Photos by Vito Ingerto
Twin Cities rock fans are in nirvana this week with visits by Guns N Roses and Judas Priest. You can add Avatar to that list, as they just strait up slayed the Fillmore Minneapolis Wednesday night. The Swedish rockers are out supporting their latest release Hunter Gatherer.
First up was Magic Sword. The trio from Iowa came out cloaked and masked. Their set was rock based electronica, kinda like later career Rush meets Daft Punk. There were obviously Magic Sword fans in the crowd, and even a few spinning glow sticks could be seen around the Fillmore.
As smoke fills the stage and “Buckner’s Symphony No 8” pours forth from the PA, Avatar marched on to the stage in formation and took their place front and center. Like sentinels with guitars on their shoulders instead of rifles, the band members surround The King, ready with muskets at dawn. The spotlight hits drummer John Alfredsson, standing at his kit, right up front, stage right. He pounds on his kit, calling his soldiers to battle like a 19th century militia member. The band kicks in with power chords and bass lines that hit you in the chest like cannon fire, and it is on. The packed Fillmore knows every word to the opener “Colossus”, and when it is done scream Colossus Arise! The band breaks their tight formation at the front of the stage and the head banging starts in full force for “Let It Burn” and doesn’t stop until the last notes of “Hail The Apocalypse”, the final song of the evening.
Alfredsson takes his place on the drum riser, and the swinging hair, dark riffs and power chords continue unabated for roughly 90 minutes. The twin guitar attacks of Jonas Jarlsby and Tim Ohrstrom brought fire to the stage, massive and heavy. The King took time out to acknowledge the crowd and get a group devil horns going. A good chunk of the Wednesdays set came from Hunter Gatherer, but they also dug deep into their catalog, including tracks from Hail The Apocalypse and Avatar.
Avatar brought the rock Wednesday night to compliment this weeks metal assault on the Twin Cities.