Aeon Zen
Encyclopedia
Aeon Zen are a progressive rock/metal band formed in 2008, led by the only permanent member, vocalist, guitarist, bassist and keyboard player Rich Hinks. To date, they have been praised and heavily featured in the international music press, labelled by Classic Rock Magazine as 'a strong contender for best newcomer at the very, very least' and, additionally, as Progression Magazine’s selection for "debut album of the year".
To date, the band have released two studio albums, and have assembled a line-up for live performances. Their second album, titled The Face of the Unknown, was released on Time Divide Records on 12 October 2010.
as an adjective
is a non-standard construction.
Writing and recording for their first album started in late 2008 and took roughly 4 months to complete, with both writing and recording occurring simultaneously. Several of the songs on A Mind's Portrait
were written several years before the album was released, with Hinks composing the majority of the material.
Following the completion of the album, the band was signed to the record label Time Divide Records Ltd. in November 2008. This signing, and subsequent likelihood of an album release, helped in the conscription of the necessary guest vocalists such as Nils K. Rue
of Pagan's Mind
and Andi Kravljaca
of Silent Call
(ex Seventh Wonder
), among others. The album was finally released on May 1, 2009. Artwork for the album was designed by Mattias Norén, who had previously undertaken work for groups such as Outworld, Evergrey
and Into Eternity, among others.
Shortly after the album release, Lloyd Musto left the band to pursue other projects. As of 2009, Rich Hinks was working on a 2nd album, as well as putting together a live band and rehearsing with session musicians to tour and play shows.
would be released on October 12 of the same year under the Time Divide label. Guest vocalists announced included Michael Eriksen (Circus Maximus
), Andi Kravljaca (Silent Call
), Nick D'Virgilio (Spock's Beard
), Jem Godfrey
(Frost*) and Jonny Tatum (Eumeria). Artwork for the album was, once again, designed by Mattias Norén.
In early 2011 the band announced that they were embarking on a 23 date European tour in support of the The Devin Townsend Project, spanning the UK, Germany, Sweden, Norway and Holland, among others.
, includes "catchy melodies", "a diverse mix of songs and styles", and "progressive time changes" which "run through the gamut of emotions".
In terms of comparison, many reviewers have noted their affinity with others in the Progressive Metal field, notably Dream Theater
, Queensrÿche
and Symphony X
. The main departure from these groups is in the montage of styles presented on the album. Some reviewers felt that the "multiplicity of ideas" could be too overbearing for listeners unfamiliar with a new group, or even that such an overloading led to an overall "incoherence" on the album. Other reviewers felt that, rather than being a sign of weakness, it was a commendable feat to have enlisted the vocal services of so many prominent artists within the field.
Nevertheless, the band felt obliged to counter these assertions by stating that the intermixture of styles is exactly the effect that was intended:
Furthermore, in a video interview, Rich Hinks stated that "[on A Mind's Portrait] you even have piano ballads, there's even an orchestral track (mixed in with heavier progressive rock and metal tracks). Vocally, there's everything ranging from operatic power metal style singing, all the way to death metal growling. Nothing is out of the question." However, even those critics who believed the band were yet to find their "musical identity", praised the album as a bold statement of intent, particularly given the young age of the musicians.
To date, the band have released two studio albums, and have assembled a line-up for live performances. Their second album, titled The Face of the Unknown, was released on Time Divide Records on 12 October 2010.
Origins and A Mind's Portrait (2008-2010)
Aeon Zen was founded in 2008 when Rich Hinks and Lloyd Musto decided to form a new studio project. Unlike their previous bands, such as Timefall, which had a one-to-one correlation of members and instruments, Aeon Zen consisted of just the two members, with Musto playing drums and Hinks on all other instruments and production. Vocal duties were, on their debut album, shared amongst guests. According to the band, the name Aeon Zen was chosen to portray an "eternal state of bliss and enlightenment", although the use of AeonAeon
The word aeon, also spelled eon or æon , originally means "life", and/or "being", though it then tended to mean "age", "forever" or "for eternity". It is a Latin transliteration from the koine Greek word , from the archaic . In Homer it typically refers to life or lifespan...
as an adjective
Adjective
In grammar, an adjective is a 'describing' word; the main syntactic role of which is to qualify a noun or noun phrase, giving more information about the object signified....
is a non-standard construction.
Writing and recording for their first album started in late 2008 and took roughly 4 months to complete, with both writing and recording occurring simultaneously. Several of the songs on A Mind's Portrait
A Mind's Portrait
A Mind's Portrait is the debut album by British progressive metal group Aeon Zen, first released in May 2009 with catalogue number TDR05009001CD...
were written several years before the album was released, with Hinks composing the majority of the material.
Following the completion of the album, the band was signed to the record label Time Divide Records Ltd. in November 2008. This signing, and subsequent likelihood of an album release, helped in the conscription of the necessary guest vocalists such as Nils K. Rue
Nils K. Rue
Nils K. Rue is a Norwegian metal singer. His main band is the progressive metal band Pagan's Mind; he is also a current member of the heavy metal band X-World/5 and the newest vocalist for Canadian progressive metal band, Eidolon....
of Pagan's Mind
Pagan's Mind
-Biography:Founded in 2000 from the band Silverspoon by Nils K. Rue, Thorstein Aaby, and Stian Kristoffersen. Pagan's Mind released their first album, Infinity Divine, that same year. The following album, Celestial Entrance, was released in 2002 and was a relatively big success even outside of...
and Andi Kravljaca
Andi Kravljaca
Andi Kravljaca is a Swedish heavy metal singer. His main band is the progressive metal band Silent Call, although he is perhaps best known as vocalist for Swedish progressive metal band, Seventh Wonder, appearing on the band's first album, Become, in 2005....
of Silent Call
Silent call
A silent call is a telephone call that is generated by a predictive dialer which does not have an agent immediately available to handle the call...
(ex Seventh Wonder
Seventh Wonder
Seventh Wonder is a progressive metal band from Stockholm, Sweden formed in 2000. They are currently on the Lion Music record label.-History:...
), among others. The album was finally released on May 1, 2009. Artwork for the album was designed by Mattias Norén, who had previously undertaken work for groups such as Outworld, Evergrey
Evergrey
Evergrey is a progressive metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden. The band was founded in 1995 and released its debut album The Dark Discovery in 1998. Their most recent album Glorious Collision was released in 2011.-Lyrical themes:...
and Into Eternity, among others.
Shortly after the album release, Lloyd Musto left the band to pursue other projects. As of 2009, Rich Hinks was working on a 2nd album, as well as putting together a live band and rehearsing with session musicians to tour and play shows.
The Face of the Unknown and Live Band (2010-Present)
In July 2010 the band played their first live gig at the Luminaire in London, a performance that was praised for its high fidelity sound but critiqued for the undersized venue. During this time, Hinks had been working on a follow-up album and, on the 5th of August 2010, he announced that The Face of the UnknownThe Face of the Unknown
The Face of the Unknown is the second album by British progressive metal group Aeon Zen. Reviews were generally extremely positive, noting the "uplifting" nature of the record.-Track listing:-Performers and album credits:...
would be released on October 12 of the same year under the Time Divide label. Guest vocalists announced included Michael Eriksen (Circus Maximus
Circus Maximus (Norwegian band)
Circus Maximus is a Norwegian progressive metal quintet from Oslo. They employ the use of symphonic, power and glam metal influences in their vocals which have a high-pitched tone, along with synthesizers and occasional keyboards...
), Andi Kravljaca (Silent Call
Silent call
A silent call is a telephone call that is generated by a predictive dialer which does not have an agent immediately available to handle the call...
), Nick D'Virgilio (Spock's Beard
Spock's Beard
Spock's Beard is a progressive rock band formed in 1992 in Los Angeles by brothers Neal and Alan Morse. Neal played keyboards and was the lead vocalist, as well as being the primary songwriter before leaving the band in 2002 to pursue a solo career. Alan plays electric guitar...
), Jem Godfrey
Jem Godfrey
Jeremy "Jem" Godfrey is a British music producer, keyboardist and songwriter.Godfrey was responsible, with Bill Padley at Wise Buddah music, for many UK number one hits including Atomic Kitten's platinum-selling single, "Whole Again", which earned the pair two Ivor Novello Award nominations, and...
(Frost*) and Jonny Tatum (Eumeria). Artwork for the album was, once again, designed by Mattias Norén.
In early 2011 the band announced that they were embarking on a 23 date European tour in support of the The Devin Townsend Project, spanning the UK, Germany, Sweden, Norway and Holland, among others.
Musical Style and Critical Response
Aeon Zens music has been described as transcending stylistic and generic boundaries, moving from soft to heavy and defying categorization as purely metal, rock, progressive or even classical. A fusion of "many stylistic elements", Aeon Zen's music, as exhibited on A Mind's PortraitA Mind's Portrait
A Mind's Portrait is the debut album by British progressive metal group Aeon Zen, first released in May 2009 with catalogue number TDR05009001CD...
, includes "catchy melodies", "a diverse mix of songs and styles", and "progressive time changes" which "run through the gamut of emotions".
In terms of comparison, many reviewers have noted their affinity with others in the Progressive Metal field, notably Dream Theater
Dream Theater
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would...
, Queensrÿche
Queensrÿche
thumb|250px|right|Queensrÿche's classic line-up performing at the [[Sauna Open Air Metal Festival]] 2011 in [[Tampere]], [[Finland]]. Left to right: bass Eddie Jackson, lead vocals Geoff Tate, drums Scott Rockenfield and guitars Michael Wilton....
and Symphony X
Symphony X
Symphony X is an American progressive metal band from Middletown, New Jersey.Founded in 1994 by guitarist Michael Romeo, their albums The Divine Wings of Tragedy and V: The New Mythology Suite have given the band considerable attention within the progressive metal community...
. The main departure from these groups is in the montage of styles presented on the album. Some reviewers felt that the "multiplicity of ideas" could be too overbearing for listeners unfamiliar with a new group, or even that such an overloading led to an overall "incoherence" on the album. Other reviewers felt that, rather than being a sign of weakness, it was a commendable feat to have enlisted the vocal services of so many prominent artists within the field.
Nevertheless, the band felt obliged to counter these assertions by stating that the intermixture of styles is exactly the effect that was intended:
Furthermore, in a video interview, Rich Hinks stated that "[on A Mind's Portrait] you even have piano ballads, there's even an orchestral track (mixed in with heavier progressive rock and metal tracks). Vocally, there's everything ranging from operatic power metal style singing, all the way to death metal growling. Nothing is out of the question." However, even those critics who believed the band were yet to find their "musical identity", praised the album as a bold statement of intent, particularly given the young age of the musicians.
Live
- Rich Hinks - Bass guitar, Vocals (2010-)
- Andi Kravljaca - Vocals (2010-)
- Matt Shepherd - Guitars (2010-)
- Steve Burton - Drums (2010-)
- Shaz - Keyboards (2011-)
Live
- Jamie Brooks (pianist)Jamie Brooks (pianist)Jamie Brooks is an English pianist, keyboard player and composer/arranger.- Biography :Brooks was classically trained from the age of five, but developed an interest in rock, jazz, funk and pop in his teens and started playing in local bands...
- Keyboards (2010) - Cristian Van Schuerbeck - Keyboards (2010)
- Mike Lennon - Drums (2010)
- Vadim Pruzhanov (DragonForceDragonForceDragonForce are an English power metal band from London. Formed in 1999, the group is known for its long and fast guitar solos, fantasy-based lyrics, and electronic sounds in their music to add to their retro video game-influenced sound. Guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman are the only two...
)- Keyboards (2011)
Guest studio musicians
- Elyes Bouchoucha (MyrathMyrathMyrath, formerly known as X-Tazy, is an Oriental metal band from Tunisia formed in 2001.- Biography :Myrath , a metal band from Tunis, Tunisia, started out as a teenage cover band formed in 2001 by guitarist Malek Ben Arbia and became in just a few years, a respected band by the international...
) - Vocals (2009) - Nick D'Virgilio (Spock's BeardSpock's BeardSpock's Beard is a progressive rock band formed in 1992 in Los Angeles by brothers Neal and Alan Morse. Neal played keyboards and was the lead vocalist, as well as being the primary songwriter before leaving the band in 2002 to pursue a solo career. Alan plays electric guitar...
) - Vocals (2010) - Michael Eriksen (Circus MaximusCircus Maximus (Norwegian band)Circus Maximus is a Norwegian progressive metal quintet from Oslo. They employ the use of symphonic, power and glam metal influences in their vocals which have a high-pitched tone, along with synthesizers and occasional keyboards...
) - Vocals (2010) - Jem GodfreyJem GodfreyJeremy "Jem" Godfrey is a British music producer, keyboardist and songwriter.Godfrey was responsible, with Bill Padley at Wise Buddah music, for many UK number one hits including Atomic Kitten's platinum-selling single, "Whole Again", which earned the pair two Ivor Novello Award nominations, and...
(Frost*) - Vocals (2010) - Andi KravljacaAndi KravljacaAndi Kravljaca is a Swedish heavy metal singer. His main band is the progressive metal band Silent Call, although he is perhaps best known as vocalist for Swedish progressive metal band, Seventh Wonder, appearing on the band's first album, Become, in 2005....
(Silent CallSilent callA silent call is a telephone call that is generated by a predictive dialer which does not have an agent immediately available to handle the call...
, ex-Seventh WonderSeventh WonderSeventh Wonder is a progressive metal band from Stockholm, Sweden formed in 2000. They are currently on the Lion Music record label.-History:...
) - Vocals (2009–2010), Guitar (2009) - Andreas Novak (Mind's Eye) - Vocals (2009)
- Nils K. RueNils K. RueNils K. Rue is a Norwegian metal singer. His main band is the progressive metal band Pagan's Mind; he is also a current member of the heavy metal band X-World/5 and the newest vocalist for Canadian progressive metal band, Eidolon....
(Pagan's MindPagan's Mind-Biography:Founded in 2000 from the band Silverspoon by Nils K. Rue, Thorstein Aaby, and Stian Kristoffersen. Pagan's Mind released their first album, Infinity Divine, that same year. The following album, Celestial Entrance, was released in 2002 and was a relatively big success even outside of...
) - Vocals (2009) - Matt Shepherd - Guitar (2009–2010)
- Jonny Tatum (Eumeria) - Vocals (2010)
- Cristian Van Schuerbeck (All Too Human) - Keyboards (2009–2010)