AVATAR: IN THE AIRWAVES USA 2025 TOUR WITH SPECIAL GUESTS ALIEN WEAPONRY and SPIRITWORLD

Photos Harold Mountain, Words Harold Mountain/Jo Anna Jackson
7 hours ago
3 min read

Talk about a stacked lineup for this show! AVATAR returned to Vegas and on this trip they brought two bands I have been highly anticipating seeing - ALIEN WEAPONRY and hometown favs SPIRITWORLD. For a busy Saturday night the Vegas local metalheads turned out in force, packing the Brooklyn Bowl with a long line an hour before the doors even opened.

Kicking off the evening was SPIRITWORLD, and when the band hit the stage I thought it was already December and the Rodeo was in town. Their sound is described by lead vocalist Stu Folsom is “death western” (Also the name of their 2nd album release) and they dressed in colorful western outfits embroidered with skulls and cactus and vines. These guys are sooooo metal it makes you question what you are actually seeing. Spiritworld came out hard with “Relic of Damnation” followed by a fav of mine “Waiting On the Reaper”Another great song (and killer video) was “Unholy Passages”, just a great vibe and thrash metal set.

Spiritworld thanked the crowd for coming out, and all their family and friends for making this hometown show special. The band is touring in support of the latest CD, HELLDORADO which is the name of the long-running rodeo held here in Vegas since forever. I loved this band, and you can catch everything SPIRITWORLD HERE.

All the way from a small town called Waipu, New Zealand was ALIEN WEAPONRY, and I have seen some amazing bands from New Zealand the past few years and this band ranks right up there as one of the best. The band is very tribal, with brothers Lewis Raharuhi de Jong (vocals, guitar) and Henry Te Reiwhati de Jong (drums) along with bassist Tūranga Morgan-Edmonds and have roots in the Maori culture, and their music reflects this - with a hard and heavy viewpoint.

Alien Weaponry played a short but powerpacked set, with cuts from new album Te Rā, released earlier this year on Napalm Records, including “tanhiwa”, a song collabortaion with Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe. Check out more on the new record and the band HERE.

Now it was time for the return to Vegas of one of my favorite live bands, AVATAR. Avatar snaked onstage in heavy fog and dim blue lights, on a rolling platform with singer Johannes Eckerstrom wearing a floor length hooded robe and carrying a lantern. The band took their places and launched into new single “Captain Goat”, from their new album Don't Go In The Forest, and the show was on. Johannes with circus style facepaint asked the crowd if they were having fun yet, and to "give me your horns, before the pummeling of “Silence in the Age Of Apes” and the crowd went wild.

The set included quite a few songs from the new record, along with true Avatar faves. One of my favorite parts of their show is when guitarist Jonas "Kungen" Jarlsby comes out on a king's throne, dressed in a red kings robe and wearing a crown, and plays “Glory to Our King” and “ Legend of the King”, and you get to witness what a talented guitarist Jonas is. In the middle of their set the band took a break and Johannes lowered the lights and played “Howling at the Waves” and “Tower”, that gives you a real sense of what a fantastic vocalist he is - more than just a metal screamer.

Avatar concluded the set with newest anthemic single "Tonight They Must Be Warriors" before they returned for an encore of “Dance Devil Dance”, “Smells Like A Freakshow” finale favorite “Hail the Apocalypse" to roars. An incredible night with three killer bands.

This Swedish traveling horror show has put out a total of ten albums, including their current Don’t Go In the Forest on Black Waltz Records, that was just released on Halloween - how fitting. One of the singles off that CD is “In the Airwaves” has been described as the band going back to their beginnings, and Avatar has once again given the fans a great new record, and a 2025 tour to take it all in. The In The Airwaves Tour continues through mid- December, check out the new record and tour dates near you HERE.