys have done it.
You guys have sort of I guess, to take a
line from Captain goat the new song, right, you've rowed
your own boat. You've rowed your own way and have
been very successful at it. So congratulations, thank you so much.
Absolutely appreciate it, of course. Man. So now that we're
in this new era of Avatar, the band is, does
(02:23):
that mean no more trombone solos?
Speaker 1 (02:27):
Uh No, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
I really enjoyed the trombone solo man.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
I think well, okay, so I think looking at what
we might do. You know, the headline set is kind
of meticulously being worked over from all kinds of angles.
And I mean if we don't do it for a
year or two, that doesn't mean it's retired forever. It's
just that it was also part of for two years.
(02:54):
We got to surprise a lot of people with the
pearance of that. It's not just the trombone itself, but
where I would you sit and everything, right in the.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Middle of the crowd on a balcony.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Exactly exactly, So you know, there's always that balance now
with a new album but still being a band that
has named kept the same name for a minute is
a balance act. Though. What stuff do you keep in
that has become part of the tradition and what parts
do you take out in order to fit in new
(03:26):
ideas and to innovate and challenge yourself and come up
with new cool concepts. Right, for instance, I do imagine
that we will forever and ever and ever play Bloody Angel,
and I will go and put on a red coat
because that's what we do, you know, and certain stuff
like that you do want to keep around forever. Gene
Simmons Distorted Base spit the blood, you know, preferably to
(03:50):
got a thunder or something. You know, there's certain things
right that you develop over the years, and some stiff
stuff you move around, and some stuff you keep in
exactly as they ware or in one way or another.
And I think the puppet show and the Traumo solo
is something that will come and go to give room
for other ways of surprising you guys and telling news source.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
So what is this? For the last few albums, really,
the last few years, Avatar has sort of you guys
have done sort of the heavy metal circus show, you know,
so to speak. Captain goat the new Avatar song which
came out a couple of weeks ago, makes me want
to go pillage a small village. This new era of Avatar.
(04:37):
I mean, what kind of light can you shed on
kind of what you guys are up to right now?
Obviously all we know is the song. There's a headline
tour coming later this year. You're opening from Metallica, which
is mind blowing. We'll get into that later, but yeah,
what you know, what can you sort of verbalize?
Speaker 1 (04:55):
Yeah, so one thing it was a part of the
process in terms of just with what kind of intent
I wanted to write, meaning what is this supposed to become?
And it's really, in a way, maybe just a rewording
of things like trust your gut, trust your instinct, write
whatever you want to write, but that give mean a
(05:15):
million things. But the way it was worded now for
me this last time around was trust what you find
beautiful in enemy given moment and what And I think
the way that that came to what that came to
mean for me at the time is there's a lot
of the subconscious going on in this album. I just
(05:38):
realized after a while, like, oh, that's stuff. That that
that that thing that takes place in the lyrics literally
came from a dream or using dream as a motif
for whatever the different songs is. Really is a lot
of this album takes place in this surreal twilight world,
so you know, somewhere between being asleep and awake and
(06:02):
the psychology that goes with that. So for that reason,
I think surrealism and those ideas of little you know,
of doors into that other place that is a little
bit like this world but not quite Yeah, Twilight Zone
or Haaki Murakami novel or well, David Lynch's work. We
(06:27):
end up being them, you know, especially sitting down with
Yuhan always doing the videos and everything. We are quite
the lynch heads in stuff we like to attend.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
You know, there are you know, philosophers of old that
have stated that's sort of the place of genius, right,
the place between consciousness and subconsciousness is is where the
greatest work is sort of done.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Yeah. And I also think that in terms of just
depending on what the theme of a song or album
whatever is, there can be a need to work things through.
Like if I want to make a song about I
don't know what to take a very historical thing, you know,
(07:17):
let's Washington crosses the Delaware. See now I'm speaking to
my American audience and talking with that, I will maybe
it's very important to what characters are in the boat
and what we imagine that they are feeling, what he
said and when that was being said and everything, and
to work it out from a very practical standpoint. That's
what I'm trying to say. But I think maybe what
(07:42):
is happening when doing an album again trusting what's beautiful
and trying to you know, embrace a certain state of
mind as it comes to you, is that you know,
does if something lyrics on paper, if it doesn't make
immediate and it's the very first second I write it,
but I'm still super compelled to write it. I trust
(08:05):
that I will come around next week look back, you know, like, oh, yeah,
that's totally worth what that is. And I'm glad I
didn't stand in the way for that, you know, yeah,
so that it becomes an equal equal portions exploration for
me as it is for the listener at the time
of making it. And then you know that sometimes, like
(08:27):
any of created process, that can be hit and missed.
So sometimes like you come back one week later like no, no,
this is nonsense, this is crap, and you turn it out,
but then you repeat the process until you get right right.
But one when it got right and when it stayed
beautiful for a week and then a month and stuff,
and you feel there's that it makes sense beyond the
obvious to you, and then it starts to make very
(08:49):
obvious sense to you.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
You know.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
Then it was a very rewarding trusting out the process,
you know, and even those songs that are because that
some of it is that kind of more abstract then
for instance, Captain Goat, Yeah, you know, like it's spiritual
and it's a goat and a boat's which is weird
(09:12):
in itself, you know, I guess, but it's still more
concrete because yeah, you take a mythological figure like that
and put him in a boat, and then you are,
you know, in Greek mythology, Norse mythology, you're a bit
in everything there. So it's I guess more graspable. But
you use this that kind of imagery and then you
(09:36):
have songs that maybe are even more concrete and its
messages and what I want to say with it, but
still is you know, just the story through which is
told still includes someone taking a step in the air
and being able to fly.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
You know, so so curious, you know, given given the
part of the world that Avatar hails from, Norse mythology,
because I caught that right away when watching especially the
video to Captain Goat, that there seems to be some
uh look at it anyway, Yeah, there's a play there of.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Absolutely, especially like in the video is Joe he's low key.
That was Loki's punishment after causing whatever the blind one was,
but you know, causing Balder's death, and as punishment, he
was chained to a rock having this, but you know,
(10:36):
venom of the snake drip into his eyes until rang
the rock. But beyond that, I think we are one
of the less Viking adjacent bands Scandinavia.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
You know, you get no amount of marth.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
I mean yeah, you got everything between a mona marth
and enslaved and bath three of course and oh gosh
there and because there are a lot of different ways
of doing the Viking thing obviously, but we don't necessarily
dwell into a lot. But I can't help to to
(11:12):
that in any case. Water but it is a water.
I can't get away from it as a songwriter. And
I and now some type of question, is it just
because it's such a low hanging fruits? Because you also
caught yourself like fire? Okay, I can't have more fire out,
I said fire on this album? What's that? Oh? What good?
(11:32):
We can do one of those. But if it's just
a low hanging you know, because you can drown in it,
you can be cold in it, you can ride on it.
Is it that simple? Or is it that I, you know,
grew up on the coast right about as a kid
drowned to water, as you know, just grow up around
it so meaning that then maybe you you attached certain
(11:54):
emotions and moments and frame of mindset. You just had
the opportunity to see sunrises and sunsets along, you know,
over the ocean, your whole life, that you're therefore attached
to it, that it cares all this meaning. But there's
so much, you know, drowning and floating and sinking and
being wet. You know, go through the albums which I
(12:18):
you know, and this is another one of those. But
you can't be helped because Tim wrote those rifts. And
I start to mumble and think, and I hear okay, yeah, okay,
so sea Shanty now, you know, and trust was beautiful
and here we are on the sea, but it's weird underground,
(12:40):
you know, land of the dead ocean navigated by Eluciferian.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
Yeah, then you can start adding in that darkness and yeah, listen,
I mean, you guys are a couple of records away
from just being captain planet. You can get in air,
in heart and exactly the powers will combine and he
is our hero.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
Oh yeah I did. Yeah, I tried to think. I
don't think I've done a lot with wind yet.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
See, but maybe inspiration inspiration I'm just.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Exactly, I'm trying to trade the thing. Certainly have firewater
songs earth I feel have I Oh yeah, there's stuff
King's harvest. There's songs singing about this sure stuff. And
I'm sure there's there must be a mountain somewhere in something.
There always is. We're a metal band, European metal band.
But like our.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
Mouths, always there's always a mountain, there's always a monster.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
Yeah, So then the wind wind is left, I think.
Although I did a lot of a lot of songs
about birds, by the way, birds and angels, you know,
their vultures fly, and there's album about eagles and owls
and and things. I also caught myself like, god, damn,
another bird song. I guess that's I guess that's my style.
(13:58):
And how many times people keep on enjoying watching uh,
Stephen reading and watching Stephen King about authors killing his
loved ones, you know, So so if he can do
that over and over again, I guess I can just
you know, but it's just again it boils down now
to being you know, you use the big ones, the
(14:18):
eagles and ravens and you know, and all vultures, and
I'm down to well magpies are still left. But then
you're gonna have robins and blue tits. Great tits great,
it's good. Also there are many tits, which is funny.
So when Avatar finally gets to that stage that we
sing about tits, it's not going to be the human kind.
(14:39):
It's just going to be little you know, birds in
the forest.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Right not to be taken the other way, which is
what people will do because that's what we do.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
But that's why I'm making it very clear.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
Orthonological Expo say, well, can you tell me about this album?
I mean, outside of all we know is the song
Captain Goat, is there anything any other information you can
share with any little tidbits, any little nuggets.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
Well, there will be, you know, slightly less than a
dozen more of those, but they will start completely differently.
I think that the whole, the whole thing about the
dream and as Trust was beautiful is a big part
of it to me. For me, there's also I think
as a singer, I get to I don't have to
(15:26):
put this show off the most or just I get
to try so many new things. At least it felt
like it to me at the time, which I think
boils down to. As always while writing an album, I
end up listening to even more to Judas Priest and
try to decipher why this is awesome And one one
(15:49):
thing that as a singer, you know what certain singers
become known for, the short version of what a singer
is known for, the elevator pitch. Who is robal for it?
It's painkiller and stuff, right, But then you miss kind
of such an important thing that he used to best
at is in his comfortable spoken mid range just as
(16:13):
a drive, and what he does such a sense of
rhythm and storytelling and sense for emphasis in his words
that the verse of breaking the law are heavy metal
vocals without screaming your lung sut you know, so if
you can, if you do things right, you can be
way more dynamics. I think that's a big part of
what's stuff I do on this album. Also, I don't
(16:38):
know realizing that Black Sabbath is a soul band.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
What they're not b band. They always have been.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
Well in so many ways they are like I just
I remember, you know, skimming through yet another article about
the history of Black Sabbath and influence in one of
those you know, if the published a couple every year
in major printed music media, and just listing the word
soul in terms of influence was just there and like
(17:11):
huh and yeah, because who was screaming, who was belting,
who was over emoting, who was being massive and bombastic
before the heavy metal bands, well the soul bands, right, yeah,
So there's just a traditional gectory there, and I think
always went because the period when Ossi wasn't in Black Sabbath,
(17:33):
there was a lot of very skilled singers that took
his place for a while, and that we were still
very glad when he came back, you know, when the
reunion in late nineties and onwards, right right, And I
think they always when to compare him to other types
of singers who were in Black Sabbath aftor who made
it have higher range, squealier squeals and bigger vibratos and stuff.
(17:59):
I just also realized that all of them would struggled
with the really telling the story of early Sabbath songs,
and that is to me where soul comes in. Now.
I do think Gize Butler is truly one of my
favorite lyricists of all time, right absolutely, so the soul
(18:20):
comparison doesn't fall into it doesn't apply to that part
of it. But look at sixties soul music and how
if you read those lyrics off the page, Baby left,
baby came back, Baby's going somewhere, baby, you know, and whatever,
and it's not good, but when it's being sung by
the right singer, it is the best. This is the
(18:40):
best lyrics you've ever heard because of the.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
It's the way everything came together, you know, the instruments,
the vocal melodies, all of it. The way that all
came together, that's what made it.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Absolutely But just focusing for a second, like I think
I'll see maybe it might be the greatest singer in
heaven metal. Still to this day, in about projecting lyrics,
I try to think of like among those classics, or
being up there at least and being I think underestimated
(19:14):
for it. Just still that it matters. I feel unhappy.
I feel so sad. I lost a bad friend I
ever had. I go with the changes right right to
sing that and that he sounds unhappy. Feel sad because
he did indeed lose the best friend he ever had.
And you believe it when he sings it. To be
believable in what you sing and not just nailing notes
(19:37):
those singers are few and far in between, and metal
in general, in modern metal in particular. Although you know,
I'll go back to my health forwards and my osborns
and stuff, and there I find it. But and I
just try really really really hard to get better at that.
(19:58):
And which was has been on a citing a challenge
for this album, I went off on attention.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
There, No, you're fine. That makes me, It makes me
even more excited for a new Avatar album, which I.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
Think are cool too. That or at least that tell me,
you know that's got no time for that.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
I'll say this. I mean, that's the thing about Avatar, right,
is the music, like the way you're you're talking about
ju just precing Black Sabbath in soul music, the way
that your voice incorporates, you know, within the music that
the band rights. You guys do have a very you know,
solid point there as far as it all works together
(20:37):
really well. And this, and I think Captain goes another
fine example of that. That album should be out later
this year. I'm just going to say that I'll leave
it there because we don't have a date yet. Uh
in the airway, you.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
Get angry if I tell you, But I know the
date and a great dates.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
It's a great date.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
I came into a room and saw the date. I said, wow,
that's great dates.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
There you go even better in the airwaves. Tour kicks
off in the States in November Headline two or Alien
Weaponry opening for that. Then you go to Europe and
your you're you're playing some dates with Metallica.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
Mm hmmm.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
This. I just talked to Sam from Architects about this
sort of that that you're at this level of band, right,
You're doing good, there's a career, there's a good fan base,
all of that. All of a sudden you get that
call to open from Metallica and it's like, yeah, another
level opens up. It's like the XP level went up twenty.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
Yeah, it's I think at this point because we have
there's something, there's something I want to go back to
Junior High and say nah to someone because within the
same twelve month period we get to open for our
maiden and Metallic Yeah, it's it's that's true, you know,
(21:55):
it's it's a bit ridiculous, and but that remain a thing.
We got to you the other year as we went
to Brazil for the first time, which is a very
cool way I'll go into a country for the first time.
You know, that's not usually what your first time looks like.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
South Americans love the Iron Maiden too.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
Yeah, no, that was really cool. But also but I
learned to make sure to I all that is being
said to because metallic case, the one you were talking about,
I'm really taking it all in and enjoying it as
a fan boy. I'm allowing myself now to just go
(22:35):
that's really really cool. Good you should and embrace and
embrace that, and to do that now because it's because
once there, I think there's a part. You know, then
you have to step up to the plate to use
your American sports talks. We say too, but we don't
know why, and then we go, oh, oh yeah baseball.
(22:59):
And to deliver that, I'll show you, Lars James, whatever
your names are that I haven't studied carefully through booklets
since I was a kid. You know, We'll get you
whatever where your mindset. You got to get in to
actually own claim ownership on a stage with which work
(23:22):
was hard enough with Our Maiden again, like like, this
is my show for thirty minutes, this is mine and
I go up, Oh, there's Eddie, that's so awesome. And
the Metallica's cases as far as I got, it's going
to be still the round stage and all of that.
It's going to be like, oh yeah, this is my stage,
built exactly to their specifications. Damn it.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
I'm going to stand on this.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
Yeah. So there's this just a challenge in it that
I that I look forward to, but also know that
it's there to you know, own it for whatever amount
of time. Get to be there, but out buntil then.
I mean, uh yeah, listening to right likening, it's pretty awesome,
you know, I remember, I remember to enjoy it.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
It's still awesome the same way it was when I
was a kid. Uh, Johanna Zeckerstorm from Avatar, dude, thank
you as always for time. You know, I greatly appreciate it.
I love you guys to death and I can't wait
to hear more new Avatar music. But in the meantime,
the new song Captain Goat is available now, and go
watch the video because it's it's kind of intense.
Speaker 1 (24:35):
Yeah, it is intense and also made made by us,
completely by hand, by people we work with, which it
feels important to say because people use AI so much
now so just.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
You know, because you guys have always done so good
with your with your music videos, and that's that's what
sort of started drawing you and that's where the legend started,
right for Avatar.
Speaker 1 (24:58):
Was the music certainly helped we start to really have
fun with that. And you know which we you know
it is Our best marketing trick has always been do
things you did and be passionate about it and treat
everything as art. So it helped us a lot to
love making our videos, that's for sure.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
I think that's a perfect way to end this conversation
with those words exactly. Yoh honest, thank you, my friend,
greatly appreciate it. Thank you soon. We'll see you soon.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
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