“I’m mentally prepared for this strange thing that is to release an album, because release also means to let go.”<\/p>\n
Johannes Eckerstr\u00f6m<\/a> joined Loudwire Nights<\/a><\/em> on Thursday (Oct. 30) to dive into Avatar<\/a>‘s 10th studio album, Don’t Go In the Forest<\/em><\/a>. Listen to the full conversation in the player near the end of this article.<\/p>\n “You write things, it’s deeply personal every time,” Eckerstr\u00f6m shared with host Chuck Armstrong<\/a>.<\/p>\n “Even when it’s not personal, it’s personal … This is meant to be shared, this is meant for interaction, this is meant for interpretation.”<\/p>\n Eckerstr\u00f6m admitted he hadn’t thought much about the significance of this new album being Avatar’s 10th, but on the eve of its release, it was clear it was settling in.<\/p>\n “It’s such a huge part of how we write,” Eckerstr\u00f6m explained.<\/p>\n “No other album exists before it and, more importantly, there’s no album after it. It’s the last album. Every album has been the last album \u2014 if you had one more album to record, what do you really want to do now?”<\/p>\n As deeply connected as Eckerstr\u00f6m and his bandmates are to each and every record they’ve created, the frontman said it always feels good to get to the point of giving the albums to the fans.<\/p>\n “The word ‘release’ as an album release, it has that meaning of also letting go,” he said.<\/p>\n “Starting to talk about it, making it real \u2014 the fact that people who aren’t in our bubble have heard it and say, ‘I like this song’…there’s absolutely something to it.”<\/p>\n With Don’t Go In the Forest<\/em> in the hands of fans, Eckerstr\u00f6m will be busy as Avatar tour the country. Even so, he told the Loudwire Nights<\/em><\/a> audience that he’s looking forward to relaxing a bit \u2014 at least when it comes to writing.<\/p>\n “As far as the songwriting goes, I look forward to be a bit bored with what we did,” he said with a smile on his face.<\/p>\n “[It] sounds weird, but it’s like with Dance Devil Dance<\/em> … Because I was pleased with it, here comes the letting go part and that’s, ‘Okay, I’m bored. Next.’ I imagine if I would have felt that we failed to some degree in achieving what we set out to do, I don’t think I would get to be bored with it.”<\/p>\n Fortunately, Eckerstr\u00f6m isn’t worried about feeling like Avatar failed on Don’t Go In the Forest<\/em>.<\/p>\n READ MORE:\u00a05 Songs That Scared Avatar’s Johannes Eckerstrom as a Kid<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n “I feel like, once again, with this album, we achieved something,” he said.<\/p>\n “Every time, you need to be able to answer the question, ‘Why is it important? Why do we make another album?’ … It has to be something that could only be made now.”<\/p>\n Johannes Eckerstr\u00f6m joined\u00a0<\/em>Loudwire Nights on Thursday, Oct. 30;\u00a0the show replays online here<\/a>, and you can tune in live every weeknight at 7PM ET<\/a> or on the Loudwire app<\/a>; you can also see if the show is available on your local radio station<\/a>\u00a0and listen to interviews on-demand<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The bands that are touring in 2025, who is opening and how to get tickets.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Lauryn Schaffner<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"Loudwire](\"https:\/\/townsquare.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/loudwire.png?w=100\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\nThe Weight of\u00a0Avatar’s 10th Album<\/h3>\n
Johannes Eckerstr\u00f6m Is Looking Forward to Being Bored<\/h3>\n
What Else Did Avatar’s Johannes Eckerstr\u00f6m Discuss on Loudwire Nights<\/em>?<\/h3>\n
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Listen to the Full Interview\u00a0in the Podcast Player Below<\/h3>\n
2025 Rock + Metal Tour Guide<\/h2>\n