Aiden - New Sound, New Tour, New Album

Seattle based post-hardcore band Aiden have finally finished work on their upcoming album, Knives, set to release Tuesday May 12th.

The band who has toured with varying artists from HIM to Chiodos, have gained a firm fan base including citizens of the underground goth scene and the average Hot Topic teenager since the bands debut album Our Gangs Dark Oath until their recent release of Conviction in 2007.

Aiden, formed in 2003 and released Our Gangs Dark Oath the following year in 2004 on a local record label. In 2005 the band signed to Victory Records, while two members were still attending high school. Signed to Victory, Aiden released Nightmare Anatomy in October of that year. With the release of Nightmare Anatomy Aiden started building a loyal fan base and in 2006 they were awarded as the Best Newcomer at the Metal Hammer Awards. With their new gained fame, Aiden was also awarded as the Best International Newcomer at the 2006 Kerrang! Awards.

After a quick release of Aiden's EP in 2006, Rain In Hell, which included covers of Billy Idol's "White Wedding" and The Misfits "Die, Die My Darling", Aiden set to work on their follow-up to Nightmare Anatomy with Conviction. Will Francis, the bands vocalist, had written Conviction when he was "content with his life". "We had toured the world, met and formed friendships with our idols. I was also in love. And that all sort of came together in Conviction".

Aiden unleashed Conviction on August 21st, 2007. The band soon lost many loyal fans and became the subject of several music critics. Critics and fans complained that Conviction was "too much of a departure from the Aiden sound". Will replied to the complaints with "I can't write a record to please our fans, I can only write music that I'm in love with."

With failing record sales compared to Nightmare Anatomy and personal issues, Aiden soon hit trouble. In May of 2008 the band had pulled out of a US tour with Kill Hannah, citing "personal reasons" as the cause. It was soon announced that Jake Wambold, Aiden's guitarist was leaving. After Jake's departure the band took a small break from the road and went home to Seattle.

In late 2008 Will announced an upcoming side project of his own, William Control. After the crash of a long term relationship and reflections of his troubled youth, William Control was born. The side project consists of dark, angry lyrics and techno beats. William Control debuted on Victory Records with Hate Culture in late October of 2008. Along with Aiden's bassist, Nick Wiggins, William Control hit the road with Escape the Fate and The Black Tide on a US tour in spring 2009. William Control had surprised many Aiden fans and intrigued critics with Will's alter-ego.

While the band worked on their upcoming release Knives and while Will and Nick were on tour in support of William Control, another side project was born in between Aiden's guitarist Angel and their drummer Jake. Rock N Roll Weekend is a softer, more soulful sound compared to Aiden. Rock N Roll Weekend played a few local shows and have only released a few songs on their MySpace page.

"I'm fuc**g pissed again, my life fell apart. The lyrics are so mean and evil". In late March, Aiden released a new single off Knives "Scavengers of the Damned" that mirrors Aiden's early sound with catchy riffs and an epic chorus.

The band also put emphasis on the new albums artwork, encouraging fans to go out and buy the album for the artwork, instead of buying it online. With Jake's departure, Will has taken over guitar and lead vocals, Nick Wiggins on bass (Who also played bass for William Control on tour), Angel on guitar and Jake D. on drums. Will stated "I think that a lot of people who hated Conviction will really like this one. But who knows and who really cares? We're just going to make the record we want to make."

With Knives set to drop on Tuesday May 12th and Aiden's announcment of "The Ticket To Hell Tour", who are also doing all dates on The Vans Warped Tour this summer, they're back on the road and back in business. "The Ticket To Hell Tour" is a brief tour with small venues on the west coast and all tickets on sale for $6.66.

Ticket To Hell Tour Dates:

• May 9 2009 - Hell’s Kitchen, Tacoma, Washington
• May 10 2009 - Hawthorne Theatre, Portland, Oregon
• May 11 2009 - Wow Hall, Eugene, Oregon
• May 13 2009 - Stockton Empire Theatre, Stockton, California
• May 14 2009 - The Boardwalk, Orangevale, California
• May 15 2009 - Jerrys Pizza, Bakersfield, California
• May 16 2009 - The Knitting Factory, Los Angeles, California
• May 18 2009 - Chain Reaction, Anaheim, California
• May 21 2009 - Avalon, Salt Lake City, Utah
• May 22 2009 - The Venue, Boise, Idaho
• May 23 2009 - The BLVD, Spokane, Washington
• May 24 2009 - El Corazon, Seattle, Washington

To check UK and all other tour dates head over to Aiden's MySpace.

Will recently stated: "In this booming economy and war torn existence, I couldn't be more excited about art and prospect of shredding people with a guitar."