Call To Arms kicked off the night with six stomping tunes, five original songs and one one Korn cover. The band, from Ballymun, comprises of Dean Donnelly (Vocals), Daniel Tyrrell (Lead Guitar), Niall Ennis ( Rhythm Guitar), Alex Caffrey (Bass) and Ben Deane (Drums). They are reminiscent of metal greats Killswitch Engage, Lamb Of God, and Pantera.
They were really well received and were surely suited to support Avatar, structuring two walls of death during their short performance .
Their rendition of Right Now, from Korn‘s Look in the Mirror was surprisingly good. The song was almost unrecognizable as the singer’s voice is so unlike Davis’s, in its heaviness and rancor. For a fledgling band, they put on an amazing show with full crowd participation for several songs.
On to the main event. The atmosphere was electric, the crowd were becoming increasingly excited and finally Avatar appeared in all their vaudevillian glory. The band consists of ringmaster Johannes Michael Gustaf Eckerström (Vocals), John Alfredsson (Drums), Kungen (Guitars), Tim Öhrström (Guitars) and Henrik Sandelin (Bass). They hail from Göteborg, Sweden and formed in 2003. They recently released their fifth studio album Hail The Apocalypse and are on the European leg of their tour of the same name.
Avatar describe themselves collectively as a “dark, twisted circus sideshow” and that is exactly what we were lucky enough to witness. Their physical presence is mesmerizing and immediately reels you in. Their sound is a delicious mix of melodic death metal and hard rock, with nuances of Slipknot and System of a Down. The crowd still pumped from the support act were in full mosh mode by the end of Torn Apart, the first of several songs from their “Black Waltz” album. Romping through an impressive set list and after building up a comradery with the audience, Eckerström stopped to say ‘We see fellow metal heads in the crowd’ and, very seductively, ‘Dublin you are a dream come true’. Then he swigged God know’s what out of a gasoline can and continued to astound us with his alluring vocals accompanied magnificently by his equally talented band mates. The title song of the tour, “Hail the Apocalypse”, is an anthem for fans with the powerful lyrics, ‘All flesh is equal when burnt’.
Gloriously slaying an impressive fourteen songs, the encore was “Queen of Blades”, which the StarCraft fans had been screaming for all night. Seeing Avatar live is truly a spectacle to be witnessed and leaves you wanting to join their Circus.
Words – Louise Wood
