Captain Goat is what I can only describe as a satanic sea shanty. And lately, I can’t stop listening to it.
The obsession began right after the Iron Maiden concert in Warsaw, and while it was unexpected, it’s not unprecedented.
Every now and then, a single song grabs me instantly and refuses to let go. When that happens, I sometimes don’t even bother listening to anything else, not from the same album, not even from another band. Spotify inevitably concludes that this must be my favorite band of all time. It’s a pain in the ass.
Iron Maiden actually is one of my favorite bands, and I had been eagerly awaiting their Run for Your Lives tour stop in Warsaw. The show was everything I hoped for… Loud, tight, and gloriously over the top.
But the biggest surprise of the night came earlier, in the form of the opening act: Avatar, a band that, somehow, had completely slipped under my radar until now.
Avatar is an eccentric Swedish metal band that’s been around for more than 25 years. I had heard of but never listened to them. Before the show, someone described them to me as “a poor man’s Ghost,” which, for me, isn’t exactly a glowing endorsement. I don’t dislike Ghost, but I’m generally indifferent.
So I was unprepared for what followed. Avatar turned out to be so much more than that comparison.
For starters, their vocalist is genuinely impressive. Powerful, dynamic, and versatile. And that versatility isn’t limited to the vocals. It seems to be the band’s core philosophy. They don’t appear interested in committing to a single style or mood, yet they somehow retain a sound that is unmistakably Avatar.
That’s a rare quality. Many acts dabble in multiple styles, but few maintain a distinct voice that ties it all together. Avatar manages to do it effortlessly. Each album feels different, each song stands on its own, yet everything still belongs to the same creative universe.
And that’s something I love in any artist: The ability to surprise me while making me confident I’ll enjoy whatever comes next.
So yes, Captain Goat has been on repeat ever since Warsaw.
And along with Iron Maiden’s masterclass in heavy metal, Avatar’s theatrical, creepy-clown spectacle was the most pleasant surprise of the trip.
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