Monday 15 December 2014

Avatarium - All I Want EP (Review)


Album Type: EP
Date Released: 14/11/2014
Label:  Nuclear Blast

‘All I Want’ CD/DD/LP track listing:

1. All I want (3:55)
2. Deep Well (5:55)
3. Pandoras Egg (6:51)
4. Tides of Telepathy (8:01)
5. Bird of Prey (6:29)

Avatarium are:

Leif Edling | Bass
Marcus Jidell | Guitar
Lasse Sköld | Drums
Jennie-Ann Smith | Vocals
Carl Westholm | Keyboards

Review:

Avatarium came up with one of last year's most innovative (and best) doom albums with their S/T debut release (review here). They return with two new tracks- kicking off as the EP does with the title track which is almost... Maiden-esque?! Yep, mid paced and with a soaring vocal worthy of Dickinson himself. An unexpected and enjoyable start. ‘Deep Well’ offers up more traditional folk-ish doom, the pace is slow, the atmosphere rather creepy and the overall effect is quite stunning. Lovely keyboard work augmenting the thick riffing too.

There is a live version of ‘Pandora's Egg’ on offer here. It's raw and tight and loses none of the debut version's potency. ‘Tides of Telepathy’ is perhaps more notable as its haunting quality is sustained over the lengthy playing time. ‘Bird of Prey’ also gets the live treatment, firmly proving that the band can most definitely cut it in the live setting.

So, two new tracks and a trio of live versions is what you get. If you enjoyed the debut and are interested in seeing how the band has progressed then this is a must. Even bigger things can be expected from this quirky doom outfit- get in early and check them out.

Words by: Richard Maw

You can pick up a copy here

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