IT’S THE LONGEST TREK TO #1 IN 20 YEARS ON BILLBOARD’S MAINSTREAM ROCK CHART! NEW ALBUM DANCE DEVIL DANCE OUT NOW VIA BLACK WALTZ RECORDS, DISTRIBUTED BY THIRTY TIGERS HEADLINE TOUR KICKS OFF IN SEPTEMBER WITH KEY FESTIVAL APPEARANCES SUPPORTING IN THIS MOMENT + ICE NINE KILLS IN FALL 2023 IN U.S. SWEDISH FOSSIL NAMED AFTER BAND The heavy metal ‘n’ roll, dark, madcap visionaries collectively known as AVATAR — vocalist Johannes Eckerström, guitarists Jonas Jarlsby and Tim Öhrström, bassist Henrik Sandelin, and drummer John Alfredsson — are having a banner year in 2023, with lots of firsts! They’ve achieved their first #1 single “The Dirt I’m Buried In” from their magnum opus and ninth album, Dance Devil Dance, produced and mixed by Jay Ruston which was released in February. The track has surged itself to #1 on Mediabase’s Active Rock Chart. On Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Chart, the single rises to #1 on its 31st week, making it the longest trek to #1 in 20 years! Read more about it over at Billboard. “If you told the 16 year old me that we would hit the top of the U.S. radio charts, I’d ask you what you’re smoking. If you then would proceed to tell me that a fossil would be named after us, I’d ask you what you’re smoking, and if you could share. Hitting the charts was never a priority, but now that we’re here, I’m grateful. It shows the reach of what we’re doing and it is baffling. The fossil shows something else. That to me is a sign of people truly making our music a part of their lives. It’s a true honor. A beautiful gift. All we can say is thank you. We fully intend to keep earning your participation, over and over again,” says Eckerström. Another first — Avatar have been immortalized as a fossil from Southern Sweden; discovered by Dr. Ben Thuy, a paleontologist at the Luxembourg Natural History Museum. This fossil is now known as Ophiocoma avatar. Read below to learn a little more about the Avatar fossil. |