Taken from the greek mythology, "Kastalija" is the title of AVVEN's second full-length album. Anam, the vocalist and guitarist of the Slovenian folk metal band, is accompanying Rock Overdose to their world of fantasy, a bit after their successful European tour.
Rockoverdose.gr: Hello guys, welcome to Rock Overdose! Would you give us a short bio of AVVEN?
Anam: The band was established in 2003 and at first consisted of five members. Right from the beginning we were focused on creating our own original music. As a tribute to the source of our inspiration we called our music “rock of the east”. Later on we had some line-up changes, the band now consists of seven members. A great team, what can I say…
Rockoverdose.gr: Is it easy to come to an agreement when there are so many people in the band?
Anam: It is not very easy, but we always come to an agreement in the end. We have democracy in our band – one person one voice. Considering the rehearsals it was often hard to manage the timing, but since Avven is a priority for all of us in this period, it is possible now. Considering the work on the music, we always actually try to please every one of us. We try and struggle with the song until that happens.
Rockoverdose.gr: Where does the name “Avven” come from?
Anam: Avven comes from celtic word “Awen” which basically means inspiration. It is also the symbol of three different forces in life – male, female and the balance between them. What could be more appropriate for a bands name?
Rockoverdose.gr: Is there something deeper than a geographical approach to the characterization “Rock of the East” you've given your music?
Anam: Yes. It also has the meaning of a new rising band and new genre in music. Every day is a new challenge for us, considering making of our new record…
Rockoverdose.gr: We were very pleased to see that the title of your last album has to do with the Greek mythology! Why don't you tell us a few things about the album itself.
Anam: That’s nice to hear… Yeah, the name of our new album is “Kastalija”. It really comes from your mythology, where it meant some kind of a source for an inspiration. On our newest album you can find 10 songs marked by the band’s love for the world of fantasy, tales and miracles. Kastalija contains quite some catchy folkish melodies, and also quite some heavy riffings. I think we made a good combination of everything… The insipiration is pure fantasy, as I said..
Rockoverdose.gr: Have you seen the people embracing what you do? And what about the lyrics, which are mainly in Slovenian?
Anam: People really like combination of metal, folk melodies and melodic vocals. Almost all typical folk metal bands have hard, growl vocals. It is not the case with us, maybe that is the reason why we actually are getting more and more established in our home country and also internationally. It is true that we have mainly Slovenian lyrics. We will change this on our next album, because we will also have lyrics in the English language.
Rockoverdose.gr: You were touring central Europe some months ago, how was it? Are you planning to visit Greece too one day?
Anam: We had actually a very successful tour in central Europe and we really hope that someday we will come to your beautiful country and present our music to your audience. It would be a blast to bring Kastalija to Greece!
Rockoverdose.gr: Has any Greek metal band caught your attention till now?
Anam: I have the name Firewind somewhere back in my head. I can’t remember any greek folk metal bands but I think that you also have some great new metalcore bands.
Rockoverdose.gr: What is going on with the metal scene in Slovenia? Metalcamp is a very nice festival you've got there!
Anam: The problem with the metal scene in Slovenia is that it is not supported by the mainstream media, and at the same time there is almost no indiependent underground media that would support more alternative genres. But there are lots and lots of great young metal bands that are really trying hard and making some seriously great music. We have some amazing metal fans in Slovenia, who actually follow us to every concert. Metalcamp is actually one of the greatest metal fests in this part of Europe. The atmosphere there is really fantastic! We are really looking forward to perform at Metalcamp 2012!
Rockoverdose.gr: Is it easy to make your breakthrough and keep up with a professional career, financially speaking?
Anam: At this time it is very difficult, financially speaking, because we invest all the money into our music gear. We want to work extremely professional. We also cannot pay for all of the recording costs from band budget. But it is getting better every day.
Rockoverdose.gr: That's good news! Next year it's going to be 10 years since your formation, have you seen yourselves evolving through the band? Have you thought of a way to celebrate it already?
Anam: Wow, you surprised me! Actually I keep forgetting it has already been ten years, it feels like we started yesterday. We are really having a crazy time with those bastards! But yes, the biggest progress was made in the last year or two, after releasing Kastalija, which made our breakthrough in Slovenia. I think that we will join two big events: 10 years of Avven and release of our new album. But there are no serious plans yet.
Rockoverdose.gr: I'm sure it's going to be very cool. Thank you very much for the nice talk we had, hope to see you playing live one day! Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Anam: First we would like to thank you for this interview. All greek rock and metal fans can find us on official web page www.avven.com. Stay with Avven and stay heavy girls and guys! Jamas!!!
For Rockoverdose.gr: Stella Tsolakou
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