Imagine Kiss in revolutionary garb and you'll get close to the look of Swedish fivesome Avatar. The members - Johannes Eckerstrom, Jonas Jarisby, Tim Orstrom, Henrik Sandelin and John Alfredsson - often perform in great coats and red knee socks, and frontman Eckerstrom dons clown makeup before each show. It's an eerie look to accompany their eerie sound, most often described as "melodic death metal."
Avatar, who will be at the Rusty Spur Sunday, July 16, formed in 2001 in Goteberg, Sweden, a brainchild of Jarisby and Alfredsson. Since then, they've put out six studio albums, including their chart-topping debut, Thoughts of No Tomorrow and last year's Feathers and Flesh. The show starts at 8 p.m.