Interview with AVERN
!!!METALPUNK FROM SPAIN!!!
We had a conversation with J. Guerrero (Vocals). Enjoy!
Welcome to the FILTHY DOGS OF METAL Webzine.
Tell us a few things about AVERN (Members, Starting Year etc).
We are a band from Barcelona(Catalonia, Spain) formed in 2018
Members:
E. Bergadà - Drums
P. Delgado - Guitar
J. Guerrero - Vocals
Letxon - Bass
And we play some kind of metal with punk roots.
You have recently released your album "Hell On Earth". What is the feedback from your audience as well as from the press?
Well, it's only been out for two weeks, just the digital and the CD version for the moment, because the vinyl is on production and there's some delay, I hope it will arrive on May. Anyway, for the time being, the feedback seems to be good, people seem to like it, we have some good reviews and the pre-order goes very well, so we can't complain!
Label or DIY and why?
This time we have decided to do it DIY. On the last album, our first one, we did it with some friend labels that helped us with the edition and distribution and it went so cool. But this time we have decided to do it this way. Mainly because of the difficulty of finding labels in these hard times, but also because we tend to work this way, basically because it is the easiest way for a small band like ours.
Do you prefer Vinyl, Tape, CD or Digital Format and why is that?
Tough decision! As music collectors, we prefer the physical form, specially the vinyl, for sure. However, we are not going to deny the fact that today the digital format is the most used, most accessible and most comfortable way to consume music. In any case, we believe that both options can coexist. For example, we consume music on streaming but we keep buying records.
Your music style is MetalPunk. Which are your main influences (Favourite Artists / Bands etc.)
Well, it's hard to say because we listen to a lot of music, but I think that our main influences maybe are, on one hand, the metal stuff (Old school Death Metal bands, some NWOBHM, Early Black metal, Doom metal...) and on the other hand the 80's HC/punk bands like Discharge, Poison Idea or Amebix, His Hero Is Gone, and other bands from the Crust/Stench Core scene.
Which things do you think a Band should sacrifice in order to succeed? Have you ever sacrificed anything in your life for a better future for your Band?
In our case, we do this basically for fun, it has always been like this and at this point it's not gonna change. If music was our way of making a living, it would be very different, of course, but due to life circumstances it has always been like that, so in our case at most we have had to sacrifice our holidays to go on tour, lose money (like almost everyone) and things like that...
Describe your ideal live show as a performance Band. Have you already experienced that?
A concert with good sound, correct catering and an audience that enjoys our music means total happiness. But I would be lying if I say that opening for Tryptikon and sharing stage with Tom G. Warrior would not excite me (hahaha). In these five years, we haven't done too many shows, basically because of the pandemic, even so we've played in some cool venues with cool bands and it seems that more people come to our concerts, we are very happy with how things are going! In a month, we will play with Godflesh (a legendary band that we love), ”sserp and Inerth, both bands are friends of us so we are so excited about it. Maybe it would be an example of an ideal show.
Which attributes, do you think, that a new MetalPunk Band should have in order to gain identity and be unique?
In our case, we say we are a metalpunk band, beside the musical aspects, because we are metalheads since we were kids, but we also come from the Hardcore / Punk scene, we've played in hardcore punk bands since we were teenagers, organizing shows, doing fanzines and all this stuff. For us, Punk Rock means a lot of things besides music (such as respect, mutual support, antifascism, antiracism, antisexism, etc.) that unfortunately sometimes are not present in the metal scene. Anyway, we don't claim to be unique, we just make the music we like.
Do you believe that Digital Platforms help the new MetalPunk Bands? Which, do you think, is the ideal way for a Band to promote its work?
Digital platforms, as I said before, are an important tool nowadays, specially for small bands like us. To spread your music, to make yourself known and reach as many people as possible. Remember that years ago or you had a label behind paying for a good promotion campaign or that did not happen. But for sure, that's not all, at the end a band like ours sells records through touring and playing good shows.
Tell us a few things about the New Underground Metal Scene in Barcelona, Spain (Bands, Fanzines, Webzines, Metal Clubs etc.)
Well, nowadays there's a huge underground scene in BCN, more and more people come to the concerts and there are new and very good bands. We also see a certain generational change, something that didn't happen a few years ago. Bands that we like a lot and with which we share the stage and beers often like Atonement, Bocc, Cruz, ”sserp, Tort, Trollcave, Ered, Estertor, Barbarian Swords ... I think exciting things are happening in Barcelona. The problem is the same as always in all big cities, there are fewer and fewer venues and less support for live music from the institutions. Today it's very difficult to find a date and a venue to organize a gig in Barcelona.
Do you know anything about the Hellenic Metal Scene?
Well, I love Rotting Christ, Necromantia and Varathron since I was a kid in the 90's, these bands sounded different and unique! I also like a lot Satan's Wrath and Dead Congregation, for sure. Any recommendation?
The last 3 years worldwide we have faced many dark, strange & new situations with our everyday life (covid, lock-down etc.) Did all of this affect you positively or negatively?
Well, the pandemic affected everyone in one way or another. As a band, it happened right after the release of our first album, so we couldn't do many concerts to present it. Even so, we had to reinvent ourselves, work on new stuff, do concerts with restrictions, streaming and shit like that and in the end I think the record sold really good.
What are your future plans?
Play as much as we can over Spain and maybe do a tour over Europe. We will see if it's possible...
Thank you very much for your time & Keep up the good work! The closure is yours.
Thanks so much for your time and support, it's a pleasure to answer such interesting interviews like this one. See you on the road. Cheers!
By Steve the Filthy Dog.
AVERN CONTACT:
https://www.facebook.com/avernbcn
https://www.instagram.com/avernbcn/
https://avernbcn.bandcamp.com/music
https://open.spotify.com/artist/686gLCp1lJo63IK83ltBbv