Album review: Avatar – Don’t Go In The Forest

Avatar’s 10th album begins with a tin whistle. Its opening track, Tonight We Must Be Warriors, is exactly the salvo you’d expect from a song with that title – rousing and rowdy, not to mention vaguely familiar if you’ve ever heard the famous American Civil War song, When Johnny Comes Marching Home (you definitely have). It’s the sound of Avatar declaring war on restraint – and their assault ramps up from there.

Avatar’s biggest accomplishment, fun tunes aside, is the deftness with which they walk the line between power and preposterousness. Look no further than Captain Goat, a sea shanty saltier than a slice of festival pizza and hammier than Nicolas Cage playing a Shakespearian pig. It's delightful.

‘Don’t go in the forest,’ sings Johannes Eckerström on the title-track, ‘I don’t know the way out.’ While some could argue these Swedes have face-painted themselves into a creative cul de sac, given their adherence to their brand of sonic revelry, their second biggest accomplishment is their ability to find and explore new avenues for their adventures. This time around, it’s with more serious fare. Take Devil And Glitz, adding conceptual depth to its wonky romp, focusing on our morbid fascination with death and emotional detachment from it in the age of social media.

Admittedly, there’s the very occasional misfire, such as the dawdling Howling At The Waves, which swaps the mojo for the maudlin. But there are more than enough galvanising moments of magic to make this another journey worth taking, and enough good tunes to power Avatar’s luminous live shows.

Verdict: 4/5

For fans of: Ghost, Bloodywood, Rob Zombie

Don’t Go In The Forest is out on 31 October via Black Waltz