When you think of death metal, you typically don’t think of a band bringing much theatrics to the stage. Even in the more melodic death metal scene, theatricality isn’t the first thing to come to mind. Avatar has been an outlier, bringing a stage show to every one of their tours. They have hit the road again for their In The Airwaves USA ’25 Tour, making its second stop at the Observatory North Park in San Diego, CA. Avatar is known for bringing more out-of-the-box-style bands on tour with them, creating a more alternative show than one may expect. This time, they have death westerners SpiritWorld and New Zealand Māori natives Alien Weaponry. Fans showed up early to make sure to catch this creative bill of bands.

Opening the night was death westerners SpiritWorld. First stepping foot on stage, the band was adorned in western-style suits with custom embellishments and decorations. I really didn’t know what to expect from them, but launching into their first song, “Relic of Damnation,” they were here to get the mosh pits spinning. Vocalist Stu Folsom sings with an aggression that feels like he’s on the verge of punching you in the face. Guitarist Matt Schrum brought the heavy chugs to his guitar playing and threaded guitar solos that made you scream with the energy of the song. Bassist Nick Brundy and drummer Preston Harper kept the beat heavy and moving. This was the backbone that kept the mosh pit spinning. SpiritWorld brought their thrash metal sound to the victims of San Diego with songs like “Waiting on the Reaper,” “Moonlit Torture,” “Lujuria Satánica,” “Comancheria,” “Unholy Passages,” “No Vacancy in Heaven,” and ending with “U L C E R.” The crowd was sufficiently warmed up and ready to continue to let loose with the music left to come.

Up next was a band that I have been very interested in covering for a while now and was happy to finally get to check out. Alien Weaponry hails from New Zealand, and all three members come from Māori ancestry. They take their heritage to heart and infuse it into their lyrics, as many songs are performed in the Māori language. Drummer Henry de Jong started off the set by doing a haka dance behind the drum kit to welcome us into their world that we were about to experience. Even though we might not understand the lyrics that guitarist and lead singer Lewis de Jong may be singing when they are in the Māori language, he is able to sing with such emotion and feeling that we can still flow with the energy of the song. Bassist and backing vocalist Tūranga Morgan-Edmonds provides the deeper guttural growls that add fury and aggression to the songs. Driving the songs are the groove and thrash metal sounds that speak the universal language of “let’s destroy this place.” Alien Weaponry kept up this energy for songs like “Te Riri o Tāwhirimātea,” “1000 Friends,” “Mau Moko,” “Taniwha,” “Rū Ana Te Whenua,” and ending with “Kai Tangata.” Alien Weaponry proved that metal can be understood by anyone, and the crowd was along for the ride. Good music will always be good music, no matter what language it is in.

It was then time for our headliner. The lights went out, and a thick fog rolled across the stage and into the audience as four cloaked men slowly rolled onto the stage, illuminated by a single lantern. The band performed their opening number, “Captain Goat,” as these hooded entities, before disrobing and launching into “Silence in the Age of Apes.” This was when we got the Avatar we are all accustomed to. From the carnival/military-esque stage attire to the windmill-laden headbanging and larger-than-life personalities, Avatar had returned to California!

Vocalist Johannes Eckerström is the ringleader of this motley crew of fiends, and he performs like a televangelist preacher welcoming us all to his congregation, as we are nothing more than devoted followers to the rule of Avatar Country. Guitarists Jonas “Kungen” Jarlsby and Tim Öhrström know how to write catchy riffs that carry a bounce to them. That bounce lets the fans windmill to most of the songs. Bassist Henrik Sandelin helps keep the rhythm with a groove to his playing, while drummer John Alfredsson may be the second most animated man on stage as he is constantly locking eyes with the fans and making the most ridiculous performance faces. He always changes his drumming style up from a flowing technician to a more robotic humanoid moving via gears and pistons.

I personally discovered Avatar with the release of their album Avatar Country, which has Kungen as the king of the band, while the rest of the members were his loyal servants. This was a very thematic era, and I’m happy that the band still dedicates time to this era with banners of King Kungen dropping from the rafters, and King Kungen taking a seat upon a golden throne to perform “Legend of the King” and “Let it Burn.” We even got a moment when Johannes performed “Howling at the Waves” and “Tower,” accompanied by himself on piano, which gave these songs a more personal and intimate touch.

Fans were screaming and singing along with every song that Avatar was able to fit into their set, like “The Eagle Has Landed,” “In The Airwaves,” “Bloody Angel,” “Death and Glitz,” “Blod,” “Colossus,” “The Dirt I’m Buried In,” “Tonight We Must Be Warriors,” and providing us with a three-song encore of “Dance Devil Dance,” “Smells Like a Freakshow,” and “Hail the Apocalypse.”

Avatar gave us 17 masterful songs from their huge catalog of music, and though fans may have been sad to not hear a few of their older tracks, this was still a setlist to tear the house down. SpiritWorld kicked things off with a powerful punch to the gut of thrash metal brilliance. Alien Weaponry brought their Māori heritage to California, and the fans dove headfirst into this historical legacy. Meanwhile, Avatar continues to be the best theatrical melodic death metal band performing currently. The term melodic death metal might put some people off, but take a chance and go see this show live, and I can guarantee Avatar will win you over with their live show. This was only the second stop in their tour, so you still have plenty of chances to see them before the year is over.