GIRL WITH THE RAVEN MASK

THIS is a game changer band. Many bands are operating in what is now a heavily overcrowded female fronted genre, you can divide the genres/subgenres until you get giddy in the head, but take it from somebody who has been into Heavy music since the mid sixties, the TRUE trailblazers get harder to find, and since I spend hundreds of bucks each month reading all the Euro Metal/Rock/Blues mags, I get to hear stuff via the free cd's/downloads. I only say this as a way of reinforcing my view of this band as being something special. So many babble about creating "atmosphere" that for me after over 50 years of listening and playing on a high level that I have to stifle a laugh, but THIS act HAVE gotten it right. This IS Heavy, but with that oh so elusive balance of light and shade that so many blither about, and yet FAIL to nail. Perhaps it's because of the CANDLEMASS connection, perhaps it's the truly unique voice/world view of vocalist Jennie- Smith, it's hard to put one's finger EXACTLY on it, and THAT alone tells me that this is unique, music now is VERY calculating, there's very little of that old "let fly and wail" attitude that marked the 60's and 70's, even though it seems that everybody and his dog are TRYING(and mostly FAILING) to n it. I think that one sadly lamented band that DID nail this value was THE DEVIL'S BLOOD, but AVATARIUM is right there, as are BLUES PILLS and a select few others, and it's the LADIES that are leading the way, METAL is perhaps the ONLY musical genre where gals can just flat out go for it without being programmed robots like EDM/DANCE or any other genre. So take it from a grizzled older Metal head, this is the total *&^%, it's great headphone music, I predict BIG things for JENNIE-ANN and the boys, this cuts through the dross like a diamond drill, it IS that good. As we used to say back in the day, "buy, or die!"

As hard as I thought it would be for them to follow up their masterful first disc, this one just picked up from there and floored it. Vocals are immaculate and Jennie-Ann Smith is one of those rare sort of subrosa talents that I wish had a lot more out there. Utterly fantastic and the music, from the incomparable Leif Edling, is as fitting and strong a statement as ever there was. One of the best discs put out by anyone.

A lot of people are not happy about this album because none of the songs sounds like Girl with the Raven Songs. Honestly, this is one of the best rock albums i heard in a while. It's not an easy listening. The songs don't have the typical structure. Verse / chorus / verse / chorus / middle / chorus. It's a beautiful combo of classic rock like Black Sabbath also has some doom influences some punk here and there. Great instrumentals, beautiful voice...perfect trip for me. Turn off the light and plug the earphones.

As many other reviews have stated there is a definite retro-Psychedelic Doom Metal vibe going on in this album, especially the presence of organ music buoying nearly every song, the poetic lyrics reminiscent of those long-gone, experimental, drug-induced songcraft hazes of yesteryear. Its all done well, with strong production sound and good musicianship, but it does not come across as original in any way, more like an homage to the band's favorite influences. I thoroughly enjoyed their eponymous debut album more than this second excursion, as it felt new and interesting and less of a rehash of past ideas. That is not to say this is irrelevant, as Avatarium is a talented group doing whatever they want, regardless of popular opinion. That, at least, is admirable. Honestly, however, in the future, if I feel the need for an Avatarium fix, I will grab their debut album first, over this new release, seven days a week. Solid work, just not amazing.

A superb hybrid of 60's era hippie vibe and the magnificent doom we have come to expect from Leif Edling. You feel like you have been transported back in time to about 1968 and I mean that in a great way. Think - Candlemass meets The Grateful Dead meets Steppenwolf and you might be close. A big shout out to Jennie-Ann Smith on vocals. Her voice has power yet has a sultry huskiness that again evokes the 1960's. Highly recommended.

Great album. Note that this edition DOES NOT have the Led Zeppelin cover track as a hidden track, with some other editions do.

Love the title track! This cd was not what I expected from the driving force in Candlemass.

Finally, the wait is OVER with the arrival of Avatarium's "Raven Mask". The follow up to G&R's "Appetite for Destruction", purity, dynamics, mind blowing ROCK at the apex, rarely achieved or heard. Expect to the core, to be thrown down, spun around, shaked & nailed. OMG! A number one contender for revitalizing ROCK as WE knew it! Do you feel?

Bereits das erste Album von Avatarium hat mich fasziniert. Deshalb war ich mehr als gespannt auf diese Album. Die EP All I want und das Titellied haben mich skeptisch gemacht, ob die schwermütige Magie des Debütalbums aufgegeben wurde und mehr auf Eingägikeit gesetzt wird. Ja und Nein! Eingägig? Sind wirklich einige Songs. Aber überhaupt nicht langweilig, da die Band und die Klasse Produktion es Schaffen alles mit Leben zu Füllen. Und hier sind selbst die einfacheren Songs so mit Emotionen und musikalischen Verziehrungen versehen, dass es mich packt. Die Schwermut ist auch noch da. Und diese erzeugt eine Stimmung die Besonders ist. Auch dank der Sängerin, die so viel Gefühl in ihre Stimme legt, dass es schwer ist cool zu bleiben. Den Musikern gelingt übrigens ähnliches. Dieses Album reißt einen mit, holt einen wieder runter, drückt einen unter Wasser, Schmeist einen auf den Boden, bringt einen zum Heulen. Und genau das ist es doch was ich von Musik erwarte. Mitreißen, Gefühle, Unterhaltung. Deshalb 5 Sterne.

Este segundo albúm, personalmente me parece el mejor. En mi opinión supera al disco de debut que también es muy bueno. Grandísima voz de Jennie-Ann Smith. No es una banda de masas, pero tienen una grandísima calidad. Notabilísimo trabajo, con enormes temas.

Je confirme, EXCELLENT second album du groupe, DOOM METAL , influence Black Sabbath, comme l'était CANDLEMASS l'ancien groupe de Leif Eidling ( bassiste et compositeur) la chanteuse Charismatique Jenni-Ann ( quelle voix), une des plus belles actuellement bref à découvrir d'urgence j'adore

Poteva essere un disco migliore, manca di una buona registrazione... A momenti sembra che la musica abbia rumori di sottofondo e che sia storpiato. Per un gruppo che fa un genere non facile, dovrebbero prestare attenzione che venga curata la registrazione. Comunque mi piacciono meglio gli altri album che hanno fatto. A mio giudizio tre stelle e non di più

Avatarium’s self-titled debut album, released in 2013 was one of the best albums ever released in the doom metal genre in my humble opinion so naturally I was looking forward to The Girl With The Raven Mask. It certainly had a lot to live up to and wasn’t going to be easy to better it. Well, I guess Avatarium have done the smart thing and released an album that’s totally different. Their debut album was built on the incredibly heavy and powerful riffs of guitarist Marcus Jidell and the first thing you notice here is the keyboard work of Carl Westholm is much more prominent and on an equal footing to the guitars. These songs are still heavy though they take on a more retro vibe and the psych element is more evident. Another great thing about their debut was plenty of light and shade in the songs and that’s still the case here, if not more so, perfectly highlighted in two of the best tracks on the album, The January Sea and Pearl’s And Coffin’s, both of which feature early on after the opening title track which captures the band at their most commercial and accessible. The Girl With The Raven Mask is also an early indicator that the band won’t be restrained by the restrictions of the slow tempos associated with doom metal. One of the biggest revelations of their debut was the stunning vocal performance of then unknown Jennie-Ann Smith who not only has power but infuses each song with feeling and vocal dynamics. If anything, she is even better here having had time to develop her vocal skills out on the road no doubt. The band as a whole are on great form and all turn in strong performances as you’d expect from such seasoned pros. There’s no denying the quality of this album and I take my hat off to Avatarium for not repeating the same formula as their debut. I think I prefer the debut slightly over this one, partly down to a couple of tracks that aren’t quite on the same level, Iron Mule being the weakest, though in a lesser band would still be a triumph. This is a minor quibble though and such is the quality of TGWTRM it’s going to be in my top 10 albums of the year barring an unlikely late rush of strong albums I’ve yet to hear. Doom metal purists are also likely to prefer the first album but anyone with an open mind for heavy music in general will almost certainly be impressed by this excellent album.