Heavy metal band Avatar brought their Dance Devil Dance tour to the Roxian for the final show before heading back to Europe. With sounds of groove and melodic death metal, Avatar have solidified themselves as one of the most recognizable bands in the metal scene over the last 20+ years. Hailing from Göteborg, Sweden, the group released their ninth album Dance Devil Dance earlier this year.

Opening the show was Orbit Culture, a melodic death metal band also from Sweden. This was the group’s first time in Pittsburgh, and they made an incredible first impression! With heavy riffs, booming bass, and grim gutteral growls, Orbit Culture brought the pure intensity of Swedish metal. The headbanging started early and didn’t stop until the final note.

Next up was Veil of Maya, a metalcore band all the way from Chicago. They took the already high energy to the next level, with their mix of melodic vocals and growls alongside shredding guitars. The intensity these boys had was insane, and led to some of the best headbanging.

At last it was time for the main event, and Avatar brought their dark and twisted metal circus to the stage. From the very start it was clear that these Swedes know how to put on a good show, with drummer John Alfredsson taking the stage in total darkness to set the mood instead of a typical backing track to begin. After that it was non-stop metal fun for the next two hours. With melodic yet gruesome vocals and fast and heavy riffs, Avatar filled the Roxian with their demented carnival tunes.

The best way to describe this group is “entertainers”. They knew exactly what to do to keep the crowd engaged and enthralled. From waltzing with balloons and making balloons animals to shooting streamers into the crowd, it was non-stop fun from the very start. The entire show was so incredibly over-the-top that it genuinely felt like watching a circus, albeit one with demonic clowns and the heaviest of heavy metal music. And it was one of the absolute best live performances I’ve ever seen. The Avatar boys know how to have fun, and it shows in every aspect of their performance.

The show in Pittsburgh marked the final show of this leg of the Dance Devil Dance tour, as well as the final US tour for a while, and it was the best possible send-off. A truly memorable show for everyone involved, including the band themselves. As frontman and head clown Johannes Eckerström put it “You think you came out to see Avatar, but Avatar came out to see you.”