Aiden

Hailing from rainy Seattle, Aiden combine post-hardcore and punk attitudes with gothic aesthetics and a love of all things horror (not to mention, of course, the Misfits) to create surging, darkly melodic music. Aiden formed in the spring of 2003 while the bandmembers were still in high school, taking their name from the young ghost-seeing boy in the 2002 horror flick The Ring. A few lineup changes occurred early on; the quintet -- Nick Wiggins (bass), Jake Davison (drums), Angel Ibarra (guitar), Jake Wambold (guitar), and William "wiL" Francis (vocals) -- was solidified, however, before entering the studio in December 2004 to record its debut full-length, Our Gang’s Dark Oath. Making two-song samplers of their album, Aiden managed to pass out a few thousand copies around town, sparking a word-of-mouth buzz all over Seattle. Their debut was released in June 2004 on Dead Teenager, and the band played countless shows throughout the year -- whenever school would allow. The hard work paid off quickly, and the group inked a deal with Victory Records by December. All the bandmembers were finally done with high school by June 2005, and Aiden were free to tour, jumping on the road that summer with the Hurt Process, the Audition, and the Junior Varsity. Their first label effort, Nightmare Anatomy, appeared in October 2005, proving to be a slickly energetic record with undeniable hooks despite somewhat morose lyrical content. Touring with labelmates Hawthorne Heights, Bayside, and Silverstein rounded out the year before Aiden headed back out to support 30 Seconds to Mars nationwide in the first half of 2006. Victory then re-released Our Gang’s Dark Oath with new artwork in April 2006, the Rain in Hell EP arriving just in time for that year’s Halloween. In August of 2007, Aiden issued Conviction, an album that took them away from their screamo tendencies toward more rock-oriented, melodic terrain. In 2009, the band made a return to its post-hardcore form with Knives, and followed up quickly with the live album From Hell... With Love, released in 2010. ~ Corey Apar, All Music Guide