Aiden

Aiden

Company type	Punk rock group
Industry	Music
Founded	2003 (2003-)
Headquarters	Seattle , United States
Products	Music albums, live performances

Aiden is a punk rock group originating from Seattle, Washington, United States, established in the spring of 2003. They achieved notable underground recognition during the mid to late 2000s with their classic lineup, which included lead vocalist William Francis, guitarists Angel Ibarra and Jake Wambold, bassist Nick Wiggins, and drummer Jake Davison.

Formation and Our Gangs Dark Oath (2003–2004)

The band came together in 2003, taking their name from Aidan Keller, a character in the 2002 movie The Ring. Their debut album, Our Gangs Dark Oath, was released in 2004 through Dead Teenager Records. Notably, Davison and Ibarra were still attending high school during the recording process.

Nightmare Anatomy era (2005–2006)

In 2005, Aiden secured a contract with Victory Records and launched their sophomore album, Nightmare Anatomy, on October 4 of that year. The album charted at number 196 on the Billboard 200, climbed to number 9 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart, and reached number 16 on the Billboard Independent Albums Chart. This release stands as one of their most commercially successful works, featuring singles such as "The Last Sunrise," "Die Romantic," and "Knife Blood Nightmare."

Throughout 2006, Aiden supported tours for Thirty Seconds to Mars and Finnish rock band HIM. In April 2007, they joined tours with Lostprophets and Taking Back Sunday, followed by participation in the North American leg of the Taste of Chaos tour alongside bands like The Used, Thirty Seconds to Mars, and Senses Fail. They also headlined the Confessions in the Dark Tour with support from Drop Dead, Gorgeous, Still Remains, and 1997.

Conviction period and William Control project (2007–2008)

Released on August 21, 2007, Aiden’s third studio album, Conviction, represented a notable evolution in their sound. The album attained commercial success by reaching number 54 on the Billboard 200 and number 5 on the Independent Albums chart. Its lead single, "One Love", was featured in the film Resident Evil: Extinction, while "We Sleep Forever" appeared on the soundtrack for Dead Silence. On October 9, 2007, the band announced they were filming a music video for "Moment," confirming it as their next single release.

In early 2008, Aiden embarked on a U.S. tour alongside Madina Lake, then proceeded to tour Europe with Kill Hannah between March and April as part of their three-phase "World by Storm Tour." The final segment spanning from Massachusetts to Seattle was cut short due to personal reasons; however, the band reinstated their last two shows near Seattle. They also performed at the Bamboozle Festival in May 2008. Additionally, Aiden recorded a rendition of Ashley Massaro’s theme song "Let's Light a Fire Tonight" for WWE The Music, Vol. 8.

On May 20, 2008, Jake Wambold exited the group. Following this change, Aiden continued as a quartet starting May 24 in Spokane, Washington. Meanwhile, frontman Wil Francis initiated a side project named William Control, focusing on darker lyrical content that diverged from Aiden’s typical style. The band contributed a cover of "Cry Little Sister" to the soundtrack of Lost Boys: The Tribe. They toured Europe again in October 2008 and followed up with the U.S. "Suffer Little Children Tour," concluding on December 7. By mid-December, Aiden had begun writing and recording roughly 25 new tracks for their upcoming album; William Control revealed having composed around 30 songs during an Alternative Press podcast.

Knives (2009–2010)

Aiden's fourth studio effort, Knives, was launched on May 12, 2009 (May 11 in the UK). The album reached number 95 on the Billboard 200 and climbed to number 12 on the Independent Albums chart. Prior to the album release, the single "Scavengers of the Damned" became available on iTunes on March 31, 2009, followed by "Let The Right One In." In April, the band announced a UK tour focusing on intimate venues. May saw Aiden headline the Music Saves Lives Summer Kickoff Party and take part in the 2009 Van's Warped Tour, where they signed autographs for fans who donated blood to the charity.

In early 2010, Aiden supported Anti-Flag on their 'Economy Sucks, Let's Party!' Tour and recorded a live DVD/CD titled From Hell... with Love, which was released on March 16, 2010. The band had intended to tour the UK and Europe alongside Saosin, but after Saosin withdrew, financial constraints led to the cancellation of those plans. Later that year, in November and December, Aiden conducted a UK tour with Francesqa and The Dead Formats as opening acts.

Disguises and Some Kind of Hate (2011–2012)

Disguises, Aiden’s fifth album, was released on March 29, 2011, featuring "Walk Among the Dead" as its lead single debuting on iTunes. Subsequent music videos for "Hysteria" and "A Portrait of the Artist" were unveiled in April and June respectively.

On May 9, 2011, drummer Jake Davison amicably parted ways with the band to explore new opportunities. His replacement was Ryan Seaman from Falling In Reverse. That summer, Aiden headlined the Horror Nights Tour alongside Vampires Everywhere!, Eyes Set to Kill, Dr. Acula, and Get Scared.

Later in 2011, their sixth studio album Some Kind of Hate was released on October 25. This marked their final release with Victory Records and their second album within that year. The single "Broken Bones" was promoted through a YouTube video. In December, Aiden announced they would headline the "Rock Beyond Belief" festival at Fort Bragg scheduled for March—a secular alternative to the Christian "Rock the Fort" festival—with promotion including their "Hysteria" video.

On January 1, 2012, lead guitarist Angel Ibarra exited the group. Despite this change, Aiden embarked on a US west coast tour in January called "Something Wicked This Way Comes," supporting Wednesday 13 and Modern Day Escape with Ian MacWilliams and Keef West filling guitar and drum roles. Additionally, "There Will Be Blood," the opening track from Some Kind of Hate, was chosen as the theme song for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's Genesis (2012) pay-per-view event.

Hiatus (2012–2014)

Following completion of the Something Wicked This Way Comes tour, Aiden entered a period of inactivity. Frontman Francis concentrated on his project William Control as well as producing for acts such as Fearless Vampire Killers and Ashestoangels. Meanwhile, Wiggins focused on his band Girl On Fire. In January 2013, Francis revealed that Aiden planned to disband after releasing one final album; originally slated for 2014, its release was postponed until 2015.

In January 2012, Aiden headlined Rock Beyond Belief—a concert organized by atheist members of the military. They used their "Hysteria" video from Disguises to promote this event. Fox News controversially interpreted this as endorsing church burning; however, the band refuted these claims.

Return and Aiden (2014–2016)

On December 30, 2014, Aiden hinted at a comeback by posting "2015" on their Facebook page. Wil Francis confirmed that work on a new album was in progress and announced that original bassist Nick Wiggins had departed, with Kenneth Fletcher from William Control’s touring lineup stepping in as his replacement. Francis intended to release the self-titled final album as a complimentary digital download on October 31, 2015, financing the project through an auction of Aiden-related memorabilia.

The album Aiden includes guest vocal contributions from Ashley Costello (New Years Day), Adam Crilly (Ashestoangels), Chris Motionless (Motionless in White), Craig Mabbitt (Escape The Fate), Kier Kemp (Fearless Vampire Killers), and features Ryan Seaman (Falling In Reverse) on guest drums. The lead single, "Crawling Up From Hell," was unveiled on October 9.

During the autumn of 2015, Aiden launched the Last Sunrise Tour, promoted as their farewell tour, featuring support acts Ashestoangels, Never Found, Kissing Candice, and Old Wounds. They performed the entire Nightmare Anatomy album live. Although Keef West contributed drum parts to the record, Ben Tourkantonis took over drumming duties for the tour. Aiden’s concluding concert occurred on January 31 at the Camden Underworld venue.

Musical style and influences

Corey Apar of AllMusic characterized Aiden’s music as "dynamic, darkly melodic post-hardcore," blending elements of post-hardcore and punk ethos with gothic style and a fascination with horror themes. The band has been categorized under genres such as gothic rock, goth-punk, emo, horror punk, and post-hardcore.

Their debut album from 2004, Our Gangs Dark Oath, is rooted in post-hardcore with screamo influences and draws comparisons to punk outfits like AFI. Unlike later works, it does not feature horror motifs but instead explores frontman Wil Francis’ personal struggles including incarceration, substance abuse, and youth challenges. Francis explained that his early songwriting was driven by anger and a desire for societal change before evolving toward fictional horror storytelling. The subsequent 2005 release Nightmare Anatomy blends post-hardcore and screamo with horror-inspired content.

In 2007, with Conviction, the band shifted stylistically toward pop rock, drawing inspiration from groups such as The Cure. The 2009 album Knives marked a return to their punk origins.

Aiden has cited influences including New Order, Joy Division, Bad Religion, Nirvana, the Misfits, NOFX, The Damned, and David Bowie. Their sound and image have frequently been likened to AFI.

Legacy

In 2013, OC Weekly placed Aiden third in its ranking of the "Top 10 Worst Emo Bands Of All Time," describing them as a theatrical group with horror-inspired themes that never achieved the popularity of bands like My Chemical Romance or Avenged Sevenfold. The band’s name, taken from the film The Ring, drew criticism for its concept and limited appeal.

Members

Final lineup

• William Francis – lead vocals, piano (2003–2016), rhythm guitar (2008–2016), bass (2003)
• Ian MacWilliams – lead guitar, backing vocals (2012–2016)
• Kenneth Fletcher – bass, backing vocals (2015–2016)
• Ben Tourkantonis – drums (2015–2016)

Touring members

• Mike Novak – drums (2011)
• Ryan Seaman – drums (2011)

Former members

• Steve Clemens – lead vocals (2003)
• Jake Wambold – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2003–2008)
• Jake Davison – drums (2003–2011)
• Angel Ibarra – lead guitar, backing vocals (2003–2012)
• Nick Wiggins – bass, backing vocals (2003–2015)
• Keef West – drums (2012–2015)

Studio albums

Year	Album	Label	Peak chart positions
			US	US Indie	US Heat	UK
2004	Our Gangs Dark Oath	Dead Teenager	—	32	30	—
2005	Nightmare Anatomy	Victory	196	16	9	—
2007	Conviction		54	5	—	45
2009	Knives		95	12	—	150
2011	Disguises		—	—	—	—
	Some Kind of Hate		—	—	—	—
2015	Aiden	Self-released	—	—	—	—

EPs

Year	Title	Label	Peak chart positions
			US	US Indie	US Heat	UK
2004	A Split of Nightmares	Unfun	—	—	—	—

Live albums

Year	Title	Label	Chart performance peaks

Singles

Year	Title	Album
"I Set My Friends on Fire"	rowspan=2 |Our Gangs Dark Oath
"Fifteen"
"Knife Blood Nightmare"	rowspan=3 |Nightmare Anatomy
"The Last Sunrise"
"Die Romantic"
"We Sleep Forever"	Rain in Hell / Dead Silence Soundtrack
"One Love"	rowspan=2 |Conviction
"Moment"
"Cry Little Sister"	Lost Boys: The Tribe#Music
"Scavengers of the Damned"	rowspan=2 |Knives
"Let the Right One In"
"Walk Among the Dead"	rowspan=3 |Disguises
"Hysteria"
"A Portrait of the Artist"
"Broken Bones"	Some Kind of Hate
"Crawling Up from Hell"	rowspan=5 |Aiden
"Violence and Devotion"
"Animals" featuring \nChris Motionless

Accolades received

• Kerrang! Awards 2006 - Outstanding International Newcomer
• Metal Hammer Awards 2006 - Top Newcomer

Recognitions

• Kerrang! Awards 2007 - Outstanding Live Band

External links

• Official website
• AllMusic artist profile
• Discogs artist listing