Avatar – Don’t Go in the Forest 2026
Avatar
Don’t go in the forest is a warning said by others, heeded as a challenge for a certain kind of freak who just can’t fight the urge to seek truth and feel alive. It is a collection of strange tunes emerging from a circus tent in a meadow in a faraway valley. You can only ever get there by accident, walking a path impossible to remember and map out. Two eyes closed, one eye open.
Formed by John Alfredsson and Jonas Jarlsby as teenagers, soon joined by Johannes Eckerström, Henrik Sandelin and Simon Andersson, Avatar started an evolution that would see a group always looking to connect what you hear with what you see. Once Andersson left and Tim Öhrström joined, they had all the ingredients to a brew so potent it would forge their names into the souls of millions. More than a band, Avatar has evolved to concept art. In order to keep going with the same drive as they had on day one, they make sure that what is made must be done. Every single time must matter more than ever before. No matter how far they get, they are sworn to remain underdogs. There is so much to do, to try. So many ways to rediscover the simple yet sublime power hidden inside an electric guitar.
Fleshgod Apocalypse
Italian Symphonic Death Metal maestros 𝗙𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗛𝗚𝗢𝗗 𝗔𝗣𝗢𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗬𝗣𝗦𝗘 are finally back with their brand new, 6th album titled 𝙊𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙖, a gut-wrenching musical journey inspired by the tragic mountain climbing accident occurred to their frontman and mastermind 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗼 𝗣𝗮𝗼𝗹𝗶, in 2021. Due out 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟯𝗿𝗱 via Nuclear Blast Records, the whole album is structured like a 10-act theatrical piece, as the title itself, “Opera”, draws a clear thread with the everlasting tradition of Italian classical music theater combining it with the epic brutality of death and symphonic metal. Mixed and mastered by Grammy-nominated producer 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗼𝗯 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗻 (Epica, Arch Enemy), Opera definitely marks another step forward for the band, incorporating new suggestions into that unique blend that 𝗙𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗛𝗚𝗢𝗗 𝗔𝗣𝗢𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗬𝗣𝗦𝗘 are renowned for: sheer violence, majestic orchestrations and soaring melodies. Such an ambitious endeavor called for an equally impressive artwork, a team effort between two arising Italian talents (artist extraordinaire 𝗙𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗮 𝗙𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗶 and visionary photographer 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗼 𝗘𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗼), following the path traced by baroque painters. With this new record, 𝗙𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗛𝗚𝗢𝗗 𝗔𝗣𝗢𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗬𝗣𝗦𝗘 are setting the bar even higher than before, pioneering what looks like a completely new sub-genre that might be called “𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗹”: an unprecedented mix of extreme music and theatrical elements.
Frozen Soul
FROZEN SOUL’s brand of straightforward, in-your-face death metal is a gasp of fresh air in a genre that’s stretched the very limits of technicality. Fully formed in 2018, the quintet has rapidly made a name for itself and churned the underground with a sound that evokes the old school sound of bands like Obituary, Mortician and Bolt Thrower.