KOZEN

KOZEN is Toronto's progressive metal paradox, breaking the boundaries of genre through the virtue of diversity. Formed in 2015 as a true microcosm of their multicultural hometown, their precise and technical musicianship led Alternative Press to bill them as one of the "10 Best Genre Bending Bands You've Never Heard Of." Heavy enough to run the mosh pit, but accessible enough to keep the average pop fan dancing, KOZEN dependably leaves audiences in awe everywhere they perform.

Forged in the same Durham region music scene that birthed Crown Lands, and taken under the wing of longtime Mississauga prog rock veterans POLARITY, Kozen made their name in the greater Toronto area before an odd set of circumstances saw lead singer Maxwell Kozen relocate to the USA for school from 2016 to 2019. With the long-distance odds stacked against them, KOZEN still managed to perform alongside notable underground rock acts like We Were Sharks, Bird Problems, Poeta, REBELLE, and Talking Violet, and took their act on the road across Ontario and Quebec in 2017 alongside experimental hardcore band We Throw Flowers (now reformed as Arrowheads). The band released its self-produced full-length debut record in 2019 to a full house at Toronto’s legendary Horseshoe Tavern.

After a cycle of lineup changes during the pandemic, the band remains committed to the virtue of diversity and the art of breaking boundaries in modern music culture.