Album Notes

If you don't like melodic, heavy rock that's catchy and in your face, then you've come to the wrong place. If you don't like epic choruses and soaring melodic vocals over punchy guitar riffs, then you've definitely come to the wrong place. If you don't like keyboard driven string sections and music that rises and falls like a wave, then I suggest you turn around right now and return to American Idol land.


"Imagine the Smashing Pumpkins mixed with System of a down and Creed, with a little bit of Soundgarden and Muse thrown in for good measure. That’s what Azumuth sounds like". These are the words of singer/songwriter Aidan Dickens describing his new musical creation Azumuth. Aidan's passion for melodic heavy rock and Metal was spawned at an early age through his love of such metal masters as Iron Maiden, Metallica and Pantera. He soon embraced other heavy bands like Soundgarden, Faith no More, the Foo Fighters and Queen, as well as such luminaries as Tool, the Deftones and Rammstein. Says Aidan: "There are certain albums that have played a particular part in my life, albums like 'Around the Fur' by the Deftones, 'Superuknown' by Soundgarden and 'Aenima' by Tool. These and many more have definitely influenced my music; but if I had to narrow it down for categorization sake, I'd say my music is most akin to the hard and soft contrasts of the Smashing Pumpkins, the balls to the wall, hard rocking catchiness of the Foo Fighters, the dark heaviness of Soundgarden and the epic majesty of Queen". Aidan's latest creation Azumuth is indicative of this; it's a fusion of hard and heavy rock with moments of epic majesty, and a passion for lyrics and communication. "An eclectic mix of songs with big choruses, good dynamics and meaningful lyrics" says Aidan. The songs 'Breakdown', 'Call of Demencia' and "Nothing to Me'; all recorded with Aidan's previous band Loki, are indicative of this style and demonstrate Aidan's skill as a songwriter/musician. The upcoming 12 track album successfully fuses these elements, yet manages to stay within the generic boundary of hard-rock. Loud guitars and often fast and furious riffage are textured with Aidan's unique use of keyboards, the sonic overtones of his powerful voice, and lyrics which, appropriately, are no less soul-stirring. At times, the music is poignantly lilting and lyrical, even esoteric. Primarily, however, it should be seen as a no-nonsense rock album, or, in Aidan's words, 'balls-to-the-wall rock!' So where did a name like Azumuth spring from? Literally, the word means 'the horizon'. 'The name was indicative of where I wanted to take my music to - the heights.' I managed to get a sneak peek at the album cover and was drawn to the images inside, which succeed as visual representations of the music it encompasses. Key concepts associated with the album are the yin and yang -the spectrum of humanity - the two sides of the same coin. But we won't let the penny drop - check it out for yourself.