When I resurrected Aversionline back in March, my first post was about Budapest, Hungary's Audionerve, so I'm pleased to report that the band's 12-song, 43-minute debut full-length, Burn Your System, will be out in just a little over a week on September 3rd. Somewhat of a solo project for guitarist Gergő Hájer (with the help of vocalist Andres Vincze), Audionerve cranks out precisely the type of meaty, churning, steamroller groove metal you'd expect if you're familiar with any of Hájer's prior work with Omega Diatribe, though I could see this material appealing as much to fans of Slipknot as to those who prefer Crowbar or Meshuggah.
I've become a little bit of a Gergő Hájer fanboy since the summer of 2015. He's a really talented dude who works hard and makes shit happen, and I really admire that. Check out his playthrough video for Burn Your System's title track below, followed by a quick interview to gain some knowledge on the backstory behind Audionerve...
The core of Audionerve is yourself, usually keeping busy with Omega Diatribe, and vocalist Andres Vincze, who has performed with bands such as Faceman and Monastery. How did the two of you join forces to work together on this studio project?
Andres and I have been good friends for a really long time, and I was always a big fan of his voice. He's got some special talent and he totally moves in the scene where I would like to dedicate this album, so it was clear for me to have him on the record. By the way, the basic plan was to give each song to a different vocalist, but finally I decided that it's better if the vocals are unified on a full-length album.
This album has been in the works for a long time, right? Tracks like "Massive Impulse of Hate" and "Ghost Train" were originally released online about a year ago under the band name of Higher, which I'm assuming was an early incarnation of Audionerve. Talk about the long road to finally completing and releasing Burn Your System...
Yes, you're watchful [laughs]. I've been working on this record since we released the debut album called Iapetus with Omega Diatribe [in late-2013]. "Ghost Train" and "Massive Impulse of Hate" were the first two singles from Burn Your System, I just dropped these songs out onto the internet under my nickname, "Higher," because I was curious about the opinion of the audience. The reaction was pretty shocking because I saw that the metal audience is still hungry for instinctive, raw, groovy metal music; so I decided to put more energy into this project and make a real, old school, uncompromised metal record mostly inspired by my basic influences.
As a whole this material is steeped in the killer, hard-hitting grooves I've come to expect from your work, but it seems like you're pulling from a wider range of influences with Audionerve. "Dig Deep" reminds me of Crowbar at times, and "Andromedian Syndrome" even has some faster-paced moments with a hardcore type of influence, for example, which is really cool.
Actually, "Dig Deep" was the first song that I wrote for this project. It's totally a slow-grinder song under the wings of New Orleans sludge, which I like a lot. "Andromedian Syndrome" mirrors my hardcore influences, you're right. I'm a big fan of old school hardcore music—the rawness, the vibe, and the pure energy of that scene always fueled me up. As you can hear, these songs are way more primitive and instinctive than Omega Diatribe's music, so this project was born to feel myself as a full-person, 'cause these songs are just as important to me as Omega Diatribe's.
Track titles like "Andromedian Syndrome" imply a sci-fi angle that might compare to Omega Diatribe, but other songs suggest socio-political commentary or just general expressions of anger and frustration, etc. What's the lyrical tone of the album?
The record's title includes the lyrical tone perfectly: Burn Your System. I'm a peaceful guy, you know, but some things in this world "Babylon" just really piss me off. The record's title is dedicated to the bureaucracy with two middle fingers in the air. I've never felt comfortable in this party where all of the humans are driven by money, dressed in super fucking fancy suits, and telling you nothing but lies right to your face. You can see these souls burning on the album cover, reflected in the gas mask's eyes. So, there are some songs on the record which equal a wake up call for revolution.
You worked with a few guest musicians on a handful of tracks for the album, such as Nick Oshiro (Static-X), Kevin Talley (Dying Fetus, Six Feet Under, etc.), and Tamas Schrottner (Ektomorf). How did that come about, and what was the experience like?
To have Nick on the record was just a "right place at the right time" thing. He had a songwriting competition where I sent in my demo version of "My Own Enemy," and he totally liked it. He picked me as a winner in the competition and said, "Let's do this song together, bro, it's gonna be killer!"
Kevin's contribution was evident, because we already worked on Omega Diatribe's Abstract Ritual together, so I already had his contact information. The song featuring Kevin, "Politpigs," is absolutely the sickest song on the record. I fuckin' love it, man... the title is also a great choice for the vibe of the song.
Having Tamas from Ektomorf was just inevitable, man... [laughs]. He's been my soulbro for a really, really long time. We know each other well, and we went through some crazy times together. I didn't want to release my first "solo record" without his vibe. He just came to my house. There were a few friends, we were boozing, smoking, and all that stuff, and he just nailed the solo for "Dig Deep" perfectly. Still one of my favorite songs on the record...
Tell me about some of the work you do with 515 Studio. Who are some of the other bands you've worked with that readers should check out, etc.?
Mostly I did commercial work with 515 Studio, but last year I sold my soul and now I'm doing production for other bands as well. My two favorite works that I've made with 515 Studio are the full-length album from Hit by a School Bus, and the new material from Kill With Hate. Check them out!
What else are you working on these days? Anything new with Omega Diatribe, or other projects? I've become such a fan of your output over the last few years, so I'm always interested to hear what you're up to!
Thanks for your kind words, man, it means a lot to me. I've got a new full-time job here in Budapest in a big local music shop where I manage musical instruments—mostly ESP guitars, which is a true love for me. I've used these guitars for 13+ years and it means the world to me to be a tiny part of this worldwide family, so there's a lot of challenge and fun.
Musically, I'm working on the third Omega Diatribe record with my homies. It's gonna be something really special when we finally release it. We plan to release it in the first quarter of 2018. I don't know if you already know this, but we had a change in the band's lineup. Our friend Geri [Komáromi, vocals] left the band a few weeks ago, but there's no bad blood. We're still brothers, he just lost the fire for touring, you know? If you play in Omega Diatribe, you have to die and be reborn on the stage: this is our mentality. But there's no panic, 'cause we have Milán Lucsányi from a local band called Sleepless. He's a really powerful singer and a phenomenal frontman, so we're super excited to release this monster record with him. I'm looking forward to keeping you updated. Thank you for the great questions, my friend, it was an honor to chat with you again!
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A few singles from Burn Your System are now available via Bandcamp. Look for the full album on September 3rd, and keep up with Audionerve on Facebook.
