"Terrorivision" is the new album by Belgian outfit Aborted ... the band has been very busy but they always manage to surprise! Bassist Stefano talked to Metal Imperium and made some really interesting revelations. Read on ...
M.I. - 23 years is a long life for a metal band… has Aborted achieved the goals you set up when you formed the band?
So far, I would say totally yes, but we always want to go forwards and set ourselves bigger goals.
M.I. - The new album has just been released. How do you feel about it? How are sales going? Reviews are mostly awesome!
I think this is the most creatively ambitious album to date and reaction has been great! Also sales seem really, really good as we made it into several official charts (like Billboard and Heatseekers, or the German official charts), so that’s really cool!
M.I. - The title “TerrorVision” has a deeper meaning than meets the eye… care to elaborate on that?
We live in a world where the ability to think straight and with your independence seems like it doesn’t matter, unless you adjust to the generally accepted standard of ‘knowledge’ or physical appearance. Scientific facts don’t matter anymore, and people are ‘burnt’ at the stake like it happened in the Middle Ages where men or women would be killed as heretics for stating the Earth was a globe and spun around the Sun and not the other way around, or because they were seen as witches (sounds familiar these days, doesn’t it?). ‘Terrorvision’ is a wordplay (I really dig wordplays) on television (THE main media, at least a few years ago) and terror, intended as general terror spread by the news and the media in general.
M.I. - The recording process this time around was done differently… how did you do it? Why did you change the way you used to work? Weren’t you happy with your previous albums?
If by different you mean guitars and bass being tracked at a separate studio (Mendel’s home recording studio) and vocals and drums done at Kohle’s recording studio, then yes. We did so to save time and be able to work more rapidly and efficiently – indeed, we were able to bounce songs back and forth and as soon as Ken was done with drums, the other guys would track guitars and bass, then the vocals and so on, so the cycle was way more productive.
M.I. - Who’s responsible for the cover artwork? Do you think it truly illustrates the message/feeling of the album?
Yes, it does, horrifying monster-like creatures who control people who turn into hosts? Yes, it truly conveys the message. The artist behind this is Par Oloffson.
M.I. - You’ll be very active live in the coming weeks… how much do you enjoy touring? Do you do it for pleasure or just because you have to in order to promote the band’s name/albums?
We all enjoy touring, or else we wouldn’t do it! Haha! Seriously, sometimes touring might be stressful – you miss your family, home and only a stable line up with like-minded, hardworking people like in our current line up makes the job a lot more fun and enjoyable. Mainly we do it for the pleasure of travelling and playing in front of our fans, but obviously promotion is always a key element.
M.I. - The band toured Australia recently… you had played there before in 2014… any major differences between the 2 times? How was the overall experience? How much different is the audience there from the European one?
Aussie fans are always awesome and make the 108129741394734-hour flights worthy (not the jet lag though). Those were both fun tours, but this one was way more on point logistics-wise – we basically flew everyday and got to spend some time at hotels before soundcheck and show, while our last tour was in a van (like many hours sitting on steel seats, not again, thank you). Thanks again to all the crew involved and Dave Haley for setting up the tour with TBDM!
M.I. - The band has played in Portugal many times, however I didn’t see any dates here for the European tour. Why? Most bands tell me that Portugal is most times left out due to logistical problems… is that really so? How complicated is it coming here when you come to Spain, which is right “next door”? Not many promoters interested?
Last question yeah, you should probably ask the promoters, because we really love Portugal, we love the weather, the food and the fans. But one thing I can say, as close as it could look, we are only playing in the ‘central/Northern’ part of Spain, so makes it a lot easier for us to get ‘back’ to the rest of Europe, going through France, Germany etc. But don’t worry, we could be back soon…
M.I. - You’ve played here at SWR. How much do you enjoy playing here? Many friends? Great audience?
That show was amazing (minus the sand which covered us all hahah), we really enjoyed the festival!
M.I. - Do you feel differently towards touring now as opposed to when you got started? Is there a particular tour that made a bigger impact on you for some reason? If so which one and why?
I would say the last few tours have all been nothing short of amazing – we toured in 10K cap venues with Kreator, Sepultura and Soilwork, or we headlined the US after a while this year and reaction was amazing!! But most of the tours we did in the past I somehow remember with pleasure (our first hell over Europe with Origin in 2014 or the one we did with TBDM a few years ago).
M.I. - What is the most valuable lesson you learned from touring the world?
Always bring lots of clean socks. And baby wipes.
M.I. - Your music is so intense and aggressive… how do you feel after a live show?
Really exhausted haha but satisfied. It’s cool to get off stage with the feeling you gave all yourself for the crowd.
M.I. - Regarding art (in any shape or form)… what artists inspire you and why?
Music and cinema are the styles that most influence my own activity, along with good literary authors like HP Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe or the ‘Hellbound Heart’ by Clive Barker. I particularly dig this retro-movement inspired by the 80s, like Carpenter Brut in music or Jason Edmiston in graphic art.
M.I. - Listed under the band’s interests is “global extermination”. Why would you like that? Don’t you think the human race is doing a fine job towards that?
Yes, indeed, and I fully endorse this tendency!
M.I. - If you were about to form a band now for the 1st time but with all the knowledge you’ve gained in these 23 years… how different or similar to Aborted would it be? What would you do differently?
I would choose some members differently, but for the rest I have almost no regrets at all!
M.I. - Do you have any regrets regarding the band? When you think of all the tough times and difficulties the band has gone through these decades do you think it was all worth it? Did the idea of quitting ever cross your mind?
There were a few moments where I thought it was hard as hell but the thought of quitting for good never crossed my mind. Aborted is the creature I am proud the most, plus how could I quit shouting at people’s faces and seeing them liking it!?
M.I. - If you could redo an Aborted album all over again… which one would it be and why?
You all know the answer to this… #suspenseintensifies.
M.I. - How old were you when you got interested/fascinated by horror, gore and extreme music? Did you become a musician casually or was it always your intention?
I grew up in the eighties, so I was a teenager when I became a fan of the horror imagery and early death metal from late 80s or early 90s always was a big influence on me, so I’d say the idea of making music grew into me pretty quick.
M.I. - Is the band pressured to release new material every other year or so? Do you think having a deadline to present new material may be killing the creativity of some bands?
Deadlines sometimes could be a no go for creativity, but sometimes if you work with the right musicians and people it can also push you into doing something good. Luckily, we don’t have that kind of pressure to write an album every single year or so, we do it because we like it.
M.I. - How do you feel when you hear that you are now also inspiring others to follow their dreams and play the music they love? Is this a heavy responsibility? Have you ever met a real die-hard fan?
Oh, we did meet a lot of die hard fans, like die hard collectors who get different editions of the same album and I still think ‘goddamit, you’re truly into Aborted, aren’t you?’ but this thought fills me with pride. If I feel like an inspiration to others? This is up to them to say so, but in that case, that’s cool and not a burden.
M.I. - In case you had to advise someone who had never heard of Aborted… which album do you think the person should listen to first and why?
Start with ‘Terrorvision’, it’s the perfect combination of what the band became in 20 years of activity!
M.I. - What are you most proud of as a member of Aborted?
Screaming nonsense while touring and playing the music I like in front of our fans!
M.I. - Please leave a message to the Portuguese fans and readers of Metal Imperium Webzine!
Obrigado! And don’t worry, dear Portuguese, we’ll be back sooner than you think!
For Portuguese version, click here
Questions by Sónia Fonseca
