AVATAR Shares Lyric Video For New Song 'Valley Of Disease'

Swedish metallers AVATAR have released a new song, "Valley Of Disease". The track is taken from the band's upcoming album which was recently recorded and mixed for an early 2023 release.

AVATAR vocalist Johannes Eckerström comments on "Valley Of Disease": "There is a sickness, a stranger, and a harmful way. A twisted landscape untouched by the sun. I leave the rest up to either you or me, but never both at the same time. You can only enter this place alone, and my path isn't yours. Your secret is safe with me, but so is mine."

Last year, AVATAR announced its signing to Thirty Tigers and the launch of its own Black Waltz Records imprint. In addition, Eckerström and his bandmates unleashed four new songs which, according to the group, represent a taste of things to come.

AVATAR's ninth studio album was once again produced by Jay Ruston, who previously mixed 2014's "Hail The Apocalypse" and produced 2018's "Avatar Country" and 2020's "Hunter Gatherer".

Last month, Eckerström told TotalRock about AVATAR's upcoming LP: "The short version is we will make you see the devil, and we will make you dance. You've heard every band say it's their best album yet. This is our best album yet.

"My best thing to liken it to is [JUDAS PRIEST's] 'British Steel' in the sense of that… JUDAS PRIEST were always great, and before 'British Steel' you had 'Killing Machine', you had 'Sad Wings Of Destiny' and all this, but they were a great heavy metal band, a great rock and roll band, a great prog band at times and kind of eclectic. And then with 'British Steel' I find they really got laser focused, cut off the fat. And we're focused on what we feel right now metal needs — this very pompous but yet…

"Honestly, I feel like we have to save heavy metal," he continued. "Because either people are lost in the past… They did it better than we will ever do what they do. Don't do that. What's next? What's next for us? And do that without disappearing up your own asses completely.

"When people end up doing metal that is best enjoyed while sitting down and shutting up, you miss the point," Johannes added. "Metal is the music that you move to — in the pit, banging your head, dancing around, whatever, lifting weights, drinking too much, getting pregnant, impregnating someone, doing things. It's music to move with. You have drums in the band; why would you have drums if you don't move?

"We look a lot to the masters — that is wisdom from MOTÖRHEAD, from JUDAS PRIEST, from a lot of things — but then just… yeah, that, but not that. They did that. We're now and what's next with that. Where can we try to help bring it? And that is this album."

AVATAR enjoyed quite a productive summer, traipsing North America on a successful headline tour. They next embarked on some of the biggest shows of the career — a trek with IRON MAIDEN, supporting the band in stadiums in Brazil. AVATAR also played arenas supporting SABATON. They secured slots at major festivals globally — Inkcarceration, Summer Breeze and Bloodstock Open Air, among others.