Avatar

Avatar began in 2001 under the name Lost Soul, started by drummer John Alfredsson and vocalist Christian Rimmi. The lineup went through several early changes before settling around Johannes Eckerström, and the band eventually took its current name and stabilised in Gothenburg, where the theatrical identity that defines them today took shape.

The band's sound started in the melodic death metal tradition of their home city before opening out into groove metal and avant-garde territory. Later records lean on circus and carnival imagery, mixing heavy riffing with vaudevillian flourishes and clean-sung passages, all staged around Eckerström's costumed ringmaster persona.

Avatar have released ten studio albums, the most recent being Don't Go in the Forest, out in October 2025. Black Waltz, from 2012, marked the first appearance of the Clown face paint Eckerström now wears regularly on stage and in artwork.

The band has found real traction on US rock radio, with 'The Dirt I'm Buried In' reaching number one in August 2023 after the longest climb to the top of that chart in twenty years. Early international deals, including releases through Sony Music in Germany and Switzerland and Art Union in Japan, helped build the touring profile that has kept them working steadily outside Sweden ever since.