Thoughts of No Tomorrow

Avatar plays a quirky, slightly rough style of melodic death metal on Thoughts of No Tomorrow. This is Gothenburg-inspired stuff, but a bit rougher, harsher, and less refined.

Avatar's singer is gruffness personified, with a solid roar. The lead guitars add plenty of melody and are nicely done. We've got lots of bouncy rhythms and repeated guitar riffs. This is charming, catchy, punchy stuff (but not at the level of Anders shouting "Jump! Jump! Jump!", mind you; this is modestly bouncy, and only in a good way). It gave me the sense that the band is having fun with this album and I can't help but smile as I headbang to the music.

To be honest, I have to admit that there's not much here that you haven't heard before. The musicianship is rock-solid but nothing unique. The musical elements and song writing are pretty much standard melodeath. So this album is only recommended for diehard fans of melodeath who can't get enough of that genre -- but if you do fall into that category, this album might be a hit.

The album starts out with the sound of people chatting, as if we are at an intimate cafe or a small local theater. Then the lead singer taps his water glass with his fork, clears his throat (ahem), and the band launches right into a chunky slab of death metal. Cool beginning.

Favorite song: "War Song" has got to be the archetype of this album. It's got the bouncy feeling, the kick-butt guitars, and the gruff singing about the insanity of war. In the middle of the song, the guitars take a short instrumental section, and then out of nowhere, the singer interjects "ruff!" (at 1:01) -- yes, "ruff", the sound a dog makes, but growled in a death metal style -- followed immediately by a brief guitar solo that just slays. I suspect this is probably a case of misheard lyrics, but I swear it sounds just like a dog bark, and every time I hear it makes me smile: it's too funny, and plus when I hear it, I know it's about to be followed by a great guitar solo. Somehow, for me, this captures what the album is like: standard, well-executed melodeath, with an occasional touch of personality here and there that makes you smile.

Avatar's sound reminds me strongly of Lost Eden (though Avatar have no synths and are a bit bouncier). Other similar bands include Raintime or Lothlorien (again, without the keyboards, but the bouncy melodeath feeling is similar). This album might also be a hit for fans of Blood Stain Child or Eternal Oath's Righteous album. Maybe the best way to see for yourself what Avatar sounds like is to check out Avatar's web page (http://www.avatar.net/media/music/music.html): they have several songs available in full and clips from all of the others.

Overall, this is a really good first full-length from Avatar. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the rest of their work.