Shai Azul – A Short History 

Band bios are kind of weird.  You’re expected to have one. But it doesn’t really tell you anything about the band. Sure, I could tell you that our singers’ delivery will take you to a transcendent place, or that our guitarists crank out heavy, accessible riffs, or that our pop delivery is candy smooth, or that our beats will have you dancing all night, blah blah blah. But you only have our word on that. And really, what band is going to tell you their songs all sound the same or that their singer sucks?

So here’s how it is.  

Shai Azul has been around since the winter of 2008. We’re a bit older than most bands.  That means we know the mountains and valleys of this particular industry. We’re also not a band in the formal sense.  Rather, we’re a collective of about a dozen Northwest-based friends and artists who contribute as there is time and availability. That arrangement works out better than you might think.  

Our sound is an ever-evolving blend of rock, pop, metal, industrial, electronica, and 80’s new wave. When we started, “Blondie meets Rammstein” was how we described it. It’s gotten progressively more intense over time, so if you add flavors of Killing Joke, KMFDM, Amaranthe, and Rob Zombie to that mix, it’s a good start.  Duality and contrast are a big part of both the musical and lyrical content. Heavy guitars, airy keyboards, and male/female lead vocals are recurring motifs. Our lyrics tend toward the darker side of the emotional spectrum, but they won’t leave you in a completely hopeless space.  

We put out Mirror Darkly (7 song digital download) in October 2009. We followed it up with Infernal Divine (10 song digital download) in May 2012. From 2013 to early 2014, we recorded a full albums’ worth of material that we released under the name Redshift Heretic in late 2014. We also collaborated with Android Lust to put out a remix of “Faith” from Infernal Divine in mid-2013. In 2015, we wrote music for local independent films and stage productions. And in late 2016, we released "Embers", Shai Azul's third digital offering and part one of a two-part EP series. 

Our primary goal is simple: record and distribute the best music we can. We’d love to do live shows and tour (many of us have extensive performing and touring histories), but one step at a time. And right now, that means expanding the discography. 

We write the music that moves us. Sometimes it’s dancy and poppy; sometimes it’s brooding. Sometimes it’s just in your face.  And sometimes it doesn’t sound like anything else we’ve recorded. We invite you…check it out. Give it a listen. You may hear something really cool.  

Email: shaiazul@earthlink.net
Web:  http://shaiazul.com, www.facebook.com/ShaiAzul
Downloads available on Amazon, iTunes, and from our websites via the Nimbit plugin. 

It is hard to say that any one particular artist has shaped Shai Azul’s sound.  anoN continues to draw inspiration from (but not limited to) these artists:

Rammstein, Slayer, Razed In Black, King’s X, Duran Duran, The Fixx, The Human League, Static X, Blondie, Eisbrecher, Rob Zombie, Prince, VNV Nation, Poisonblack, Assemblage 23, Testament, KMFDM, Powerman 5000, Combichrist, Bolt Thrower, Lacuna Coil, The Birthday Massacre, Halou, Android Lust, Otto’s Daughter, Ghost BC, Overkill, Killing Joke, Pamela Moore…the list continues to grow.  

anoN’s gear:

Guitars: Gibson Gothic Explorer, ESP LTD-EX Outlaw, Schecter Loomis 7. 
Basses: Spector Professional Series REX 4, Lakland Skyline 44-01, Zon Legacy Standard 4, BC Rich WMD Widow, Schecter Nikki Sixx Signature.
Keyboards: Korg MicroX, Korg M-50.  
Drums: Toontrack EZ Drummer.
Additional: 10 String Chapman Stick®.

anoN is an Ampeg artist, and is currently (2015) on the artist roles with Schecter Guitar Research and RocknRollGangstar clothing.   
www.ampeg.com
www.schecterguitars.com
www.rocknrollgangstar.com