We are RIZON!
Immerse yourself in the world of RIZON, a melodic metal band from the vibrant region of Zurich, Switzerland. Here, powerful female and male vocals meet to ignite musical fireworks! From energetic guitar hooks to melodic keyboards and powerful drums - every note is played with passion and energy. Their latest album "Prime Time" was named "Album of the Month" by the renowned English rock magazine Power-Play. At RIZON's live shows, you can expect a highly energetic all-live performance! There's no playback, no samples - just pure, thrilling rock that will captivate you!
The story of Rizon
Sit back and take a moment to read
The beginnings...
RIZON was founded as a school group in May 1997 by Matthias Götz (vocals), Christian Götz (guitar) and Marco Küderli (keyboard). Marcel Hodel played bass and René Hupjan drums. In the early years, RIZON was characterised by constant line-up changes, which made it difficult for the band to develop quickly. When Tom Lindegger (drums) joined the band in 2001, RIZON played almost exclusively their own songs. Tom put his stamp on the rhythm section and brought the band a decisive step forward with his intense drumming. With the addition of Jim Dodd (bass), John Wardle (guitar) and Franziska Germann (vocals), the band began to develop their own sound style. The mix between rocking guitars and symphonic keyboards, characterised by two-part vocals is what the band calls "Melodic Power Rock".
Evolution 2005
While still recording their debut album Evolution, John Wardle left the band and was replaced by Mark Wietlisbach (Leroy, Steve Whitney Band, Purple Lizard) on guitar. The solo guitars of Evolution were then also played by Mark and he brought new impulses into the band with his way of playing the guitar. The album "Evolution" enabled the band to perform in concert venues like the Alpenrock House Kloten, the Rock City Uster and the Dynamo Zurich.
Sudden Life 2008
In early 2008, the band worked with Dennis Ward (Krokus, Alannah Myles, among others) in Germany on their second album "Sudden Life". It was released under the German label "Karthago Records". After the album launch on 31 October 2008 at Dynamo Werk21 in Zurich, the band embarked on a nationwide tour, which included appearances at Z7 in Pratteln and Alpenrockhouse in Kloten. After about 20 concerts, the final concert took place on 12 December 2009 in the old casino in Wettingen. It was the last concert with Franziska Schärer-Germann, who left the band and was replaced by Seraina Telli on the microphone.
Masquerade 2012
After an intensive phase of songwriting in 2010, 13 new Rizon songs were recorded in the first half of 2011 in the local Ringstudios, which in the meantime had grown to a size of 100 m2 and are located in Volketswil ZH. The concept of two-part singing was further developed and the female voice was given even more space on the new songs. A consistent further development which was already apparent in the development of Evolution into Sudden Life.
This time, the album "Maquerade" was mixed in the far north by Nino Laurenne at Sonic Pump Studios. Besides his own band Thundestone, Nino has produced and mixed greats like Apokalyptika, Lordi, Amorphis and other Nordic heavy metal acts. The mastering was done by Svante Forsbäck at Chartmakers Studios in Helsinki. Svante's references include Rammstein, Sonata Arctica and Sunrise Avenue. The album Masquerade was released, after the merger of "Karthago-Records" with "Pure Steel Records" in winter 2012 under the previous label "Karthago-Records".In October 2012 bassist Jim Dodd left the band and was replaced by Tilo Preller, an experienced metal bass player. Rizon started their Masquerade Tour in January 2013, after which a reshuffle on guitar, bass and female vocals became apparent.
Power Plant 2016
The first songs were written in autumn 2013. In spring 2014 Reto Hähnel took over the position on lead guitar and has since unmistakably shaped the Rizon sound with his playing. In autumn 2014, the line-up of Rizon was completed again; first with Maik Kindermann on bass and finally with Rahel Fischer as singer. The songwriting was already well advanced at this point and the first half of 2015 was all about the reording for the new CD "Power Plant", whose release is planned for the beginning of 2016. This time the album will be mixed by Jacob Hansen (Doro, Pretty Maids, Amaranthe, Volbeat, etc.) in Denmark.
After concerts as co-headliner with Serenity (AT) and headlining shows in Switzerland, the Power Plant tour continued in 2017 and 2018 and was concluded in autumn 2018 at the Charity Rock Night as support for Swiss metal legend Eluveitie.
Prime Time 2022
In 2019, Rizon are again working on new songs for their album. The studio recordings were completed in 2021. Due to the current situation with various restrictions on social life due to the Corona pandemic, the band has decided to move the release to 2022. Together with the exceptional talent Anastasia Panagiotou, the new female voice of RIZON, the band used the extra time gained to perfect the songs, shoot videos and prepare for the release in spring 2022. The final touches were again put on the songs by mixing legend Jacob Hansen. In keeping with the situation at the time and with optimism for the future, the band named the new silver disc "Prime Time". The release show took place on 12 March 2022 together with BBR at the Hall of Fame in Wetzikon Zurich. Since then, the band has been back on the road live in Switzerland and Germany.
