Kozen

KOZEN is the ultimate heavy-pop paradox, breaking the boundaries of genre through the virtue of diversity. Formed in 2015 as a true microcosm of their Toronto hometown, KOZEN has spent the better part of a decade leaving audiences in awe with a style gritty enough to run the moshpit but accessible enough to keep the average pop fan dancing. Driven by the heartfelt vocals of band namesake <a href="spotify:artist:3aUSenFm0pp2hz6vL0ekSz" data-name="Maxwell Kozen">Maxwell Kozen</a>, the band&#39;s infectious grooves and precise twin-guitar attack draw seamlessly from everything between funk and prog metal.

Forged in the same Ontario music scene that birthed <a href="spotify:artist:0MnazDWzh4tAnT5y4vWZFr" data-name="Crown Lands">Crown Lands</a>, KOZEN has performed alongside notable underground rock acts like <a href="spotify:artist:5VJPxda81cx3ZGltjWM36I" data-name="We Were Sharks">We Were Sharks</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5LWb35Abxcm6ZzP5MTRhlh" data-name="Bird Problems">Bird Problems</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1AAjJTBa95dYypxjsldn6U" data-name="Poeta">Poeta</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4GpBh5quIXQl1HWjqGvHXw" data-name="REBELLE">REBELLE</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3QTAOxhkhLHPy6U68YfECr" data-name="POLARITY">POLARITY</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1DC0bRB2sMjEbyfy07PfPc" data-name="Afterwake">Afterwake</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:4eqs78cLgtlNDmFEa4i6j9" data-name="Talking Violet">Talking Violet</a>. Though sometimes overshadowed by bigger names outside of the Canadian market, the band was a relatively early arrival in the style pioneered by <a href="spotify:artist:3zRstk92RGCVDyslSySNsm" data-name="Issues">Issues</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:1DgmdsnwOexqTH8ohPCFAU" data-name="Volumes">Volumes</a> and further popularized later on by the likes of <a href="spotify:artist:5Rc75vGFBWZPgL7EXb4k89" data-name="Bilmuri">Bilmuri</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2n2RSaZqBuUUukhbLlpnE6" data-name="Sleep Token">Sleep Token</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0hp58JplihFjlLstUbKS0x" data-name="The Home Team">The Home Team</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:2I31z7Tf5sQYjLBaK45Mlk" data-name="nightlife">nightlife</a>. But while sharing the drop-tuned sensibilities of many of those bands, KOZEN has consistently stood apart from them by drawing more from melodic death metal than from <a href="spotify:artist:3ggwAqZD3lyT2sbovlmfQY" data-name="Meshuggah">Meshuggah</a> and infusing their songs with subtle Asian cultural textures. Their unique sound earned them a nod from Alternative Press as one of the &#34;10 Best Genre-Bending Bands You&#39;ve Never Heard Of.&#34;

Undauntedly undefinable, KOZEN remains a sonically unmistakable gem among their peers and herald of rock music&#39;s future.