Metal Band of the Week:

AIZEN

October 17, 2009 by Kyle Brady
Tags: AIZEN, Band, Metal, Music, Review
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From their MySpace page and some of their artwork, it’d be very easy to confuse the San Diego metal band AIZEN, named after the Japanese god of love, for goths, but it seems they just like things to be dark, bleak, and artistically disturbing.  Not much can be found about the band, except that they produce extremely interesting music and have been around for a number of years, without being signed to a major label.

To understand what AIZEN sounds like, it’s important to mention up front that instead of the typical five-piece, they’ve added a sixth member for keyboards.  Not to be confused with cheesy bands like Sonata Arctica or Dragonforce, their emphasis still lies rightly with the usual elements of metal:  screaming/singing vocals, syncopated drums, heavy and melodic guitars, and low-range bass.  Their sound actually lies somewhere amongst a conglomeration of radio rock and modern metal, as if Breaking Benjamin, Nightwish, and All That Remains formed a supergroup and refused to let go of their musical pasts.

Depending on the track, AIZEN can be heavy and anthemic or light and touching, but they almost always have a groove or melody that is instantly relatable, along with the occasional guitar solo.  Why they haven’t been signed to a label yet is not clear, but an entirely different fact is - AIZEN is a group of six metal fans that refuse to give up on the dream, and continue to record and release new, interesting music for their fans, despite whatever hardships they've likely endured.

AIZEN can be found on MySpace, and they have an EP available on request.

"Metal Band of the Week" is a weekly series, published on Saturdays, showcasing metal bands that get less attention than they deserve.
Kyle can be found on Twitter and MySpace, or reached via email.