Next Avatar Album, Tour Could Be ‘Closer to Mother Nature,’ Says Singer Johannes Eckerstrom

I got to speak to my friend Johannes Eckerstrom from Avatar at the 34th annual FMX Birthday Bash about his favorite touring movie, playing live and what to expect from the band's next album.

I don't even know why I have a connection with this guy, but I do. And from that connection, I was able to get some real insight into the background of the band and where they're headed.

We used to listen to Avatar while we were building Halloween props long before they started getting radio play. There's just something about these guys I like.

In addition to their future, we talked about what movie is even more about touring than even This Is Spinal Tap. According to Eckerstrom, the German movie Das Boot most closely resembles touring.

Eckerstrom also shared some fun stories about how he and his bandmates are Swedish farm boys and how he personally used to ride Icelandic horses. Two words: Bad. Ass.

The band is also busy writing for a new record, and Eckerstrom said they have a bunch of puzzle pieces, but refused to nail down a time frame for release. He did admit the band members will challenge themselves.

"What's going to happen is that we as a band at this point still manage to find new ways to challenge ourselves conceptually and how we record," he explained. "I feel that we have found a way to challenge ourselves in a way that we haven't done before that will take us to the next level and those things we weren't able to do until we grew into the place we are now."

And when it comes to possible new stage show elements, Eckerstrom said the band has plenty of ideas in mind.

"There's lots of 'oh man, I can't wait,' and then we'll see what exactly there will be," he said. "It will be closer to Mother Nature this time...it's dark, sinister, nocturnal and close to Mother Nature."

So are they farm boys, cowboys, rock stars or vikings? Find out in this exclusive interview: