Released 10 years ago
Feathers & Flesh
Avatar · 2016
67 min · 16 tracks · melodic death metal
A theatrical blend of melodic death metal, heavy orchestration, and narrative storytelling that immerses listeners in a fantastical world.
Top tracks — play these first
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House of Eternal Hunt — This track features intricate guitar work and an epic narrative structure that highlights the album's overarching themes of survival and nature's brutality.
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For the Swarm — With its aggressive sound and catchy chorus, this song encapsulates the album's exploration of collective identity and instinctual behavior.
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Pray the Sun Away — This track combines haunting melodies with powerful lyrics about desperation and hope, representing a pivotal emotional moment within the album's storyline.
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When the Snow Lies Red — This song contrasts serene instrumentation with dark lyrical themes, showcasing Avatar's ability to create tension through musical dynamics and storytelling.
Elevation
Our rating, out of 100 — and why.
AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.
The album's narrative and orchestral elements create a unique experience within melodic death metal.
What we noticed
- The album features a narrative structure, with tracks that flow into one another to tell a cohesive story.
- Several tracks incorporate orchestral elements, enhancing the theatricality of the music and creating a rich soundscape.
- The use of contrasting vocal styles, including clean singing and growls, adds dynamic variation throughout the record.
- The final track is an acoustic piece that serves as a reflective conclusion to the preceding heavy material.
- Composition 25% of the score
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7/10
- Craft 20% of the score
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8/10
- Durability 25% of the score
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6/10
- Distinctiveness 18% of the score
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7/10
- Sequencing 12% of the score
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8/10
the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics
production, performance, arrangement
whether it rewards returning to it
whether it sounds like itself
running order, pacing, length
Known within its scene. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.
Is this for you?
Good fit if you like
- theatrical storytelling with intensity
- dynamic journey of peaks
- immersive waves of emotion
- late-night reflective listening
- engaging narrative-driven experience
Maybe skip if you
- prefer straightforward, quick tracks
- avoid complex, layered compositions
Where this album fits
- Career context
- Feathers & Flesh is Avatar's fifth studio album, released at a time when they were transitioning from underground favorites to mainstream recognition. Following their 2014 album, Hail the Apocalypse, this release solidified their unique blend of theatricality and metal, showcasing their ambition to create concept-driven works.
- Stylistic neighbors
- In Flames· Dark Tranquillity· Soilwork
Tracklist
Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.
- 1 Regret 2:01
- 2 House of Eternal Hunt 4:58
- 3 The Eagle Has Landed 5:01
- 4 New Land 4:31
- 5 Tooth, Beak & Claw 4:25
- 6 For the Swarm 1:54
- 7 Fiddler’s Farewell 4:57
- 8 One More Hill 4:13
- 9 Black Waters 5:38
- 10 Night Never Ending 3:32
- 11 Pray the Sun Away 5:30
- 12 When the Snow Lies Red 5:16
- 13 Raven Wine 4:37
- 14 Sky Burial 6:54
- 15 I’ve Got Something in My Front Pocket for You 1:17
- 16 Det är alldeles försent 3:08
Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata
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