A Dirty Dozen with SVEN AVERNUS from ABORTED – April 2020

According to a recent press release: “ABORTED release their new song and music video for “Gloom and the Art of Tribulation.” The track is the first released off the band’s forthcoming three track EP La Grande Mascarade on April 17th via  Century Media Records. La Grande Mascarade will contain the studio recordings of “Gloom and the Art of Tribulation,” “Serpent of Depravity,” and “Funereal Malediction.” Featuring art courtesy of Mitchell Nolte and produced by Kristian ‘Kohle’ Kohlmannslehner, La Grande Mascarade will be available as limited edition CD (international), jewelcase (North America) and digitally.” We get frontman and founding member Sven to discuss new music, influences, and much more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets the band put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

I can’t tell you if there are any Easter eggs or hidden clues, or that would defeat the whole purpose, wouldn’t it? I can say the fans are going to hear some blastbeats, though, that’s for sure.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

My older brothers already listened to heavy metal when I was born, so that made the upbringing a little easier on a musical level. I was 12 when I realized I wanted to be a bass player. Poor life choice.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

I could name a ton of albums but probably Altars of Madness by Morbid Angel clearly helped shape my taste for death metal.

4. Who would be your main five musical influences?

Megadeth, Morbid Angel, Suffocation, Necrophagist, Death and Cannibal Corpse.

5. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

I’d really love to have Chris Poland play a guest solo on an Aborted song. Although, I think combining his unique jazzy style with the band’s could be a tough task.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

Can you think of something you’d never show or talk about to your girlfriend’s/boyfriend’s family? We’re exactly the opposite, not NSFW at all. As far as cringe-worthy comparisons, luckily I can’t think of anything like that. For now…

7. When the band are all hanging out together, who cooks; who gets the drinks in; and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

Ian’s usually the designated chef, but we can all cook decently. About drinks, Ian’s also the bartender. Actually, we got him in the band for catering purposes, not for his guitar skills. Acoustic guitar singalongs? We do kazoo, sorry.

8. When was the last time you were star struck and who was it?

My pizza delivery guy, he is an absolute VIP, the way he carries them pizzas on just the one hand while ringing my doorbell with the other. You should see it… but if you mean musically, not gonna lie, when I met Alex Webster for the first time in 2014 (I wasn’t in Aborted yet), I was fairly impressed by how humble and friendly he is.

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

Best part of being a musician is that every day is different in all sorts of ways. Yes, I know it’s an overabused cliché, but the best feeling is it doesn’t matter how stressed or pissed you are during the day because as soon as you’re on stage and see all those people having a good time headbanging to your music, it all goes away. My dream job would be officially working as a translator. As you can see, I have a fetish for financial instability.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

The question I would like to be asked is “Do you put salt in the water before it boils or after it does?” It’s a serious subject which I reckon hasn’t got the attention and exposure it deserves. The question I usually get asked most of the time is…

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over”, even if it didn’t change your current situation?

While I would consider my career something I’m still grateful for to this day, there’s obviously been a couple of moments I would gladly go back in time to be able to change them. But no, not gonna talk about it, sorry.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

I’d be really curious to witness what exactly happened during the sessions of The Beatles’ White Album, and understand what were the processes behind the production of such a roller coaster of obscure weirdness. Not that it represents a particularly favorite album for me.

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Category: Interviews