Between their storybook-like songs, cinematic videos and stage costumes, Avatar are a big reason why heavy metal’s love affair with theatre thrives in the 21st century. Founded in the early 2000s, the Swedish band from Gothenburg spent their first three albums honing an infectious mix of groove metal and melodic death metal before introducing a strong visual component on 2012’s Black Waltz. The cover art alone—singer Johannes Eckerström debuting his trademark clown makeup—recalls the macabre looks of both Alice Cooper and Marilyn Manson. The band’s records thereupon grew more ambitious. The group’s first big hit in the U.S., 2016’s Feathers & Flesh, is a concept album inspired by fabulist Jean de La Fontaine, and 2023’s Dance Devil Dance injects art metal with the extravagance of Broadway. If ever there were a band meant to produce a horror musical or touring carnival, it’s Avatar.