When Avatar announced their “Chimp Mosh Pit Tour”, we immediately checked to see if there was an Oklahoma City date, and lucky for us, there was. We try to never miss Avatar when they come to town, and this stop was no exceptions.
For this tour, the band brought along the bands The Native Howl, and Orbit Culture. We have never seen either of those bands, so we knew we were in for a treat. We just didn’t know how big of a treat these bands actually ended up being.
The Native Howl is a four-piece band from Leonard, Michigan. Their music has been described as a blend of bluegrass and thrash metal, using guitar, banjo, bass, and drums. Then I saw that these guys won Season One of Hit Parader’s music talent show “No Cover”, and I knew I had the see what they were all about. With this win, they also received a contract with Sumerian Records. This band is full of energy, and fun to watch. They are a perfect addition to an Avatar tour, as the crowd absolutely loved them. I can’t wait to see what else this band accomplishes in the future. They are a force to be reckoned with.
Next up was the Swedish melodic death metal band Orbit Culture. This band hails from Eksjo, Sweden and formed in 2013. This band took the stage with one purpose, and that was to melt faces. This task was more than accomplished. Orbit Culture had the mosh pit going, and the fans sweaty from throwing down hard. They gave the fans an amazing set that set the mood for their fellow Swedes, Avatar!!
It was the time of the evening everyone had been waiting for. The one and only Avatar was set to take the stage. And they did just that in theatrical, energetic, and dramatic fashion of course. If you have been to an Avatar show, you know to expect exceptional theatrics, along with a few unexpected surprises along the way. Avatar is a band that does an amazing job of taking you on a full-circle ride throughout a single show. This night was no exception. There are few bands able to pull off the things I have seen Avatar pull off.
Playing for almost two hours, Avatar threw everything they have at their fans, both figuratively and literally. Whether it was Johannes surprisingly popping up in the center of the crowd to play the trombone during “Puppet Show”, after he made a blue balloon into a dog, or him sitting down at the piano to beautifully sing “Tower”. Johannes is one of the best front men in the business. And the fans love this!!
Avatar is one of those bands that you just have to actually see live at least once…or six times, like I have. While their music is great and gets you pumped up, seeing their live show will blow your mind. These guys absolutely love what they do, and their chemistry on the stage is infectious. Head over to www.avatarmetal.com to keep up with all things Avatar.
