Metal Shock Finland (World Assault )

The heavy metal visionaries collectively known as AVATAR — vocalist Johannes Eckerström, guitarists Jonas Jarlsby and Tim Öhrström, bassist Henrik Sandelin, and drummer John Alfredsson — are thrilled to announce the thoroughly fitting October 31 release of their latest masterwork Don’t Go in the Forest.

Pre-save it HERE

The band also shared the video for “Tonight We Must Be Warriors.” Watch it below.

“It has become a necessity to me over the years to be able to answer one question: Why is this important? It can’t be just another album. We need to discover something, try something else. It has to come from the heart. What is being said matters,” says vocalist Eckerström regarding the release of single, “Tonight We Must Be Warriors”. In days of isolation and despair, maybe we need to be reminded that we are not alone? We are one of many. Maybe we also need a reminder that the burden is on our shoulders? To get it done, we need to do the fighting ourselves.”

“In our shared pain, we find solidarity.”

“The secret ingredient is that we still feel like we’re just getting started. “Don’t Go In The Forest” is an album filled to the brim with stuff we’ve never done before. It’s all songs and concepts we haven’t been close to touch until now. The mind is wild and we have lost ourselves in the darkest woods, filled with memories, and fantasies. Forbidden thoughts that must be spoken.” States vocalist Eckerström regarding the upcoming release of Avatar’s album “Don’t Go In The Forest”.

“It would have been impossible to make this album at any other time than now. That’s all we ever wanted, and I think you’ll find it’s all you ever wanted too.”

Did you enter the forest via the new track?

The band announced headline A Night To Be Tour Apart headline tour back in April, now have rebranded the tour as In the Airwaves with fresh new admat announcing additional support Norwegian Feminist Black Metal group Witch Club Satan, as well as Norwegian Death Jazz band Agabas for select dates. Avatar have gone from strength to strength over the past several years. There’s the critically acclaimed, 2023-released album Dance Devil Dance, which included rock radio chart topper “The Dirt I’m Buried In.” There have been scores of sold-out headline shows across the globe and an actual fossil named after them. The list goes on and on.

Avatar have gone from strength to strength over the past several years. There’s the critically acclaimed, 2023-released album Dance Devil Dance, which included their first #1 at Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay, “The Dirt I’m Buried In.” There have been scores of sold-out headline shows across the globe and an actual fossil named after them. The list goes on and on.

But the past is the past and the future is, well, dark in the best possible way and that’s JUST how Avatar like it!

The track listing for Don’t Go in the Forest will be revealed in due course. The band has previously shared “CAPTAIN GOAT” and “In the Airwaves.”

Avatar will spend the foreseeable future (if not forever) on the road — with forthcoming tours supporting Iron Maiden and Metallica, along with the band’s biggest show EVER in Mexico City. See below for a complete rundown of the band’s planned tour activity for the next two years.

Avatar show no signs of pausing to take a breath in their quest for absolute world domination — much less stopping.

2025 MEXICO HEADLINE

Fri, Oct 31, 25 — Mexico City, MX — The Pepsi Center

2026 EUROPEAN HEADLINE TOUR

Thu, Feb 5, 26 — Stockholm, SE — Fållan
Sat, Feb 7, 26 — Helsinki, FI — Kulttuuritalo
Mon, Feb 9, 26 — Oslo, NO — Sentrum Scene
Tue, Feb 10, 26 — Copenhagen, DK — Vega
Wed, Feb 11, 26 — Osnabrück, DE — Die Botschaft
Thu, Feb 12, 26 — Brussels, BE — A.B.
Sat, Feb 14, 26 — London, UK — Exhibition
Sun, Feb 15, 26 — Manchester, UK — Academy
Mon, Feb 16, 26 — Glasgow, UK — Barrowland
Tue, Feb 17, 26 — Nottingham, UK — Rock City
Wed, Feb 18, 26 — Bristol, UK — O2 Academy
Fri, Feb 20, 26 — Amsterdam, NL — AFAS Live
Sat, Feb 21, 26 — Esch-Sur-Alzette, LU — Rockhal
Sun, Feb 22, 26 — Zürich, CH — Komplex
Tue, Feb 24, 26 — Barcelona, ES — Razzmatazz
Wed, Feb 25, 26 — Madrid, ES — La Riviera
Fri, Feb 27, 26 — Lisbon, PT — LAV
Sat, Feb 28, 26 — Bilbao, ES — Santana 27
Mon, Mar 2, 26 — Lyon, FR — Le Cube
Tue, Mar 3, 26 — Milan, IT — Alcatraz
Wed, Mar 4, 26 — Vienna, AT — Gasometer
Thu, Mar 5, 26 — Munich, DE — Tonhalle
Fri, Mar 6, 26 — Cologne, DE — E-Werk
Sat, Mar 7, 26 — Paris, FR — Le Zenith
Mon, Mar 9, 26 — Wiesbaden, DE — Schlachthof
Tue, Mar 10, 26 — Zlin, CZ — Sports Hall Datart
Wed, Mar 11, 26 — Warsaw, PL — Stodola
Thu, Mar 12, 26 — Berlin, DE — Columbiahalle
Fri, Mar 13, 26 — Hamburg, DE — Docks

SUPPORTING METALLICA — SUMMER 2026

Sun, May 24, 26 — Frankfurt, DE — Deutsche Bank Park
Thu, Jun 11, 26 — Budapest, HU — Puskas Arena
Fri, Jun 19, 26 — Dublin, IE — Aviva Stadium
Sun, Jul 5, 26 — London, UK — London Stadium

2025 U.S.A. HEADLINE

Wed, Nov 5, 25 — Phoenix, AZ — The Van Buren
Thu, Nov 6, 25 — San Diego, CA — The Observatory San Diego
Fri, Nov 7, 25 — Riverside, CA — Riverside Municipal Auditorium
Sat, Nov 8, 25 — Las Vegas, NV — Brooklyn Bowl
Mon, Nov 10, 25 — Seattle, WA — Moore Theater
Tue, Nov 11, 25 — Portland, OR — Roseland Theatre
Wed, Nov 12, 25 — Boise, ID — Revolution
Fri, Nov 14, 25 — Salt Lake City, UT — The Union
Sat, Nov 15, 25 — Denver, CO — Fillmore
Mon, Nov 17, 25 — Minneapolis, MN — Fillmore
Tue, Nov 18, 25 — Madison, WI — The Sylvee
Thu, Nov 20, 25 — Detroit, MI — The Fillmore Detroit
Fri, Nov 21, 25 — Pittsburgh, PA — Stage AE
Sat, Nov 22, 25 — Columbus, OH — KEMBA Live!
Sun, Nov 23, 25 — Silver Spring, MD — The Fillmore Silver Spring
Tue, Nov 25, 25 — Huntington, NY — Paramount
Wed, Nov 26, 25 — Boston, MA — House of Blues
Fri, Nov 28, 25 — Allentown, PA — Archer Music Hall
Sat, Nov 29, 25 — Charlotte, NC — The Fillmore Charlotte
Sun, Nov 30, 25 — Louisville, KY — Old Forester’s Paristown Hall
Tue, Dec 2, 25 — Chicago, IL — Riviera Theater
Thu, Dec 4, 25 — Nashville, TN — Marathon Music Works
Fri, Dec 5, 25 — St. Louis, MO — The Pageant
Sat, Dec 6, 25 — Tulsa, OK — Tulsa Theater
Sun, Dec 7, 25 — Dallas, TX — House of Blues

AVATAR ARE:
Johannes Eckerström — Vocalist
Jonas Jarlsby — Guitarist
Tim Öhrström — Guitarist
Henrik Sandelin — Bassist
John Alfredsson — Drummer