Black Waltz is the fourth studio album by Swedish heavy metal band Avatar, released on 25 January 2012. (In the US, it was released on 14 February 2012.)[1][2] It is the band's last album to feature long-time guitarist Simon Andersson, who left the band in February 2012 to focus on his studies.[3]
| Black Waltz | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 25 January 2012 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 54:48 | |||
| Label | Gain Music Entertainment | |||
| Producer | Tobias Lindell | |||
| Avatar chronology | ||||
| ||||
During the making of the "Black Waltz" music video, the band asked their makeup artist to come with something to make frontman Johannes Eckerström fit in with the characters, and she responded with the "Clown" face paint, which Eckerström is also seen wearing on the album cover. Eckerström has said, "... Something clicked... seeing that face, it awakened something that really wasn't there before; or was but was well hidden... Suddenly the music got its face."[4] He now regularly wears the face paint in music videos and band photo shoots, as well as during live shows.
In a French book collecting artists' speech about the Hellfest Open Air festival, Eckerström declared that "Black Waltz" almost was the band's last album, frustrated that they couldn't find their own way. The singer says "we decided to do a last effort, some sort of statement, to tell the world we were here, that we existed. As we were not awaiting anything from our career, we decided, for the first time, to make the album that represented us. We learned to write for ourselves, without caring about the opinion of anyone else. And this formula worked!" [5]
The album reached position 25 on the album list in Avatar's native Sweden.[6]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Let Us Die" | 4:12 |
| 2. | "Torn Apart" | 6:29 |
| 3. | "Ready for the Ride" | 3:14 |
| 4. | "Napalm" | 5:32 |
| 5. | "Black Waltz" | 5:58 |
| 6. | "Blod" | 3:34 |
| 7. | "Let It Burn" | 3:32 |
| 8. | "One Touch" | 4:17 |
| 9. | "Paint Me Red" | 4:27 |
| 10. | "Smells Like a Freakshow" | 4:53 |
| 11. | "Use Your Tongue" | 9:33 |
| Total length: | 54:48 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Dying to See You Dead" | 3:34 |
| 13. | "Smells Like a Freakshow (Radio Edit)" | 4:01 |
| 14. | "Smells Like a Freakshow (Walter Backlin Retro Mix)" | 4:30 |
| 15. | "Torn Apart (Live at Sticky Fingers)" | 6:58 |
| Total length: | 73:51 | |
Personnel
editAvatar
edit- Johannes Eckerström – lead vocals
- Jonas "Kungen" Jarlsby – guitar
- Tim Öhrström – guitar, backing vocals
- Henrik Sandelin – bass, backing vocals
- John Alfredsson – drums
Charts
edit| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[8] | 25 |
References
edit- ^ "CD Review". Metalholic. Archived from the original on 9 January 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
- ^ "Avatar 'Let It Burn' Song: The Swedes Take No Prisoners — Exclusive Premiere". Retrieved 9 May 2013.
- ^ "Simon leaves, This is Tim!". Avatar.net. Archived from the original on 13 May 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Interview: Avatar @ Hammerfest 2014. YouTube.
- ^ Hellfest, Le festival raconté par les groupes (Hellfest, the festival told by the bands), Cédric Sire and Isabelle Marcelly, Gründ, 2019
- ^ Veckolista Album – Vecka 5, 3 februari 2012 Archived 27 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 9 May 2013
- ^ "Avatar: Black Waltz (Deluxe Edition)". iTunes. 12 February 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Avatar – Black Waltz". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
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