Avatar – Don’t Go In The Forest Tour 2026

Guest: Neckbreakker

Melodic Death Metal Mavericks Avatar Return to Germany: Live in Oberhausen, Ulm, and Frankfurt This December!

Pressrelease: May 22, 2026

Avatar explores the dark soul of alternative and melodic death metal—and has done so with consistent success for over 20 years. With their penultimate album, *Dance Devil Dance* (released in 2023), they taught Beelzebub how to dance; with their current album, *Don’t Go in the Forest*, they skillfully navigated the delicate balance between intricate rhythms and catchy choruses. Both approaches resonated with their global fanbase, who helped propel the albums to impressive chart positions in numerous countries. Equally successful were their extensive tours earlier this year—including five shows in Germany this past March—during which they filled their largest venues to date in many locations. Yet for the band, it has never been about chasing hits or mainstream success; far more important to the quintet—led by vocalist, keyboardist, and trumpeter Johannes Eckerström and guitarist/primary songwriter Jonas “Kungen” Jarlsby—is the continued evolution of their multifaceted metal sound. This was most recently demonstrated on *Don’t Go in the Forest*, which, alongside their signature metal ingredients, placed a heightened emphasis on melody.
The Gothenburg-based band, fronted by Johannes Eckerström, chose their name quite deliberately back in the day: an “avatar”—the manifestation of a divine being in human form—perfectly describes how the frontman and his bandmates perceive themselves. Since then, within their own heavy metal universe—transcending the boundaries of specific subgenres—Avatar has reigned supreme as dark visionaries: an act that consistently defies convention and offers up surprising new elements with every new album.
Founded 22 years ago under the name Lost Soul, Avatar made their debut under their current moniker in 2006 with the album *Thoughts of No Tomorrow*. Nine more studio albums followed at two-year intervals, accompanied by meteoric success that immediately transcended European borders. With their most recent albums, Avatar have increasingly—and with growing boldness and consistency—deconstructed their stylistic foundation in melodic death metal. While their eighth album, *Hunter Gatherer* (2020), emerged as their darkest release to date—featuring brooding, industrially-charged anthems exploring themes of human cruelty, contempt, and loss—their ninth, *Dance Devil Dance*, offered a hard-rock accessibility unlike any of its predecessors.
Their current—and now tenth—album, released last October, places dreams and their significance at its core; musically, according to Johannes Eckerström, this manifested in “the most rhythmically intricate yet simultaneously melodically catchy songs of our entire career.” As is always the case with Avatar, audiences can therefore look forward to their upcoming concerts with great anticipation. For their three German shows this December, Avatar will be joined by Danish death metal newcomers Neckbreakker—a band that impressed in 2024 with their abrasive debut album, *Within the Viscera*, and has since established a reputation as a ferocious live act that leaves no stone unturned.