Finland's Chaoszine caught up with Avatar frontman Johannes Eckerström after the band's show at Tuska festival in Helsinki on June 30th. Check out the interview below.

When asked about the first band he was a fan of, Eckerström offers the following.

"Not a band... Beethoven. I grew up with a lot of classical music played in the house, and I wasn't thinking like this back then, but in hindsight I realize I was drawn to the '5th Symphony', which was the serious heavy one. Maybe that was a taste of things to come, in a way. My first 'When I grow up...' dream was to be a conductor. I would take a spatula from the kitchen, stand on a chair and wave my arm around becauyse I had seen something symphonic on TV. So, Beethoven was my first conscious 'I like this...'"

Avatar have announced The Chimp Mosh Pit North American tour, with support from Orbit Culture and The Native Howl.

Tour dates:

September
10 - Alton, VA - Blue Ridge Rock Fest +
12 - Quebec City, QC - Imperial Bell
13 - Montreal, QC - Olympia
14 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix
15 - Grand Rapids, MI - The Intersection
16 - Des Moines, IA - Wooly’s
17 - Bloomington, IL - The Castle
19 - Houston, TX - Rise
20 - Oklahoma City, OK - Diamond Ballroom
22 - Louisville, KY - Louder Than Life +
23 - St. Louis, MO - Delmar Hall
24 - Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl
25 - Fayetteville, AR - JJ’s Live
26 - Wichita, KS - Cotillion
28 - Fargo, ND - Fargo Brewing Company
29 - Winnipeg, MB - Burton Cummings Theater
30 - Saskatoon, SK - Coors Event Centre

October
1 - Calgary, AB - MacEwan Hall
2 - Edmonton, AB - Midway Music Hall
4 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
5 - Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory
6 - Eugene, OR - McDonald Theater
7 - Sacramento, CA - Aftershock +
8 - San Louis Obispo, CA - Fremont Theater

+ festivals

Avatar released their magnum opus and ninth album, Dance Devil Dance, back in February via Black Waltz Records, distributed by Thirty Tigers. Order the album here.

"Dance Devil Dance"
"Chimp Mosh Pit"
"Valley Of Disease"
"On The Beach"
"Do You Feel In Control"
"Gotta Wanna Riot"
"The Dirt I'm Buried In"
"Clouds Dipped In Chrome"
"Hazmat Suit"
"Train"
"Violence No Matter What" (Duet with Lzzy Hale)

"Chimp Mosh Pit" video:

"Violence No Matter What":

"The Dirt I'm Buried In" video:

"Valley Of Disease" lyric video: