AVATARIUM To Release Second Album In October

AVATARIUM, the Swedish metal project whose recording lineup includes Leif Edling, founding bassist and main songwriter of Swedish doom metal legends CANDLEMASS, has entered the studio to begin recording its sophomore album for an October release via Nuclear Blast.

To celebrate the as-yet-untitled CD's arrival, AVATARIUM will embark on a European headlining tour with support support from their Islandic labelmates THE VINTAGE CARAVAN. Opening the trek will be SPIDERS.

Comments AVATARIUM guitarist Marcus Jidell: "The last six months we have been writing, rehearsing, demoing and now we finally started the recordings for our next album.

"We're all super excited about the new songs and since the album will be released in October, what could be a better way to celebrate then to go on tour right after!

"AVATARIUM loves to play live. We always try to make every evening special and to blend the vibe of the '70s with the heavy sound of today. Also, we are very happy to be touring with two great bands, THE VINTAGE CARAVAN and SPIDERS."

The dates are as follows:

Nov. 18 - DK - Lyngby - Templet
Nov. 19 - D - Hamburg - Klubsen
Nov. 20 - D - Essen - Turock
Nov. 21 - NL - Eindhoven - Speedfest
Nov. 22 - UK - London - Underworld
Nov. 23 - D - Frankfurt - Das Bett
Nov. 24 – CH - Pratteln - Z-7
Nov. 25 - D - Munich - Backstage
Nov. 26 - D - Leipzig - Moritzbastei
Nov. 27 - A - Wien - Szene
Nov. 28 - A - Innsbruck - Weekender
Nov. 29 - D - Berlin - Bi-Nuu

In a recent interview with Markus' Heavy Music Blog, Jidell stated about AVATARIUM's musical direction: "We all have a few bands in common that we like. But we also want to bring in our personalities into the music. The songs need to be 'us.' But it's also the way Leif writes the songs. He's thinking about my way of playing guitar and also about Jennie-Ann's [Smith] vocals. He is thinking about how I could continue working on the songs and how Jennie-Ann could. Leif is a very clever songwriter. Another thing is the fact that Jennie-Ann puts so much effort and energy into the vocals. She wants those to become her own. She tries to put all the feelings and emotions into the songs."

Asked if he is feeling any pressure trying to follow up AVATARIUM's 2013 self-titled debut, Jidell said: "I don't think like that. Of course there is a certain pressure if you get such a great response, but we try to focus in what we want to do. We try to be as good as we can while staying honest to ourselves and our music. Our aim is to do another great album followed by another great album and to be able to tour in between."

AVATARIUM released a vinyl/digital-only EP, "All I Want", on November 14, 2014 via Nuclear Blast.

Due to his health condition, Edling was unable to perform with AVATARIUM at the band's recent gigs. Filling in for him was Anders Iwers from TIAMAT.

AVATARIUM's self-titled debut album was released in Europe on November 1, 2013 via Nuclear Blast.