Even if the more flamboyant extremes of metal tend to play better on an arena or stadium stage, it’s always nice to see a band trying their hardest with it wherever they go. Avatar have it baked into their DNA, the long-running Swedish melodeath institution where the image of frontman Johannes Eckerström’s creepy clown character is probably better known than the actual music. (The full get-up doesn’t make an appearance tonight until partway through but oh well.)
Nevertheless, it makes for a terrific show, wherever it might be. Manchester’s Academy is hardly the most lavish of spaces, but the commanding presence of Avatar can do a great deal. The same goes for their tourmates, both of whom draw from very different places in metal’s larger-than-life pantheon—Māori thrashers Alien Weaponry, and the most SEO-ready name in black-metal, Witch Club Satan. Will Robinson headed over to catch it all.
Witch Club Satan
Alien Weaponry
Avatar
Photos by Will Robinson (Instagram)
