BANG! BANG! Interview : AVATAR

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Banger bang, bang. [00:00:05] Speaker B: Bang, bang. Don't go in the forest. Johannes. Hello. How are you? [00:00:37] Speaker A: I'm really great. I love when you're on a show like this where the intro is in a language you don't really understand. Do you remember Lost in Translation with Bill Murray? And he's on the Japanese game show and just is dragged in like, hey. So that immediately made me extremely happy about being here. The French intro. And also, I'm sorry, I think it's out of frame, but I really love the way the posters are there behind you. It looks like Fred Durst is in the foreground of that picture, meaning that he's the lead singer of Nirvana. And that also makes me very happy. So I'm doing great. Thank you. How are you? Good, good. [00:01:12] Speaker C: You did a new about this? [00:01:13] Speaker A: No, my bootleg collection is incomplete, I guess. [00:01:21] Speaker B: So. We usually ask to our international guests what Paris and France means to them. To you. [00:01:28] Speaker A: It means a lot, I think, for the band. Our whole taking over of Europe really started here for us. So this is the place where we was the first country where you can really in Europe, where for us we could extend a tour outside of, you know, because you come here, you do Paris, Lyon, Paris, Lyon, Paris, Leon. Strasbourg, Paris, Leon, Paris, Paris, Paris, Lyon, Strasbourg Festival and start over. But here, you know, we've been in all this. We did an 11 dates, sold out tour all over France last year in a way that is. Was unique to us, you know. So that says something about our relationship to the audience. For me personally especially, I'm a Paris head. I'm a. I can never pronounce the film's name in French, but you know that Amelie movie from back in the day. Now yesterday I arrived here from Amsterdam on train and just getting off at the train station that you see a lot in the movie because she goes out, see her dad and everything. I felt like a manic pixie dream girl, skipping and jumping. And then, you know, all year my press guys saw me like, hey, man. No, but I've been here a lot in my own free time and of course also went to Disneyland and I saw Donald Duck and I cried. So France is giving me a lot. [00:02:56] Speaker B: Avatar is really important. Today is an essential group band. Today you're releasing your. Your 10th album, don't go in the Forest. But before going into detail, I'd like to ask you some questions yourself. Have you always been immersed in music since your childhood? [00:03:14] Speaker A: Yeah, I would say so. None of my parents play music like. I mean, mom played the, you know, the recorder when she was a kid or whatnot. But it was very much, they very much enjoyed music. And when I was probably four or something, they bought the electric piano. And me and my older siblings, we start to get lessons when we were little. But even before the lessons it stood there and I. I remember going up to it and kind of with two fingers to play with it and already I played a C and an E together. And in hindsight there was a major third and if I move the hands like this, this to the B and the F, you know, and that, that was something I was drawn to. And I didn't, of course not didn't know what, what it was. But it, it was something about going back and forth and now I know it's. It's the tonic and the dominant, you know. So being drawn to it and playing with it already as a kid and, and because I was in a. They played a lot of classical music. I also around the same age would pretend that I was a conductor. I stood in a chair and weighed with a spoon listening to Beethoven and. And then whatever music they were into. I much so the Beatles and the Kings, like dad's stuff. I was a huge fan of all and drawn to way before metal because metal. I guess I was around 12 or something when that happened. But I was already well on my way with music in general with the piano and the trombone and then at some point finally the guitar. And so it happened very organically. [00:04:58] Speaker B: And what happened in your body? What do you feel when you, you do this music when you were so young? You feel something special. You feel like you were special. [00:05:07] Speaker C: It was just fun or it was making you feeling something when being that young. [00:05:11] Speaker A: I don't know. Like what do you feel when you're that young? It's. It's playing, you know. But I guess that's the thing that it was a way to play as a kid. Meaning that if your Turtles Ninja Turtles or the piano was kind of the same. So it's. You know, it triggered imaginations and you know, I still play the piano, but I don't sound like one of those. When you say he started when he was 5, you have that. That's not me. I'm not that good at all. But that being said early on I took to it quickly that it came without much struggle, you know. So I guess I just felt connected with it. It felt always became a natural part and a no brainer, you know that of course I want to do this and. But it was also as. Because it Was so immediately accessible. It wasn't like dreaming of music. It was always there for me to grab on to. So, yeah, natural. [00:06:08] Speaker B: I guess that's a chance. [00:06:09] Speaker C: You say you still play piano as you were when you were a kid? As you. Are you still playing with your Ninja Turtle too? [00:06:19] Speaker A: I'm sad to say no. [00:06:23] Speaker C: Maybe some of your fans can bring you some new ones, so. [00:06:26] Speaker A: Oh, now you said that. Now I'm gonna have. That has happened before. No, no, I don't play with Ninja Turtles, but I certainly. I don't know. We played Dungeons and Dragons on the road. So, you know, so that was actually. You don't have time when you headline and you know, when we were off with Iron Maiden. Now also you do all these other things, but sometimes when you open for bands, you know, you're done early, the crew is done early and. And I just remember other crew members coming into a dressing room where the lead singer, me, is being a Dungeon Master and bought donuts for everyone. And you have this. You can do this. Is this allowed? [00:07:13] Speaker B: You know. [00:07:15] Speaker A: So that form, there's definitely. I don't know, the whole metal thing in a way, right. You're part of. You will always be that boy who thought it was so cool, you know. [00:07:25] Speaker B: And do you remember the first song? The first metal song you hear, you heard. [00:07:31] Speaker A: There are a couple of ones that you know that is significant. It's a bit spread out. I remember first time hearing Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath because there was a childhood friend of mine, his parents who were more into, you know, hard rock, the 70s, you know, when they grew up, they were a bit younger than my parents. So I got Beatles at home and from there we got, I don't know, CC Top and stuff. And that friend, they gave him the Osman Comet. So that compilation album from the 90s and the first track was demo version of Black Sabbath. Oh, so extra strange and raw and almost off putting when I was little. But it awakened something, you know, it's creepy. So I remember that distinctly and. But then my older brother got into metal a bit, you know, typical older brother that you get the music from. And I remember hearing Valhalla by Blank Guardian being played from his room. And I guess that might have been the first thing. And then we would have like a LAN party computers at our place with the neighboring kids bringing their computers over. And it was perfect. They're playing Warcraft too, but turning off that sound and instead playing Blind Guardian. It was imaginations from the other side that of course also that kind of fantasy Vibe. And again, I'm around 12, so fantasy stuff is extra awesome. And the orcs and elves killing each other and that, you know, that whole fantasy world side of that style of music. And finally the big thing, because then I finally wanted to borrow a CD and really listen to it by myself. And he, like, you start with this. And it was keeper of the Seven Keys Part 2. And hearing that one was like, okay, that's it. I'm not cutting my hair anymore. So, like that. Yeah. Eagle fly free, I feel like, is where it's really fall. It wasn't the first first, but it was that at this moment. Yeah, yeah, that's. I. That sealed my fate. Like, that is. I'm sorry, Mom. You know, like, this is happening. That's kind of the trip I'm still on. [00:09:53] Speaker C: Why. Why did this song make an album? Make a change? Made a change. Is that because you felt something that you never felt before? Or it's like going further? Like you did a new. It could go this way. And you're like, okay. [00:10:08] Speaker A: I think the feeling was. And I. I still with. Especially with, you know, speed metal. Yeah. Whether it's on the more, you know, thrashy or brutal side of things or, you know, the more melodic power metal stuff, there's a part of it where. Where. Where you feel like you're flying. And I think because I was 12, was fairly young, so that the imagination it triggered, as it is also at an age where, you know, discovered Tolkien and all those kind of things. Yeah, exactly. So in being the perfect age for being swept away to another world and that the music did that. And then, of course, shortly after discovering black metal, death metal, the more extreme and all of those, you know, pulled you in, into these different worlds. And that is still big part of my songwriting today. Or to understand if I like the riffs we're working on. It's still kind of what the music did to me with power metal. But also hearing Black Sabbath, first of all, because it's all about Black Sabbath. It's all about. You come up with a riff. But the riff is never better than the groove. Meaning you have to understand what the drums should do. Iron man, best riff ever. You know, this fair is one of those that you can say that, but if it would have been. That's not the best riff ever. That's the best riff ever. And. And what happens when you find the right groove to a riff, to me, is then the movies start in the head because you get some atmosphere and you take you somewhere and. And it can be all kinds of. Depends on the music. Can be whatever. But when I start to visualize things the way I did as a kid hearing about, you know, heroes killing the dragon or whatever, the trip started there. [00:12:03] Speaker B: Wow. [00:12:04] Speaker C: Cool. [00:12:04] Speaker B: And from the beginning, Avatar changed. Like, music's changed. Sometimes you used to try things and explore. Explore. And more in the music than in the lyrics. No, since the beginning. The lyrics are since you were there. [00:12:21] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:12:21] Speaker A: I mean. I mean, I think it all. Because we still change all the time. I think because that's a really rich music. Thank you. And I think because, for instance, one guy that I am a lifelong fan of is Devin Townsend. And one of the things that makes that you can be a lifelong fan is I feel, because whatever he puts out right now always is this very honest reflection of where he is right now. [00:12:51] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:12:51] Speaker A: That he never did the thing. It's really true. [00:12:53] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:12:54] Speaker A: Never did the Motley Crue thing about. Okay, we sang about strippers and booze when we were 20. So now we have to sing about strippers and Booze when we're 200. And it just doesn't. And it feels sad, you know, but what. In the case of an artist like Devin Townsend, it's like there's always a chance that his best album ever is in front of him, because it's always something else connected to who he is. And we think the same way that the most honest thing we could do at any given time is to do exactly what we feel is the most important thing. And that goes for both music and lyrics and then the whole expression of the thing. So we've done ultra serious albums, we've done comedy albums, We've done whatever felt the most important at the time. [00:13:45] Speaker B: Cool. And I just want to try to. To name the. The kind of music you do. [00:13:52] Speaker A: Yeah. Good luck. [00:13:53] Speaker C: I think it's quite hard. [00:13:54] Speaker B: I was just like, oh, I can't say the name. Death metal, metalcore, emo. With the new album, we can fill emo things. And, I mean, I don't know. What can you say about it? [00:14:04] Speaker A: It's always. Yeah. From the inside. It's even harder because I say heavy metal. Yeah. But the big umbrella term for heavy metal, because again, we toured with Halloween and we kind of fit in. We toured with Obituary. We kind of fit in. [00:14:22] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:14:23] Speaker A: So, you know, because when we started the band, what we all was the most we were into together more than anything would be technical death metal and melodic death metal, you know, and more than any other thing, probably we shared the haunted. So that is when we learned to play, when we played covers before we started to write songs, we played in Flames and Cannibal Corpse. And we played. I also played Pushed By Halloween, but then we played. Yeah. The Hate Song by the Haunted. You're like the list of the songs we chose to learn together in the beginning, that kind of becomes part of your DNA. Where your fingers go once you start writing so early on, that's kind of at the gates, haunted riffing. That so much of it is that one guitar is kind of rhythm and lead at the same time. You know, that you have the melody and then the rhythms in there. And it's very busy style of playing that was a huge influence over the years. Then we started to reintegrate our love for classic heavy metal. The Judas Priest, the. The Purple, the. You know, all those things as well. And then anything and everything we got into. Because again, I played a piano as a little kid. I played the trombone. I was in a big band. So you can, you know, we. We won't do. We're not a jazz band. But I like watching those YouTube essays about some music, theoretical phenomena in jazz music, and go, I'll take some of that thing and put it into what we do, right? So it comes a bit from all over the place. And we don't worry about what is the Avatar sound, you know, because we also think like this, being huge Beatles fans, Please please me. Sounds like the Beatles come together. Sounds like the Beatles. A lot of stuff happen in between. And I think the secret is because I do think that we sound like ourselves all the time. And the whole thing is the job description with Avatar is we want to write and perform our own material. That's, you know, that's the beginning of it. So it's. We came up with it and we play it, and then we want to take that as far as we can. Once we have done that in a way where we remain friends, but because it's us always, you know, we are stuck with ourselves. So, yeah, we might be talented enough to do a lot of different things, but I don't think we're talented enough to sound like anybody else. You sound like yourself. [00:17:05] Speaker C: That's good. [00:17:05] Speaker A: So I think like that. Then we don't really worry about where it comes from. You know, it's a filter of that we actually play with our actual bodies, you know, comes through. Our fingers come through. I mean, the shape of my jaw means that I sound in a certain way. The size of my nose and the cavities in here. So I can Only sound like me no matter if I try new cool techniques or new approaches. [00:17:34] Speaker C: I was wondering coming from such a. Like the technical death metal scene, which is really sometimes a bit strict or narrow and opening to new style, new stuff. You've been through a lot of things and a lot of more fantasy, more theatrical. Did you always felt free to go wherever you wanted or you were kind of scared or how did you open to all these things? Like not thinking about it or just. [00:18:10] Speaker A: I think in part we were always. Because, you know, it's normal. Like if you are a bit of an odd different kid, it's kind of. That's the reason you're drawn to metal to begin with. [00:18:22] Speaker C: Yep. [00:18:23] Speaker A: And so a bit of that was natural to just. And still with enough good sense of self and confidence where you. We felt good about. Pretty good about being ourselves. But it was certainly. The big change probably happened on our third album where a lot of the classic heavy metal and me start to try to work a more melodic singing happened and it was as much what that world would think. But it did get. That album was tainted by us hoping that someone would like it. And that was a weird way of working that we didn't know better at the time. But it's like so like, oh, how should we do this part? Well, what would people like? And that's a stupid ass question to ask. Which we learned. By the time of the fourth album, Blackwalls, we were in a place emotionally, you know, mentally where we thought maybe the band is over. As a matter of fact we went writing new music. We had a particularly bad day. I was sitting writing something, coming up with something and then at the end John comes and I played from the. You know, play the song and it's crap, it's really bad. Let's go and get drunk. So we went out for beers and we felt so old. I remember I was 24, but being 24, the quarter life crisis, that has a word. Because I think when you're 24, that's the age when some of your friends or people you know have. If they went early to the university, then they're done. And you see people then who they get a real job and their car works and they wear a tie and they seem well put together and going somewhere because our path requires sacrifice. And that was the first time I think you saw what you actually sacrificed and it was like. So we kind of started talking about what would you do if we didn't do the band? I think maybe I would do this. And we kind of split up for 5, 10, 15 minutes. Because then we're sitting there. Then we're sitting there quietly. And there was a song that ended up being ultimately a bonus track on Black Walls, Dying to See youe Dead. But we had that riff. And I don't remember if it was me or John who said it first, because both were thinking it. One said that, well, it would be a damn shame if we didn't finish that song. And he said, I was thinking the same reunion. So we had, after being apart for so long, 15 minutes, we had a reunion party and Mobius. Yeah, exactly. But also. Then. Okay, but then it. This is our last album. You know, if it doesn't go anywhere, so be it. But then what do we want to do? If this is our last album, what do we really want to do? And that changed everything. Finally, that maturity. Like, it's one of the. Because I think it's normal that, you know, you fall in love with the music, you learn to play a bit of guitar, and you and your friends start a band. But not everyone was really into it, but maybe two of you were. So the band splits up, and then there was another band, same situation, one town over, one street over, and you formed a band, and then that's the band. And Avatar did that, but with the same guys. So we went through all these changes because also our first album came out. We were 18 and 19 years old. [00:22:12] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:22:12] Speaker A: So we started so young. So it became the rebirth of Avatar that then every album ever since is our last album, where at some point it gets mixed, it gets mastered, and then I sit by myself and listen through it after everything is said and done and kind of go, if this were to be the last album, am I okay with it? What if everybody hates it? Do I care? No, not really. Okay, good. We did the thing. We have to live with this. Everyone else can say that kind of sucked and move on to the next thing. We can't. So that approach has been there ever since. And that, combined with that Devin Townsend like, philosophy of honest, be where you are at, that then feeds into this constant change and do whatever the hell we want. And then we trust that we sound like ourselves because we are ourselves. And that comes with a level, I think, of honesty and a chance to be. To innovate, a chance to do something special that then it shows, I think, in our audience that also they have learned to be excited together with us, that, hey, we're on this trip together. Let's see where it takes us every time. And I think if you like Avatar, you like that about us. [00:23:33] Speaker C: It's a healthy way of thinking. [00:23:35] Speaker B: I don't think many bands thinking like this. [00:23:37] Speaker A: No, I think there are a bunch. I do believe there are a bunch. And you can tell when things happen. Like an example from this country, I feel a band that moves forward. What they do is Gojira, for instance. And I think, I mean. And some people might prefer the more progressive, pure death metal things in me. And that's fine. We all like the different, different sodas, you know, like. And therefore you like what you like. But. But I also have. They have grown tremendously thanks to that. They have evolved. And I like. I love these later albums, Hogira specifically because I'm such a groove nut. And I think to think grooviness in a type of metal that has touches of progressive, touches of the extreme, but not lose yourself in the minimum part of it, but to really open up to that. You nod your head and you lift heavy shits. Thanks to that is that momentum, you know, and that they evolve and all that. And that has rewarded them tremendously, obviously. So there are bands like that out there. [00:24:44] Speaker C: I think also having the finding audience that follows you album after album, you feel more and more free to propose new things. [00:24:54] Speaker A: And because now we, you know, even if each album is different, the part of it, the fact of things being different. They have learned that because we did Avatar country, like Jonas is a King and we did a comedy album, basically. But then we thought, okay, we did one comedy. We hate comedy now. We wanted to hunt together. I'm pissed, you know, so. And. And they were in for it. And then of course, some people is like. Some people might miss the light hearted, the playfulness of that. And some people said, oh, finally they're back to just yelling at me, you know. And that's. That's. That part is fine, of course, but there's always that, you know, trip then let. And it's exciting for us to see what's next. And that makes us want to continue. Also. [00:25:40] Speaker B: It's less boring. [00:25:42] Speaker A: Yeah. At least the way we operate. I want to, you know, I want to learn something every album on a personal level in the writing, of course. What you write about, what you think about to make. To have songwriting as an art form to express yourself and work through things. So learn something on that personal level is great. But also just as a musician to learn some new tricks, to try to record things we haven't recorded in that way before. The learning through your art. And I think that's One of the most valuable things also if you just do it as a. As a hobby, right, that go by going through a process of creating something, even if it's just for yourself. There's discovery in that that I think is valuable. Whether you get to make a living being in a band or not, that's secondary. [00:26:40] Speaker B: And how do you write lyrics? How do you choose the themes? Do you close your eyes? Do you dream? Do you imagine things? Story, theatrically different things? [00:26:51] Speaker A: It depends a bit from song to song. This album Don't Go in the Forest, one big experiment that kind of shaped at least half of the album was that I started to say trust what's beautiful in a sense of. Because it always has started with again, groove plus riff creates atmosphere. Moving your head kind of that it's like, oh, this sounds like this makes me feel. And it connects with something that was going on, you know, in life or whatever. And. But what would happen in the past is if you think of that, all ideas start in a little bit of an abstract place. So I imagine that I would dive into a lake, swim to the bottom, and you find something in the mud and you swim up to shore and you look, what is this? What does this mean? What can I make with this? And try to make something concrete out of it. And that means that maybe, you know, you go for a walk, you see something and you, huh. You write down two lines of lyrics, a thing that rhymes and like, okay, what is this? What can I make? And then you try to lay the puzzle of the rest of the song. This time I. I didn't ask myself what it is. I just kept going like, this seems right. So letting the subconscious find its way through. Through the lyrics more. And then afterwards, you know, when it's done, you kind of look like, oh, yeah, okay. Like so. So not trying to control it as much then a couple of the songs still come, came with more specific ideas. Like Tonight We Must Be Warriors. I wanted to give the left a man of war song. Basically in the sense of going back to all those power metal years when I was younger and everything. A lot of medieval stuff, a lot of fancy stuff, so a lot of mighty kings and those things. But me here and now, I can write. If it's not Jonas, who is the king, because if Jonas is the king, like an Avatar country, then it's me singing a lot of songs about me loving one of my best friends. Then I can sing about a king. And also it's comedy, so I can play with it. But if I want to get real and something that moves me and hopefully moves others. I don't believe in authoritarian forms of government. I don't want a king. You know, I left Sweden, I'm moving Finland. I like the idea republics, you know, so no kings. And also the term warrior. It feels great to say warrior when in a metal song, but if I sing about war, which I certainly can, and you can even sing about heroism in war, but I can't glorify the war or the warrior itself because what I first think about next to courage is tragedy and sacrifice and loss of human life and ptsd. And so it's hard to say, yeah, warriors, but tonight we must be warriors to have the thing we are forced to be out of necessity in order to do the right thing. And it's we, meaning we need to come together. And it's like once you, you think you're alone and you see the problems or. And you go through the way you go through life, but then you discover there's more of you and there's more and you come together and you start to become a problem. That part of the lyric, and that then means basically you can come together at a workplace and start a union and go out on strike, you know, and whatever. So I get to use that heavy metal language to tell people to unionize, but with a metal marching panache to it. So that one had a real plan, you know, and what's the another one would be on this one? Death and glitz. That also. It bothered me for the longest time the way, you know, true crime podcasts and documentaries and, and it's always a young beautiful girl who's murdered and, and, and people, we fucking love it. Love, love the dead girl. You know, like it's. Everyone sits and watch that. That hot chick that is just kidnapped. And it's something perverse with it. There's something. I don't know. When men watch it, I'm thinking it's either, you know, that you hate women or, or, or you insert yours. You get to fantasize about her freely because she's dead. So she can be both a whore and the Madonna. She can be everything if, if she was alive and you. And like it's weird projection. And if a woman watches it, maybe there's self insertion in it. How, how. Because everybody loves her and misses her, you know, and, and these weird, weird things that happens that basically we love it when death has a nice set of tits and it's up. That's a problem. But it's also completely normal. Because then everybody sits there and watched the murder porn, you know, and it's so normal. And, and, and in every home and in the night, you know, you sit up and it's like decapitated. And a bird in a well and a popcorn. And after, let's cuddle, you know, watch this woman be dismembered. That I find is more sicker than any horror movie. Because horror movies are full of empathy. Or any good horror movie, because we only get really scared if we care. The secret to a good horror movie is that we. Oh no, he's in danger. But if we don't give a fuck, then it's like his head flew off, you know. But good horror, we care. That's when we get scared. So. But this is something else. We don't watch true crumb to be scared. It's a interesting mystery and you know, always like. And she went hiking with her boyfriend and only he came back and like. Yeah. And she's hot, you know, so that's death and glitz. For instance. Instance. So some concrete ideas, some subconscious, some. On this album, for the first time, really utilizing stuff I had dreamed. You know, going to that place and about the. [00:33:22] Speaker B: The theatre way of making music on stage with the makeup and everything. Is that easier to. For you to. [00:33:31] Speaker C: To. [00:33:31] Speaker B: To explain things, to express? Maybe strong themes. [00:33:38] Speaker A: Yeah. No, but. Yeah. The thing is, the reason I think why it works for us is because at the end of the day, and I know it doesn't look like it when we sit in a talk like this, but I'm playing myself. I don't play a character. I feel it's more. [00:34:01] Speaker B: It's more you. [00:34:02] Speaker A: Yeah. But also an opportunity to express sides of me, of course, and let loose. And then of course emphasize. And it's yourself, but dialed up and exaggerated and, and channeling this music, that is one aspect of who you are. But to me, I always thought that, you know, if you have. You have. You have your job and your free time and your family, which might mean, okay, it's Friday morning, you're at the office and you like your job and things, so you. So you're okay with that. But. But you behave in a certain way. You have your professional side, and that's you. Your professional you is you. You know, you wear a tie, you ironed your shirt, you do your job. Maybe it's on computers, you like programming, you know, and that's you. But then on Saturday maybe you like to go on clubbing. So you, you do you drink shots out of someone's belly button and you rave all night, you know, out in the woods somewhere, you know. [00:35:02] Speaker C: No, don't go in the woods. [00:35:04] Speaker A: No, but that's the point. You totally should go to the forest, you know, you should totally go in the forest. That's kind of. When someone says don't go in the forest, you're thinking, I'm totally going in the forest. But this, but that is also you. And you didn't lie at work. You like your programming, you know, suit, you took the classes because you're into the computer shit. But then you're also into the rave and you wake up without your clothes in the mud and you had a great time. And then on Sunday you go to grandma and have dinner. But it's Sunday, it's still you. So it's just forum opportunity and also embracing all, all the sides, all the sides of you, I guess. And I have a very unique opportunity to number one, because I'm there writing music to get a lot of shit out of me. But then also the live performance where I get to connect with people and express and get them getting to use our music to express themselves and we make this connection together. Which is of course a very heightened version of that. But still me, I'm not a good actor, but I'm a good performer. And so I perform, but I don't act. [00:36:22] Speaker B: What, what does mean forest for this album? It means that you choose to. To understand yourself or things. The violent place of you or things like this. [00:36:32] Speaker A: Yeah, that's part of. I think you can say that about heavy metal in general, because heavy metal is really weird when you think about it. No, but because heavy metal is powerful, exciting, uplifting, you know, going to a metal show, fist in the air, you know, you're in the stadium, it's Metallica playing, you have a beer, you go woo. But then they play one which is about a man with no arms and no legs stuck in a bed and he wants to die. And that's metal. And that's certainly what we do too. And that's, you know, the beauty again, why a certain type of kid is attracted to the dark stuff, you know, because you explore that. But they're also uplifted by the music and that's that weird connection like. So, so again with this album, so much about the subconscious, but in as in different ways throughout the album, throughout the years. I mean, we, you know, you find those forbidden doors in your mind and in your thinking and feeling and you open and you look what's inside and you use your Art, your music, to kind of explore and express that. And so that's the idea of don't go in the forest. No, maybe you should go in the forest. Maybe you go through something in your adult life where you don't feel fulfilled and you've hurt and you deal with something, and maybe there's. Maybe you go through therapy and you'd start to realize that something happened to you as a kid that you don't want to really deal with. But then when you start dealing with it, you have a chance to conquer your fears, to heal, to develop the tools to move on and grow as a person and be in a better place in life because you went in the forest. And then there's also the societal taboo idea that don't go in the forest can also mean don't eat the forbidden fruit. But in that story, I'm Team Snake, because I feel all these men in Eve's life that told her what to do all the time. And then this sweet snake came and, like, you know, there's something up here. Have this, you know, and. And that was knowledge. So totally go in the forest. And then. Then there is something about the theatrical side, the aesthetic side of Avatar, and again, metal in general. The idea. I see a little movie in my head, and I see it directed by David lynch, basically. So it's kind of like in Twin Peaks, outside of the forest, outside of the town, in the woods is the entrance to the Black Lodge and all that. So our version of that, the idea of that you are lost in a forest, it's dark and cold, you're wet and tired and scared, and in the night, and you see off in the distance, you see light between the trees. And when you get closer, you hear the music. And there in the middle of nowhere, there's a little circus tent that shouldn't be there, but it is. And music comes from within, and you walk inside, and that's that Avatar world, you know? So for all these reasons, don't go in the forest. It's named the way it is. [00:39:38] Speaker C: I want to see this movie. [00:39:39] Speaker A: Yeah, pay us. [00:39:43] Speaker C: Sorry. [00:39:46] Speaker A: We can afford about three to four minutes at a time. So we make music videos. [00:39:51] Speaker C: Okay. So instead of the. The Ninja Turtle action figures, just give them money so they can do the movie. [00:39:58] Speaker A: Exactly. Yeah. [00:39:59] Speaker B: It's better. [00:40:00] Speaker C: Yeah. Because crowdfunding. [00:40:01] Speaker A: People have given all kinds of nice gifts, usually art, you know, to us that they have drawn and stuff. And sometimes, I don't know, someone in the band posted on Instagram about, I like this cigar and Then he got boxes of cigars the entire tour. And like, and, and. And I posted something about pineapples and people came with pineapples. So if people want a great gift to give us would be to finance all the movies we want to make. [00:40:34] Speaker C: That would be great. [00:40:35] Speaker A: Instead of leaving a pineapple outside of the bus, leave a. Leave a bag with, we'll take it. [00:40:44] Speaker B: So that's why I'm going. I'm going to talk about solidarity. The album is about this too. Because you talk about, like, we used to say, where do people like us? We used to think that we are strange, that we are different. Maybe we're not like the other ones. [00:40:59] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:40:59] Speaker B: And you talk to them, you say, you, you. You're okay, that's okay. Everything's okay. We're together and we don't care. Don't give a shit about this. [00:41:08] Speaker A: No, exactly. You know, because there's a certain age where most kids, where it's hard for many to be different because it's, you know, part of. I mean, it's children's psychology, really, because we grew up being very attached to parents. And then in different phases, right, we're supposed to distance ourselves and find our independence and be really annoying when we're 2 years old and 6 years old. And then puberty and you're supposed to free yourself from your parents in this coffee and you start to build your own little tribes and stuff and it starts to get coded. You're supposed to fit in. Everybody cuts the hair the same and all that. And some of us sucked at that part initially, that we couldn't quite. Yeah, but that's dumb. And then I think you're dumb. And you struggle a bit until you really find the other outsiders that didn't fit in either. And then you cannot fit in together. And then when you get a bit older already or still in your teens, but a few years deeper, approaching adulthood, and you go, thank fuck I was different. Thank. Look what that brings you in life. If you just survive that initial shock of like, oh, this was hard, and you managed to stand your ground and you will find your home eventually. And if you're an interesting person, you get an interesting life, I guess, and. And metal attracts a lot of that. [00:42:34] Speaker B: That's true. And with this album, I just want to say congratulations, because he's really nice, Rich, he's really amazing. We've got all the feelings we can have during the life. Maybe that's the story from the beginning to the end of the album. Because you say warriors at the beginning and at the end, we. We can see the light. That's why you said. And thank you. Thank you. Because we don't. We're not used to listen to this kind of music. But this album is amazing because we just like, oh, wow. We're into it. [00:43:02] Speaker A: So I appreciate that a lot. Thank you. [00:43:04] Speaker C: And what is crazy, it's really rich. There's a lot of things going on, but it's so easy to listen to. So that's. That's a performance because it's not. Some people could be lost. [00:43:17] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:43:17] Speaker C: With the. [00:43:18] Speaker A: Yeah. There's certainly a problem in. Because at times we. Again, the technical death metal. Right. We like the. And those things and we like when it goes fast and we like when stuff happens. But I think there's always a risk in. When you work in that world of metal where you can. Instead of it feeling like a song, it feels like it's a bunch of stuff happening. And I guess the secret is to find, you know, you can use fancy words like motif. [00:43:47] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:43:47] Speaker A: About like, what actually binds it together. What is this journey about? To make it crazy to kind of. Yeah. So. Yeah. So, okay. Crazy stuff is happening. But I'm gonna take you by the hand because I want to show you the crazy stuff happening so that you can. Of whatever you feel that you spend some time on, maybe at least giving people the chance to feel something similar when they hear it. [00:44:11] Speaker B: And with this album, we can feel. I feel something really special. I feel that you are. That's the day you feel okay with yourself. We feel. We feel okay with your friends from the band. Everybody's just. I can feel you're happy. [00:44:24] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:44:24] Speaker B: You're just like, okay, this is. That right now we can be free. We can totally be free. We can do whatever we want. And. And we are happy. [00:44:32] Speaker A: Yeah. You know, especially now we run. We do it on our own label. So we didn't really let labels bother us in the past either, to be honest. But now more than ever, it's our thing that we're doing. And yeah, Avatar has been around for a long time because we started so young and we. That means we grew up together. We. We did puberty together and we stayed friends. Then we were in our 20s together. And young men in their 20s are immortal. So the decadence and the madness of all. All that. And now whatever is happening now, we're also going through this together. So we have. The band has survived and grown with all these different phases of our lives. And I think that is, again, the thing that most important to us is that we are doing this. [00:45:23] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:45:24] Speaker B: And congrats. Thank you also. Thank you. Thank you so much. You're going to do the Zenith in Paris. This is a really huge place. Venue. I think you're happy also. [00:45:35] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, Very much so. I mean, here's some wood. I hope we sell some tickets. We seem to be doing all right. We got time. No, we were there. We opened for Aven Semifall in there in 2013, which was again, the big turning point for us in this city and in this country. That it's kind of. Yeah, it was a special night and we've been on that kind of journey ever since. So it will be a bit of a full circle moment to go. To go on that stage again. But this time we play as long as we want. [00:46:11] Speaker C: Was that still a curfew bell? [00:46:14] Speaker A: Yeah, I didn't say as long as we want. We also want to be done at some point. You get tired. Two hours is sufficient usually. Yeah, that's pretty long. [00:46:23] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:46:24] Speaker A: I mean, it's not Springsteen. We'll get there. Over the years we work our way there, but. No, no but. But it's an intense two hours. [00:46:32] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:46:33] Speaker C: Yeah. You have to. To write some more mellow songs if you want to play longer in the future. [00:46:40] Speaker A: Exactly. You know, and. And more. So we toured with Iron Maiden. Right. And. And I realized because in so many of their songs, they have two minute guitar solos. Genius. So like that he got especially, you know, towards the second half of the set, especially because I did like Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner and all these epics and how he could just, you know, off for a while. So I realized as a singer, I'm gonna write more instrumental music. It's your problem because also we have so 30 years. We've done the opposite so much where we kind of cut things out because we want. We'll like that intensity. We like to the point. And you know, and that's fine when you do it on the computer with your demos. And then you go in the studio and, okay, you sing the verse, you take a break, you sing the chorus, and then you can kind of do it. And then you start rehearsing to play live. And it's like, I'm such an idiot. I'm such an idiot. So do you have those songs that become exhausting? Because I. Yeah, I sing a lot. I just forget. I also need to breathe. So in the future we will adjust. And then the concerts can be really long, but they can be miserable. And I can be back there having you Know, having my little breaks and then we can play three hours because I added 50 minutes of guitars. [00:48:07] Speaker C: Maybe you could have dancers that come on stage and do like a 15 minute break and. [00:48:11] Speaker B: Well, yeah, but that's always a problem. [00:48:15] Speaker A: If you want to see the Avatar had more dancers on stage. Leave a bag of cash outside of the bus, because we would love that. [00:48:24] Speaker B: Wow. [00:48:26] Speaker C: Even. Even big bags, right? [00:48:27] Speaker A: Like, yeah, really big bags. And preferably, you know, with some good receipt and stuff so we can tax it so it's over the table, you know, like, I don't want to get in trouble or. Gold. Yeah, I'm good at gold. So we also. Yeah, exactly. Smart. [00:48:46] Speaker B: I'm gonna say something in French, but it's gonna be amazing. Of course. At the zenith. Because Avatar is always. [00:48:59] Speaker A: That's the plan. Yeah. [00:49:00] Speaker B: And you're gonna see something really special. So just buy the tickets right now. [00:49:05] Speaker C: Don't wait. [00:49:05] Speaker B: Don't wait. Don't forget that it's important for the bands and for every music and artistic things. [00:49:11] Speaker A: And my dogs need to eat. [00:49:12] Speaker B: You know I love animals. [00:49:15] Speaker A: Yeah, exactly. If you don't buy a ticket, my dogs. Wait, do you hate dogs? No. I know. I've been around Paris. I've been around France. I know you love dogs. Buy a ticket. [00:49:29] Speaker B: You say that because there's malt poo on the street. [00:49:33] Speaker A: Yeah. And start picking up your shit. [00:49:39] Speaker B: So. So thank you. Thank you for everything. Thank you for this interview. Thank you for your time for being there in our studio. Thank you. It's really amazing. And congrats again for the. The album. Just listen to it, put it on your favorite thing on your favorite streaming platform and be, of course, be present, be there at the gigs. So that's the most important thing. And buy merchandising. Of course. [00:50:02] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. Yes. [00:50:04] Speaker C: And don't forget the bag of gold. [00:50:06] Speaker A: Bag of gold. And think of the dogs. [00:50:09] Speaker B: Thank you. Congrats. [00:50:10] Speaker A: Thank you very much. [00:50:11] Speaker B: Bye. Chronic Somatno Desponib Servo Platform. The podcast. Prefer Spotify, Dessert Apple, Amazon, Nezitepa, Vuzabone.