Wil Francis
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Wil Francis |
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William "wiL" Francis (born in Seattle, Washington on January 8, 1982) is the lead vocalist of the band Aiden.
Biography
WiL Francis is AMAZING :) William Roy Francis was born in Seattle, Washington. During his early years, Wil had an interest in music inspired by bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers [1] but only really began to take it seriously after he started to join bands at 13. Recently in an interview with Kerrang! Magazine [2], he admitted that he had planned a massacre that he was going to commit in Seattle's University District on New Year's Eve, 1999. He claimed his means of carrying out this massacre was "a backpack full of guns". He said he was lonely and violent enough to carry it out because of the life he had lived. He went to jail and upon release decided it was time for him to turn his life around. He wrote a letter of apology to his mother for all the bad times he made her go through (inspiration for the song "Genetic Design For Dying") and took part in a 6 month rehabilitation course. Through his teenage years some of his favorite bands included Nirvana, NOFX, Red Hot Chili Peppers, HIM, The Misfits, and Bad Religion' [3] but during Wil's years dabbling with drugs he was no longer active within a band and only began re-playing guitar during his rehabilitation as a form of therapy and it developed from there.
Clean from drugs, Wil joined a band called "Youth At Risk" which occasionally supported the metalcore band Himsa. Prior to "Youth At Risk" he played in a band named "Spontaneous Combustion" in which he played guitar and sang. When Wil joined Aiden he originally played bass but took over as lead singer after the original vocalist quit.
Wil has also shown his reliance on friendship. The song Silent Eyes from the Rain in Hell EP was written about Bayside drummer, John 'Beatz'. whilst on tour with Aiden, Hawthorne Heights and Silverstein, the Bayside bus flipped on a patch of black ice. 'Beatz' died due to severe injuries.
He is working on a side solo project called "William Control", which he has also named his alter-ego. He has released one song called 'Taste' and a preview of the song 'Strangers', and has promised more to be released in the near future. [4]
Discography
Albums
- Our Gangs Dark Oath (2004)
- Nightmare Anatomy (2005)
- Conviction (2007)
EPs
- A Split of Nightmares - Split EP with Stalins War(2004)
- Rain in Hell (2006)
Collaborations
- "Silverstein" - Bleed No More (Live) - 18 Candles: The Early Years
- "The Used" - Box Full Of Sharp Objects (Live)- Mainly On The Taste Of Chaos Tour