Like a bulldozer ramming down a rollercoaster, Aborted return to Australia to smash bodies without remorse, warning, or regret. Emerging from Belgium in 1995, Aborted have crunched their way through nine full length albums playing a brand of death metal fashioned in hate, and forged with carnage in mind.
With a new album “TerrorVision” due for release on the date of the first show of their upcoming Australia tour this September with The Black Dahlia Murder, there was much to talk about as we caught up with main man Sven De Caluwe to discuss all the latest with Aborted.
Andrew: It’s good to see you coming back to Australia, I guess it’s been a little while since you were here the last time.
Sven: Yeah it’s been 4 years I think. The last time was 2014 where we did a tour with our friends in Psycroptic so I think that was 14 or 15 shows or something so it was quite a long tour but was really cool so we’re excited to be back.
Andrew: Well this time you are coming back with the legendary Black Dahlia Murder who are another great band as well so it seems like this is a pretty good tour package by the sounds of it.
Sven: Yeah absolutely, they are also good friends of ours for a long time. We already toured together so we are excited to see them again because it’s been a while.
Andrew: I was going to ask whether you had done shows together, what are those guys like? It seems like, especially with Trevor that they are quite laid back and funny.
Sven: Yeah they’re cool and really fun guys. They party and they chill, they’re really cool and love to tour with them.
Andrew: Well it’s good to see both of you back and I guess the first show on the tour will be the release date of your new album “TerrorVision”. Are you going to be playing a lot of the new stuff?
Sven: Well since it just comes out I think we may play a couple of songs but it won’t be the main focus. We haven’t been to Australia in 4 years so I think people will also want to hear a little bit of everything so that’s what we’re going to be focusing on.
Andrew: So you had a single that came out not long ago, the title track so that’s probably one that you will probably play I assume?
Sven: We might, we might not be. You have to come to the show and find out!
Andrew: [laughs] A good way to find out for sure! So tell me a little about the new album then, are you happy with how they came out?
Sven: Yeah I think honestly most of us are really stoked, I think it’s one of the records we’re most happy with. We recorded a little differently where we split the band in two so the bass and guitars were done in one studio and the drums and vocals were done at the studio with Kohle which means due to splitting up and doing a lot of simultaneous stuff, we were actually able to work quicker which means we had more time left to work on the mix and work on the details and structures and the finer points and really be happy with the end product.
Andrew: Was that something you really wanted to focus on compared to the previous releases and was that something that was maybe lacking on the last couple of albums?
Sven: No I mean we’re still happy with the last couple of records, it’s just that this time we had more time and since the mix was done later, we had more time to let the songs digest because there’s a lot of layers going on in this album. There’s a lot of layers in the guitar parts and in the songs and for it to have the right intent, it was really necessary to have things at the right volume because a certain overdub could make a part sound completely different if it’s louder or quieter which is really weird but it really works like that. I’m very thankful to Kohle to be patient and try and allow it and everybody to pull together as a team to make sure that the album turns out as good as it did for us.
Andrew: How does it feel to be sitting with songs for a long period of time? Because obviously what some people out there don’t know is that after bands have finished recording, they will sit with the songs for quite a long time before it gets released out to the public so is that something that you deal with easily or do you prefer to get the music out there as soon as possible?
Sven: Well as a human being you obviously want your work out there as soon as possible and hear what people have to say or see what’s going on. But the way we deal with is because there is a protocol to respect, it’s all there for a reason too so what we do usually is once the mix is done we don’t listen to the material for a while and then when the press starts rolling out and the signals are starting to release, then you start listening again and you actually have a fresh ear and can be like, ‘Oh yeah this is actually cool, we did a good job’. Or it can go like, ‘ Well, whoops!’ [laughs].
Andrew: [laughs] Yeah I guess some things can happen like that I guess. Just going back to the title track which is obviously the song that everybody has heard so far, there’s a little quote in the press about you talking about the meaning behind the song. Can you elaborate a bit on the inspiration behind where the song came from?
Sven: You man “TerrorVision”?
Andrew: Yeah “TerrorVision” because you sort of talk about communication and the way it’s manipulated in the media and things like that.
Sven: Yeah I mean if you think about it, from a distance what have you heard in media outlets be it the news, radio, twitter, facebook, whatever. What has been the recurring thing for the last year or two? You can’t get out of it but it’s been constantly terror, terror everywhere. Racism, bigotry, all these extremists movements have been getting a lot of momentum and all this attention goes towards all this stuff while people are getting more and more depressed and burned out and stressed. Well in all honesty and in theory, it should be more or less an awesome time to be alive because we have a lot of advantages. We have a lot of medical advancements, everything is readily available without much effort but at the same time we’re all depressed and miserable and opinions are very easily formed by the media. It doesn’t matter what media, any media. I think it’s a little unsettling to be honest.
Andrew: Yeah it does seem like everything is more on the negative side of things. Do you believe the internet is a big instigator in the way people are playing into the whole hype of terror and the negative sides of life?
Sven: Nothing sells like bad news and sensation sadly so to give a simple example and this is a question you can answer or not. But do you think for example if there is a terror attack and the media reports it as crazy guy does crazy thing, do you think it would get as much traction and our minds would be so preoccupied by it as it is now and do you think those organisations that do those things would have the power that they have been given the last couple of years?
Andrew: I think it’s certainly a topic that people need to discuss and I think like you say, the media being part of the problem is certainly a big issue. I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s always been like that but I think the internet has played it’s role in that but I don’t know, it’s hard to have that perspective.
Sven: Absolutely and by media I mean the internet as well of course, all forms of it. It’s crazy that people will form their social or political opinion’s based on facebook for example. Let’s be honest, is that a reliable source of information? I don’t think so! Another thing is a lot of the times lately, science and facts are being superceeded by people’s feelings.
Andrew: I’ve thought about this for a while now as I’ve started to slowly sway a little away from social media but do you think there’s too much reliance on social media these days?
Sven: Absolutely I think partly because of social media too because people are generally starting to lack the ability to think for themselves. We’re in a time where there is so much good information available so you have every opportunity out there to think for yourself, why aren’t we doing it?
Andrew: And what you do in your world in music gives you the ability to give your opinion or view on what society is or how it should be. How do you convey your feelings about the world through your music? Do you try to make it personal or do you try to make it as general as possible?
Sven: As general as possible but also in a way that, Aborted has been all about the universe of 80’s horror movies so basically the message that I have I try to translate it in a plot in some 80’s horror movie. That’s how I approach it because for me it’s not about preaching, there is a message and it’s there for those that want it but in the first place Aborted is about the band’s music and it’s about us having fun with what we’re doing. So those who want to hear the message, it’s there but you gotta put a lot of thought into it as well. In the first place we’re here to have fun with music so I don’t want it to be the main aspect or focal point of the band.
Andrew: Yeah sure obviously there’s a dark and twisted humour in your music and lyrics which I think a lot of fans enjoy. Speaking of 80’s horror movies, what is your favorite movie?
Sven: That’s a tough one but definitely Hellraiser would be one of them, Hellbound. Evil Dead for sure, the originals and the old fucking 80’s slashers like A Nightmare On Elm Street and that kind of stuff. But Evil Dead was represented by one fucked up entity whereas it’s never that simple but in those movies it was so it’s kind of funny.
Andrew: I’m a big fan of Evil Dead and I still watch the newer stuff as well which is not quite as good as the old 80’s stuff but anything that guy does, I forget the name of the guy that dos Evil Dead, is fantastic.
Sven: Sam Raimi?
Andrew: Yeah that’s the guy! Anyway it’s great to see you back in Australia, it looks to be a fun tour with The Black Dahlia Murder as well as with a couple of local Aussie bands as well. I hope you enjoy your time here and we look forward to seeing you, thank you for your time.
Sven: Absolutely! Thanks for the interview and take care, hopefully will see you at one of the shows.
SOUNDWORKS DIRECT presents
THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER ABORTED and ZEOLITE
‘NIGHTBRINGERS’ Australian Tour September 21 – 28, 2018
Sept 21st – Perth, The Hell Hole
Sept 22nd – Adelaide, Fowler’s (The New Dead Metalfest)
Sept 23rd – Melbourne, Max Watt’s
Sept 24th – Hobart, Brisbane Hotel
Sept 25th – Newcastle, The Cambridge
Sept 26th – Canberra, The Basement
Sept 27th – Sydney, The Factory
Sept 28th – Brisbane, Crowbar
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
PERTH – www.moshtix.com.au
ADELAIDE – www.moshtix.com.au / www.fowlerslive.com.au
MELBOURNE – http://soundworksdirect.eventbrite.com / www.oztix.com.au
HOBART – www.oztix.com.au
NEWCASTLE – http://soundworksdirect.eventbrite.com
CANBERRA – http://soundworksdirect.eventbrite.com / www.oztix.com.au
SYDNEY – http://soundworksdirect.eventbrite.com / www.factorytheatre.com.au
BRISBANE – http://soundworksdirect.eventbrite.com / www.oztix.com.au
