Aiden

Aiden emerged from the damp environs of Seattle, fusing punk and post-hardcore energy with gothic visuals and an affinity for horror themes, along with explicit nods to the Misfits, resulting in propulsive yet brooding melodies. The group came together during the spring of 2003, while its members were still attending high school, and drew its moniker from the spectral child in the 2002 film The Ring. Early personnel shifts gave way to a stable five-piece lineup of Nick Wiggins on bass, Jake Davison on drums, Angel Ibarra and Jake Wambold on guitar, and William “wiL” Francis handling vocals. By December 2004 the band had entered the studio to lay down its first full-length, Our Gang’s Dark Oath. The musicians pressed a limited run of two-song samplers from the sessions and distributed several thousand copies locally, generating organic excitement across the city. Dead Teenager issued the album in June 2004, after which the members balanced countless performances with remaining school obligations. That momentum led to a recording contract with Victory Records, signed by December.

Once all members had graduated in June 2005, Aiden launched into extensive touring, joining the Hurt Process, the Audition, and the Junior Varsity for summer dates. The band’s first release on its new label, Nightmare Anatomy, surfaced in October 2005 and delivered brisk, hook-driven songs even as its lyrics remained largely somber. The remainder of the year was spent on the road alongside Hawthorne Heights, Bayside, and Silverstein; early 2006 brought a national trek supporting 30 Seconds to Mars. Victory reissued Our Gang’s Dark Oath with fresh artwork in April 2006, and the Rain in Hell EP followed in time for Halloween. Conviction arrived in August 2007, steering the group away from its earlier screamo leanings toward broader, melody-focused rock. A return to post-hardcore roots came with 2009’s Knives, followed the next year by the live set From Hell… With Love. Later in 2010 the members began tracking their fifth studio album, Disguises, which Francis produced and which reached stores in 2011. Five months after that release, the band revealed plans for yet another record and fulfilled them that fall with the sixth album, Some Kind of Hate.