Avatar vocalist Johannes Eckerström recently shared his perspective on how people misunderstand metal music’s true nature. He offered insights into what the genre really represents in an interview with Kerrang!.
Eckerström addressed the common misconceptions about metal music. He explained how the genre’s dark exterior masks its actually uplifting qualities for those who truly understand it.
“Metal can be very dark and very aggressive, it can sound evil and brutal, and if you aren’t into it, it can seem totally dark if you’re experiencing it for the first time,” Eckerström said. “But for people like us, people who live with the music, all that stuff is part of it, and the music actually becomes very uplifting. It’s exciting and empowering.”
The vocalist further illustrated this paradox by pointing to how metal fans can simultaneously enjoy themselves while engaging with deeply serious subject matter.
“It’s bizarre when you think about it. You go to see Metallica, and it’s in some huge stadium, you’re with your friends, and you’ve got one of those cardboard things that holds five beers at once,” he continued. “But then they play One, and you’re going crazy to it, while also completely understanding that it’s about a guy with no arms, no legs, stuck in a bed and he wants to die. Other genres are usually not like this.”
Eckerström’s insights reflect his extensive experience in the metal scene. He has shaped Avatar’s unique theatrical approach over more than a decade of evolution.
Miss Mephistopheles reported that Avatar’s transformation into their current theatrical style began with their 2012 album Black Waltz. This album introduced Eckerström’s distinctive ringmaster aesthetic that blends corpse paint with clown imagery. This marked a significant departure from their earlier melodic death metal roots. It established the visual identity that would become synonymous with the band.
The band’s formation traces back to Eckerström’s teenage years, when metal’s transformative power first captured his imagination. Give Me Metal documented that he joined forces with drummer John Alfredsson and guitarist Jonas Jarlsby after Metallica’s Load and Reload albums inspired them to start the band when they were just 14 and 15 years old. This early exposure to Metallica’s ability to blend heavy music with accessible elements would later influence Avatar’s own approach to making metal both theatrical and emotionally resonant.
Iron Maiden also played a crucial role in shaping the band’s understanding of metal’s theatrical potential. Loudwire noted that the young musicians traveled to see Iron Maiden perform when they were 16 and 17 years old. This experience occurred before their first out-of-town gig. This early exposure to one of metal’s most theatrical acts helped establish their belief that metal could be both heavy and entertaining, serious and uplifting.
Avatar’s evolution from a teenage metal band to theatrical performers demonstrates how the genre’s apparent contradictions can coexist. Their journey from melodic death metal to their current circus-inspired aesthetic reflects the same duality Eckerström describes in his recent comments about metal’s misunderstood nature.
