Avatar

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Manifest Of Sick

The first remarkable event of the Craiovean band AVATAR was back in 1996 when the band formed by Dan Scurtu (guitar), Marius Popeanga (drums and vocals) and Andrei Nemes (bass) recorded the first demo "Orgiastic Ceremony" which followed extreme death metal formula

In 1997 Mihai “Bryzby” Petrescu (keyboard) joined the band, and in the same year the fourth recorded a second demo, "Holy Infection", based on brutal but technical death metal, mixing interesting passages of keyboard sound. The demo was distributed by Bestial Records label. Over 1,000 copies were sold.

In 1999 Bestial Records signed a contract with the Avatars which brought the first album “The Alchemist”. The album was recorded in 2000 with a new vocal performer (Alin Deca) and a new bass player (Cornel Tudosie). The first 1,000 copies were sold out. The album was greatly reviewed in Germany, USA, Serbia, Check Republic, Italy, and France. “The Alchemist” contains 45 minutes of death/black technical metal, with Death, Nocturnus, Cynic, Atheist, Dimmu Borgir or Dream Theater influences.

In 2001, AVATAR filmed their fist professional video, Inner Alchemy, broadcasted by various TV channels. In the same year Marian Calin (drums) and Catalin Branzan (bass) joined the band.

With this new line-up, the Craioveans received the offer of being co-headliners at Hellhammer Festival from Serbia in 2002. Thus, the Avatars performed on the same stage with Hypnos (Cze), Fleshless (Cze), Ancient (Nor), Pandemia (Slo) and other important European underground bands. A year later during Metalheart festival from Costinesti the stage was shared with the Greeks from Rotting Christ.

In 2004, AVATAR has its first significant moment from its existence when performing as the opening act for the legendary Austrian band PUNGENT STENCH during the excellent Spring Metal Festival from Salzburg, Austria.

This concert was the starting point for the tour the craioveans made in 2005 in Germany and Austria. Before this the Avatars recorded the promo “Cyclops” after which they left in the Avatour from last year spring where they played together with BEHEMOTH (Pol), In Battle (Swe), Equillibrium (Ger), Recapture (Ger), Possession (Aus), etc. The concert performed as opening act for the Behemoth in Salzburg was recorded and promoted under the name “Live on Mozartstrasse”, the first official live album from the Romanian metal underground history. The album contains 6 balanced death metal songs.

Also, in 2005 the Craioveans performed at the beginning of the concert from Bucharest of the well-known American band MEGADETH. A second guitar player joined the Avatars, Victor Manescu. At the end of the year they won the MetalKombat contest initiated by the online magazine METALFAN adding up the biggest number of votes from Romanian metal fans.

The follow-up of this winning was the recording of the EP “Tentacles” in the Recreate studio from Bucharest in March and April 2006. This new material contains 5 death metal songs conceived in a modern style. It was released in July under METALFAN RECORDS DIVISION. Also “The Deepest Corner of the Mind” from this EP has got a video.

The spring the Avatars went in Germany for a new tour where they played for important festivals together with bands like FLESHCRAWL, DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER, ONKEL TOM, SOUL DEMISE, DEW SCENTED, BELPHEGOR, DARK FORTRESS, DESASTER, DEBAUCHERY, COLLAPSE 7, POSSESSION, etc.

The spanning concerts continued with the amazing presence at Maximum Rock Fest in Cluj at the beginning of October opening for the legendary German band CREMATORY.

2006 had a spectacular ending for the Craioveans Avatars who opened the concert of the awesome Swiss band SAMAEL in Bucharest last December.

2007 was a busy year for Avatar, with concerts all over Romania and a hard work in creating new songs. The five avatars also opened for the great band SEPULTURA in Bucharest in july and represented Romania in Austria at "The Cultural Days of Bucharest in Wien". In december 2007 the solo guitarist Victor decided to leave the band.