Seattle-based rock band Aiden brings a hard and heavy hit to listeners with their recent release “Knives.” As the fourth studio album by the band since 2003, it continues in the direction of previous releases but with a confidence and cohesiveness of a maturing group coming into its own.
Aiden consists of wiL Francis (vocals, guitar), Angel Ibarra (guitar), Nick Wiggins (bass) and Jake Davison (drums) and the band follows in the sonic trends of fellow mainstream hardcore-
emo rockers Avenged Sevenfold and My Chemical Romance.
Heavy metal and punk rock influences can be heard throughout “Knives,” but the abundance of the signature emo-rock musical breaks, stops and time changes hold Aiden true to the mainstream rock trends of late.
Aiden takes the signature dark, moody vibe to the max on “Knives” with countless references to death, blood, self-loathing and physical and emotional pain in general.
The heavy wall of sound can be at times dismal and spiraling and at other times have an energetic urgency, each complementing each other and bringing a welcomed, cohesive diversity to the album.
“Knives” consists of nine songs, the longest of which barely passes the three-minute mark, one 1:37 monologue of a female describing fear, confusion and suffering, and a hidden acoustic cover of “Lori Meyers” by punk band Nofx.
Save for the in-your-face lyrics of “Crucifixion,” which blatantly denies the existence of God, Aiden sticks to poetic ambiguity in its lyrics, relying on the speed and intensity of the music to highlight many of the emotions and themes the band is often trying to convey.
The album’s first single “Scavengers of the Damned,” as well as “Crucifixion” and “The Asylum” feature the band’s catchier, pop tendencies in the otherwise heavy cloak of sound that can at times shroud the listener.
Check them out online at http://www.aiden.org, or hear them live when Aiden returns to Seattle in January 2010.
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