The night the circus came to town: Metal giants Avatar live in Auckland

Avatar: The night the circus came to town

Swedish metal giants Avatar hit Auckland’s Powerstation last night as the final stop of their “Don’t Go Into The Woods” Australasian tour, with support from Wellington’s own Bulletbelt.

September 2, 2026

Wellington “blackened power thrash” act Bulletbelt kicks off the night – I have a love/hate relationship with genre labels. Still, I feel somewhat fine describing them that way, given the direction of the forthcoming album and the band’s history of keeping their sound fresh and ever-evolving.

Burn It Up / Punishment of God sets the tone, Diego’s scathing growls interplaying with Tim’s guttural counter-growls.

“Deathgasm 2” from the forthcoming album and new movie introduces Diego’s more power-metal side, a feature which blends delightfully on the upcoming release as heard here.

Arminius and Flames of Hell bring crowd interaction and rally calls for the mosh pit before closing out tonight’s set with Midnight Fist Fight.

Tonight’s Swedish headliners – Avatar share a similar trait; always a band with a flair for the theatrics, their sound has been an evolving ride over the course of 25 years, ebbing and flowing between elements of death, groove, and progressive rock/metal – it feels like we’re lucky to be seeing them for the first time in what I dare say is their peak.

It wasn’t long ago I caught New Zealand’s Blindfolded and Led To The Woods, and now with Avatar we’re being warned “Don’t Go Into the Forest” – something tells me it’s dangerous out there…

But here we are – at the feet of Sweden’s theatrical masters – complete with a delightful repertoire of cabaret tunes as we wait patiently. Musically, we seem to play into the whole idea of a “show” – and the showman is nigh!

The sound of rising storms and distant bells chiming announces the commencement of tonight’s show, as hooded figures grace the stage lit only by lanterns.

Captain Goat opens up with its doomish melancholy, moving swiftly to a discoesque and groovy Let It Burn – Avatar are certainly not shy about being genre-fluid. Two songs in, and this is already one of the most fun shows I’ve been to in a long time; crowd engagement is already in full swing with bodies flailing in the pit whilst a sea of hands circles the outer crowds.

Frontman Johannes Eckerström takes a moment for stage banter, welcoming us all to the circus, asking if we can handle something a little… faster. In The Air Waves provides a raunchy death/thrash vibe, kicking the crowd into a frenzy as the melodic chorus pulls us all back and keeps us grounded.

Bloody Angel yields a driving number full of riffage mixed with its sombre and spacious verses, bringing out what I can only reiterate: tonight’s performance is just that, a majestic, theatrical event with a bombastic showman commanding his audience like toys.
There’s a certain irony that isn’t lost on me as Death and Glitz plays out; my phone hits 1% battery and promptly turns itself off. I feel I should be in the show’s moment, and not nose to the phone. It’s just I’m taking these notes on said phone, still – let’s just let it play out, and reflect in due course. The song ends somewhat abruptly, glancing up to see what’s happening – I spy an artist, palette in hand, “touching up the paint” on the drummer’s drumstick… before returning to the conclusion of the song, a small but amusing touch.
Unforeseen issues with the trusty tour synth saw “Harry” on stage trying to rectify the technical issues of only one synth working, causing further amusing banter from Johannes, commenting on how you know this is REAL, LIVE music when things fail, and you’re not just playing to a backing track.
Closing out the evening was the powerhouse encore of Don’t Go Into The Forest, Smells Like A Freakshow, and Hail The Apocalypse – it’s safe to say everyone at tonight’s circus act was well and truly sated, and yet oh so ready for the band’s eventual return!

Words by Mark Derricutt
Photos by Ginny Cocks