Avatarium

In the winter of 2012, Candlemass founder and bassist Leif Edling started to work on a new project and wrote a few demos. Looking for musical partners, he first reached out to his friend, Opeth frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt, but due to a lack of time, he declined.{{cite web|url=http://www.themidlandsrocks.com/interview-with-jennie-ann-smith-from-avatarium/|title=Interview With Jennie-Ann Smith From Avatarium : The Midlands Rocks|website=www.themidlandsrocks.com}} Therefore, Stockholm-based guitarist Marcus Jidell (Soen, ex-Evergrey, ex-Royal Hunt) offered to help. Soon, Tiamat drummer Lars Sköld and keyboardist Carl Westholm joined the new band and the line-up was completed by Jidell's wife Jennie-Ann Smith, whose deep and bluesy voice added a new touch to Edling's typical heavy doom riffs.{{Citation needed|date=May 2017}}

By September 2013, they released their first EP Moonhorse and in November, their critically acclaimed eponymous full-length debut followed through Nuclear Blast.

The band's first live show outside of Sweden took place at the Dutch Roadburn Festival in April 2014, and in the fall of the same year, the Swedes released the EP All I Want.{{Cite news|url=http://www.nuclearblast.de/en/label/music/band/news/details/3572559.3097389.avatarium-to-release-all-i-want-ep.html|title=AVATARIUM – to release 'All I Want' EP|date=17 September 2014|work=Nuclear Blast|access-date=10 May 2017|language=en-US}}

After a European tour and several festival appearances, the band entered the studio once more to record their second album. The Girl with the Raven Mask was released worldwide in October 2015 and was voted Album of the Month in several leading European magazines, such as Rock Hard{{cite web|url=https://www.rockhard.de/megazine/reviewarchiv/album-des-monats/35860-the-girl-with-the-raven-mask.html|title=RockHard: Album des Monats|website=www.rockhard.de}} and Metal Hammer.{{cite web|url=https://www.metal-hammer.de/soundcheck-countdown-im-november-saxon-auf-dem-geteilten-zweiten-platz-539497/|title=Avatarium THE GIRL WITH THE RAVEN MASK: Album des Monats November|date=21 October 2015|publisher=}} It was nominated for the independent music prize Manifest in Sweden, and in September 2016, Avatarium received the "Up and Coming" award from Germany's Metal Hammer.{{cite web|url=https://www.metal-hammer.de/metal-hammer-awards-2016-das-sind-die-gewinner-692725|title=METAL HAMMER AWARDS 2016: Das sind die Gewinner!|date=19 September 2016|publisher=}}

For health issues, Leif Edling quit playing live shows with the band on their headline tour through Europe, and Anders Iwers{{cite web|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/leif-edling-to-sit-out-avatariums-performance-at-roadburn-tiamats-anders-iwers-to-fill-in/|title=LEIF EDLING To Sit Out AVATARIUM's Performance At ROADBURN; TIAMAT's ANDERS IWERS To Fill In|date=4 April 2014|publisher=}} joined the band as a live member. Although Edling stepped out of the spotlight, he is still active as songwriter for the band.

At the end of 2016, Avatarium entered the studio again to record their third album, Hurricanes and Halos, together with their new bassist Mats Rydström and organist Rickard Nilsson.{{cite web|url=http://www.nuclearblast.de/fr/label/music/band/news/details/4671820.3097389.avatarium-announce-third-studio-album.html|title=AVATARIUM – announce third studio album!|date=21 February 2017|publisher=}} This time, singer Jennie-Ann Smith and guitarist Marcus Jidell also contributed to the songwriting. The full-length album was released on 26 May 2017 through Nuclear Blast. Their next album, The Fire I Long For, was released on 22 November 2019.{{cite web|url=https://metalstorm.net/events/news_comments.php?news_id=36698|title=Avatarium – Announce New Album, Launch Video For First Single|publisher=Metal Storm|access-date=8 April 2022|date=8 April 2022}}

As of April 2022, Avatarium is signed to AFM Records{{cite web|url=https://metalstorm.net/events/news_comments.php?news_id=45698|title=Avatarium – Ink Worldwide Deal With AFM Records|publisher=Metal Storm|access-date=8 April 2022|date=8 April 2022}} and their fifth album, Death Where Is Your Sting, was released in October 2022.{{cite web|url=https://metalstorm.net/bands/album.php?album_id=146801|title=Death Where Is Your Sting|publisher=Metal Storm|access-date=13 November 2022}}

• Avatarium (2013)
• The Girl with the Raven Mask (2015)
• Hurricanes and Halos (2017)
• The Fire I Long For (2019)
• Death, Where Is Your Sting (2022)
• Between You, God, the Devil and the Dead (2025)

File:Avatarium Rockharz 2018 05.jpg|Bassist Mats Rydström

File:Avatarium Rockharz 2018 07.jpg|Drummer Lars Sköld

File:Avatarium Rockharz 2018 15.jpg|Guitarist Marcus Jidell

File:Avatarium Rockharz 2018 11.jpg|Keyboardist Rickard Nilsson

File:Avatarium Rockharz 2018 12.jpg|Singer Jennie-Ann Smith

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Category:Swedish doom metal musical groups

Category:Occult rock musical groups

Category:Musical groups from Stockholm