Rising Stars: Meet Michael Aviles A Vicious Cycle of Nashville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Aviles A Vicious Cycle

Hi Michael Aviles, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
A Vicious Cycle was founded back in 2016 by Michael Aviles (myself) and Nicholas Mastrodomenico, along with our close friend Cody Roth. We all came from very small towns in Illinois, so playing in extreme metal bands was really out of the ordinary. I personally graduated high school with 20 kids in my class and it was kind of something you wouldn’t bring up. I think we got a lot more confidence when we started playing gigs closer to Chicago and developed a little bit of a cult following in the midwest death metal scene. Eventually the band went on a hiatus, and we all kind of started to explore our own avenues musically. In 2019 I moved to Nashville to study audio engineering at the Blackbird Academy, and Nicholas came with me. Fast forward to late 2024, Nicholas and I decided to revive the band in Nashville with all new members and started writing new material. We’re truly blessed to have found Will, Ryan, and Aaron, and are so excited to show you all the new music we’ve been working on! Nashville has presented its own challenges while being in a metal band, but we’re ready to take them head on.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being a musician has never been / will never be a smooth road. We’re constantly balancing the work schedules, family life, relationships, and personal time of five different people in order to make this work. I’m sure there are SO many people that can relate with this specifically. It’s kind of hilarious sometimes how much we all have going on. Nick and I searched for a solid 6 months before we found members that we were confident would stick it out with us, and we both love these guys to death. Finding band members in a new city that you can call your brothers felt impossible at some points. Lastly, being a metal band in Nashville has been interesting to say the least, but even that’s been fun. We’ve been blessed to meet some awesome bands out here through social media and playing gigs.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
A Vicious Cycle is a metal band that specializes in writing music about horror / similar concepts. We’re most proud of bringing our sound back after ten years! Playing extreme metal sets us apart from most in this town, although no genre is superior to any other.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I think Nicholas and I took a bit of a risk moving to a new city for the sole purpose of pursuing music. Leaving your family and friends behind for your passion isn’t something everybody is prepared to do, and maybe it doesn’t always pan out, but the important thing is to try. Risk = reward. Even if you don’t succeed you’ll learn from your mistakes,

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/avcmetal
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/aviciouscycleband
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ZcMVa9OvOlAsEPgCq4T0x?si=3gJCEcT5SKKca05D_uzQHQ