There is a beautiful absurdity in trying to define KOZEN. This Toronto-born Progressive Metal paradox has notably always featured R&B and Gospel musicians in its lineup, while somehow sounding like the opening theme of the next hit Japanese anime series. No word neatly describes it, though the members of Crown Lands - another Prog band forged in the same music scene - came closest when calling Kozen “Singer-Songwriter-Jazz-Metal." While definitely taking musical cues from bands like Issues and Dance Gavin Dance, KOZEN was a relatively early entry in the movement that would come to be known as “Soulcore” or “Heavy Pop” when bands like Nightlife, Shrezzers, and Sleep Token rose to greater prominence. Still, their sound owes somewhat less to that brand of R&B tinged metalcore than it does to the likes of Opeth, Cynic, and Scar Symmetry, or to Gospel acts like Fred Hammond, Tye Tribbett, and Israel Houghton.

But the versatility has always been the point. The 5-piece Pacific Asian-Carribean-Canadian band was formed in 2015 as a true microcosm of their multicultural hometown. Starting initially as the solo project of lead singer and band namesake Maxwell Kozen, additional musicians continued to join the project until rebranding as a band just seemed inevitable. Each member's precise and technical musicianship led to a sound unlike any other. The first two self-produced EPs (Swimming To The Stars A & B) and first music video (Barricade) brought a multicultural and multi-textured dynamic to rock music that got them booked alongside everything from Pop-Punk to Deathcore bands. Those early audiences were often taken aback at how thoughtful, melodic vocals laid over clever, R&B-influenced harmonies could be delivered with such Metalcore energy and Prog Rock experimental flare. The music was somehow heavy enough to run the moshpit, but accessible enough to keep the average pop fan dancing. 

KOZEN's first connections were built in the same Durham region music scene that birthed Crown Lands, both bands participating in local open mic events and attending each others' shows. Within their first year as a band, KOZEN was taken under the wing of longtime Mississauga Prog Rock veterans POLARITY, who went on to share the stage with KOZEN more than any other band. While the band initially built up their name playing small shows in the greater Toronto area, 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 in Canada alongside notable rising rock acts like We Were Sharks, Bird Problems, Poeta, REBELLE, and Talking Violet, with Max driving back to Toronto on weekends and during breaks to perform. They toured for the first time across Ontario and Quebec in 2017 alongside experimental hardcore band We Throw Flowers (later reformed as Arrowheads). As the band adjusted to working long-distance, they began recording what would become their first full-length record, which they co-produced with Stephen James Kerr (Golden Gate Graves, Adria Kane).

On June 5, 2019, the band played the legendary Horseshoe Tavern in downtown Toronto in celebration of their debut album, “A Fearful Wonder.” They were joined by Talking Violet, Afterwake, and Polarity for a diverse and musically adept evening. Two days later, the album was released. It saw the group building upon the themes of their previous work while embracing a more refined and focused sound with slightly less esoteric lyrics. With the release of the album's lead single “To The Wind,” KOZEN transcended the reputation they had built for themselves, leading Alternative Press to bill them as one of the “10 Best Genre Bending Bands You've Never Heard Of.” 

While the pandemic years slowed the band down and forced a number of lineup changes through periods of uncertainty, the band flexed their prior experience working in long-distance isolation and managed to output four singles, an EP of acoustic remakes of their previous material, and a “live from home” performance album initially streamed on their social media. Their characteristic flexibility extended from their sound to their workflow, helping the band to survive an era that saw many of their contemporaries break up or go on hiatus. Having shaken off the rust post-lockdown, the band reasserted itself in the Canadian music scene through the remainder of the early 2020's, still driven by the vision of versatility that has shaped them from the start.

The Sunwaves EP came as a further extension of the band's fearless experimental spirit, incorporating a new vocalist, Chandelle King, as well as the Sanshin — an indigenous folk instrument from Maxwell Kozen's Okinawan heritage. Having completed the promotional cycle for Sunwaves, the band went on an indefinite hiatus from live shows as changes in band members personal lives took the band long-distance again. Still, writing and recording continues for an expected, eventual return. Undauntedly undefinable, KOZEN remains a sonically unmistakable gem among their peers and herald of rock music's future.