Wil Francis
William Roy "wiL" Francis (aka William Control) (born January 8, 1982 in Kent, Washington) is an American rock musician, record producer, author, and artist. He came to prominence as the lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the horror punk band Aiden.[1] He has also released four albums (Hate Culture, Noir, Silentium Amoris, and The Neuromancer) under the name William Control, featuring a synthesizer driven darkwave, synthpop style, as well as 2 live albums (Live In London Town and Babylon, 2 acoustic albums (Skeleton Strings and Skeleton Strings 2), an EP (Novus Ordo Seclorum), and a remix album (Remix). The fifth album, Revelations, has been split into 4 EPs: The Pale EP (October 2016), The Black EP (February 2017), and The Red EP (July 2017) and The White EP (November 2017). Francis also acts as producer to bands such as Fearless Vampire Killers, A Midnight Tragedy and Ashestoangels, as well as producing his own William Control and Aiden music, and formed his own record label, Control Records.[2] In May 2009, Kerrang! called Francis "one of the most enigmatic and talismanic frontmen in rock music today."[3][4][5]
Wiliam Francis | |
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 Onstage in Southampton, September 2016 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | William Roy Francis |
| Born | January 8, 1982 |
| Origin | Kent, Washington, United States |
| Genres | Melodic hardcore, horror punk, post-hardcore, gothic rock, screamo, synthpop, electronica, darkwave |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, producer, author, artist |
| Instruments | vocals, piano, guitar, keyboards, synthesizers, bass |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Labels | Dead Teenager, Unfun Records, Victory, Control Records |
| Associated acts | Aiden, William Control, A Midnight Tragedy, Ashestoangels, Vampires Everywhere! |
| Website | www |
In June 2018, Francis temporarily ceased production on new works and closed Control Records due to allegations from multiple women of sexual assault and grooming.[6]
Career
Francis joined the original lineup of Aiden in 2003 as their bassist and replaced Steve Clemens as lead vocalist later that year. He became the creative force behind Aiden and, for the 2015 final album and tours, was the only member of the original lineup still in the band. During Aiden's hiatus from 2012 to 2015, Francis' primary musical output was William Control, and he has returned to this project full-time. He has released two books of poetry (Flowers & Filth (with Lisa Johnson) (2009) and Prose + Poems (2011)), and three novels (Revelator Book One: The Neuromancer (2013), Revelator Book Two: The Hate Culture (2014), and Revelator Book Three: The Hell Of Heaven (2016)). The latter two make up part of a trilogy. In spring 2016 it was revealed that a trilogy of films was to be made from the Revelator books.[7][8]
Discography
Aiden
- A Split of Nightmares - split EP with Stalins War (2004)
- Our Gangs Dark Oath (2004)
- Nightmare Anatomy (2005)
- Rain in Hell (2006)
- Conviction (2007)
- Knives (2009)
- From Hell...With Love (2010)
- Disguises (2011)
- Some Kind of Hate (2011)
- Aiden (2015)
Studio albums
- Hate Culture (2008)
- Noir (2010)
- Silentium Amoris (2012)
- The Neuromancer (2014)
- Revelations: (The Pale EP) (2016)
- Revelations: (The Black EP) (2017)
- Revelations: (The Red EP) (2017)
- Revelations: (The White EP) (2017)
EPs
- Novus Ordo Seclorum (2011)
- The Pale (2016)
- The Black (2017)
- The Red (2017)
- The White (2017)
Acoustic albums
- Skeleton Strings (2013)
- Skeleton Strings 2 (2014)
Live albums
- Live In London Town (2012)
- Babylon (2014)
Remix albums
- Remix (2014)
Other songs
- Deathclub (2009) - Underworld: Rise of the Lycans Soundtrack
- The Posthumous Letter (2012) - Underworld: Awakening Soundtrack
Guest appearances
- To Feel the Rain by On the Last Day, on the EP Wars Like Whispers (2005)
- Bleeds No More (live) by Silverstein, on their compilation 18 Candles: The Early Years (2006)
- Box Full of Sharp Objects (live) by The Used, during Taste Of Chaos 2007 (2007)
- Bleeding Rain by Vampires Everywhere!, on the album Kiss the Sun Goodbye (2011)
- Now That You're Dead by The Used, on the album Vulnerable (2012)
- We Join Forces by Mister Underground (2012)
- Voice of F.E.A.R. on the album Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones, by Black Veil Brides (2013)
- Bury A Legend by One Last Shot, on the album Bastards of the Plague (2013)
- Pure Fucking Evil by Blood on the Dance Floor, on the album Bitchcraft (2014)
- Neon In The Dance Halls and City Falls To Dust by Fearless Vampire Killers, on the album Unbreakable Hearts
- Living Hell by Ashestoangels, on the album Horror Cult
Production
- The album I Tried To Make You Immortal, You Tried To Make Me A KILLER by the New Jersey rock band A Midnight Tragedy
- The EP Revenge by Seattle band Girl On Fire
- EPs The Ghost and Through The Rain by Seattle-based dark rock band To Paint The Sky
- The albums With Tape And Needles, Horror Cult and How To Bleed for English electro-goth punks Ashestoangels.
- The album Mile End by the Austrian punk band Stupe-iT
- The albums Militia Of The Lost and Unbreakable Hearts for English rock band Fearless Vampire Killers
Bibliography
- Flowers & Filth (with Lisa Johnson) (2009)
- Prose + Poems (2011)
- Revelator Book One: The Neuromancer (2013)
- Revelator Book Two: The Hate Culture (2014)
- Revelator Book Three: The Hell Of Heaven (2016)
References
- Apar, Corey. "Biography: Aiden". Allmusic. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
- "Control Records". williamcontrol.com.
- Kerrang! #1261, May 16, 2009. Treasure Chest. An Intimate Portrait Of Life In Rock. wiL Francis, p. 58
- "God Is Dead: An Essay By William Control". Altpress.com. 28 October 2010. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
- "Wil Francis". IMDb.com.
- Whitt, Cassie (27 June 2016). "William Control's work is being turned into a film: Here's what you need to know". Altpress.com. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
- "William Control and Jacob Johnston on REVELATOR! - Famous Monsters of Filmland". 8 June 2016.
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8. The Full Depravity Of Emo Singer William Control's 'Brainwashed BDSM Sex Cult' Has Been Revealed