Avven

Avven is a Slovenian metal band formed in 2003 in Kresnice. It began when singer and guitarist Primož Lajovic grew tired of playing other people's songs and wanted to write his own; with guitarist Gašper Šinkovec he set up a band to do just that. There were five members at first, and the first songs and demos came out in 2004.

For years Avven played folk metal, with melodies, lyrics and instruments drawn from Slovenian folk tradition, and it was once the best-known folk metal band in Slovenia. The first album, Panta Rhei, with eleven songs, was recorded in 2006. A long break between albums followed, as the band concentrated on touring Slovenia and Eastern Europe.

The second album, Kastalija, came out in 2011. Two of its three singles, "Ros" and "Zmaji", were chosen as the song of the week on Radio Val 202. Anej Ivanuša, who plays the gaita, flute and pipes, joined around this time, while the band parted with its violinist, Barbara.

After Kastalija the sound changed. The 2013 single "Sijaj" was meant as the bridge from the old Avven to the new one, which the band presented with the Eos EP at Orto Bar on 13 April 2017. The new Avven plays metalcore, with harder melodies and occasional harsh vocals, and the folk and fantasy themes gave way to lyrics about existence and existential questions, mostly in English instead of Slovene. The line-up is Lajovic, Šinkovec, bassist Uroš Rozina, Ivanuša, Peter Dimnik on keyboards, programming and harsh vocals, and drummer Klemen Krajnc, who joined in 2016. The band's own recordings include tour concerts across Europe in 2017 and a performance of "Empires" at Gora Rocka in 2018.