Photo Credit: KaspaFótos
*This is part of our “Aftershock Festival 2018 Spotlight” where we branch out and focus on some of the up-and-coming bands that fans can see at this year’s Aftershock Festival on October 13th & 14th. This week, we’re checking out VIZA.*
Appearing along with such heavyweight headliners as System of a Down, Deftones, Alice in Chains, and Incubus at this year’s Aftershock Festival is L.A. international rock sextet, Viza. Since forming in 2000, they’ve managed to create quite an extensive catalogue of music, along with Volume I and II of ‘The Unorthodox Revival’ EP being released this year. Vocally, lead singer K’noup has a bit of a David Bowie quality to his tone and often incorporates lush vocal harmonies reminiscent of SOAD into the mix. Instrumentally, it’s a rich fusion of classic and alternative rock paired with Middle Eastern and Latin influences with a few splashes of metal to kick things up a notch. Having toured extensively with Serj Tankian in recent years, the man himself became quite impressed with their live performances, commenting, “Viza is one of the most unique and interesting bands I have ever encountered. Their live shows are energetic and fun.”
Since August 1st of last year, Viza has been releasing each track, one month at a time off of their upcoming ‘Unorthodox Revival’ EP via YouTube. Be sure to check out track 11, “Dancing Twig,” with its Weezer meets SOAD vibe and awesomely interwoven Middle Eastern melodies. One of the ways Viza is able to achieve such vast, immersive soundscapes is by having the additional instrumental flavors of oud, saz, and duduk in their arsenal on top of the traditional guitar, bass, and drums. On “Dancing Twig,” these uniquely diverse elements are utilized to full atmospheric effect. Track 9, “Diabolic Angel” combines Latin-style percussion with Ghost-esque retro hard rock for a haunting yet catchy number; while Track 6, “Vicious Game” completely flips the script with a beautifully melancholic, Moody Blues “Nights in White Satin”-style ballad of sorts.
I highly recommend visiting Viza’s official YouTube channel, which thankfully contains an abundance of great material from this band for anyone interested in getting familiar with what their all about. Once you become a fan, head over to their online store here to pick up any of their past discography and merch while also helping to support great music in the process.
If you’re planning to be at this year’s Aftershock Festival, be sure to arrive early to catch Viza performing as part of the Saturday lineup. This is a band you certainly won’t want to miss.
Get your Aftershock Festival 2018 tickets here.
