Unpublished, Swedish media, Winter 2006

This interview was about to be released through a certain swedish media, but since it never came out and was already answered, we thought why not release it here.

Question: The band has placed itself in the most unique genre as "Operatic Avantgarde Metal". Since I have never ever heard this kind of music I came to find them really potential as a band. It's different in a very positive way. They have recorded 2 albums and I'm not quite sure in what languages they are singing. Someone told me this was a visual J-rock band, but personally I think it's really closer to calm but heavy dark opera underground metal.

Answer: First of all, I must correct you that the releases this far have been demos, not albums. And we're not a j-rock band, now days people just tend to categorize every abnormal band with Asian influences as a j-rock, just like Asian horror movies.

Q: In what language are you singing?

A: This far the used languages have been English, Latin, Japanese and French plus the Greek nouns. Maybe in the future we'll use a couple of other languages as well.

Q: When you say you are a visual band, what do you mean by that?

A: Basically that gigs, promotional shots and other similar parts include visual planning and that we try to take advantage of those possibilities. We're not a band that crawls to the stage in band t-shirts (nor the first band that states that), and maybe visual planning adds a nice extra to the music itself, which still is the main point though. I don't claim that there's something extraordinary for a band to do that kind of stuff, but if this isn't a good band using images producing strange associations, then what is? We tend to increase and improve the visual side, but as long as we pretty much arrange everything ourselves, we can't take a truckloads of clothes, props and midgets to every gig and promo session.

Q: What are your response from others when you gig live?

A: Those have varied quite much. Other gigs have gained pretty good praise as others we've played to empty facilities. Bad thing is that we don't have anybody to sell gigs, and promotion has been quite low so not many people seeing the band live have been aware of it beforehand. And if you get your first contact with this kind of music live, the possible reaction is confusion instead of enthusiasm.

Q: What's your methods of keeping the band on the market and what's your way of spreading the words that you exist since you're a non-commersial band?

A: Every time I take a piss or dumb in the public toilet, I write to the wall "support Aberrant Vascular or face vasectomia" and… that's pretty much it. Nah, to be serious we've sold, trade and shared demos in festivals and other sort of happenings and send them around, but after that the humble phemonena has kept rolling on it's own by people liking, and probably also those disliking, the band. And why, isn't the band so goddamn great that it promotes itself by it's own existence? Or that would serve our lazy asses just fine.

Q: I know that you have played live in Stockholm, at Club Lunacy, the J-rock-club, and I read that Aberrant Vascular has played live abroad too, so is there any differences in the response from the audience, if you compare countries? , though swedes is known to be a bit of a "stiff" people...

A: If the people at the Lunacy represent the average Swedes, I don't know if I want to live this close to the particular country…just kidding. To straighten the things again, the Stockholm gig has been our only gig abroad so far as other have been in Finland so I really can't compare audiences by those. Sure I'm wishing more gigs, both domestic and abroad, and maybe later we'll spot some differences, but I still doubt that nationalities make them.

Q. Who / what are your influenses?

A: Nothing particular, we're not a band bowing on the direction of any other band, individual artist or a form of entertainment in that way. Of course we're influenced by things 'cause as far as I know nobody lives in total isolation, but we're sticking to the goal we've had from the very beginning which is to create something new and unique instead of warming the same fondue over and over again. I can't speak on behalf of others as I'm not aware if they get their kicks out of scatporn, but I myself can pick up ideas, images et cetera from almost everywhere so eventually the source gets blurred. We're too late to invite the elements, but it's possible to shape, arrange and place them in the ways that justice the word "unique".

Q: Since the band has 5 members, how do you agree to everything? I refer to things like writing the songs etc, or does it occure fights when you're so many that should get along, or do the band has like one person who's in charge and the rest follows?

A: I practise Kung-Fu and every time somebody disagrees with my visions, I silence him with crane kick or David Hasselhoff-wig-attack. There's quite seldom any arguments although Aberrant consists of totally different personalities and personality distortions 'cause everybody are aiming for the same thing. Or then we all think so and that others do too and the result is a complete mess. But a smoothly attained mess.

Q: Do you ever feel sometimes it's hard for people to understand your music, since it's actually very unique?

A: Maybe the people are the ones feeling so? Actually, I've been surprised to notice how many people get something out of Aberrant as I was more sceptical about the reactions. Of course this isn't music for everyone, but I don't think it's so difficult after all if you're an open and patient person. But I'm still surprised we've gotten so much positive responses, although very few people bother to give feedback to the bands they dislike.

Q: Is image important to fit the music? (cloth, hair, style etc)

A: Of course the priority is in the music itself, 'cause we're a band, not a travelling fag theatre, but if you can spice it up with visual means then why not? And actually I've heard that now days it's cool to look like a faggot so maybe finally we get some respect and food to the backstage. As about fitting the image to the music, some part of that is carefully planned while other part is the opposite, but when a band gets weird enough, it's quite hard to tell when one corset is in the wrong place. Aiming for that.

Q: Why are there no lyrics on your website? it would be interesting to know the lyrics, when I admit it's a bit hard to understand the words. or maybe that's the point to focus on the music?

A: We've been planning to renew our website before the summer and include the lyrics with translations, but that would require someone to get up from the couch. Though I'm not sure if they help to form a picture or just ruin the illusion, 'cause now we're a band with strange lyrics and translated ones would bring us one step closer to comprehendable, but at least that would give people a choice. Sometimes ignorance is a bliss, sometimes annoying.

Finally I'd like to announce that at present knowledge we start recording our debut album before the summer, but as we haven't signed any contracts yet I prefer not to gossip too much as all things haven't been confirmed yet. And now that I've said that, the whole thing probably collapses and people keep asking "hey where's that album which was supposed to be the best in the world" and we pretend not having mentioned anything but what the hell.

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