Avikari
Avikari is a solo progressive metal project created by Vancouver guitarist, composer and producer John Huang. Active since 2006, Huang has built Avikari as a platform for technical precision, emotional depth and forward-thinking musical exploration.
After releasing his first composition, Cosmic Deities, in 2012 and studying audio engineering at SAE Institute / Harbourside Institute in 2013, Huang began refining a distinct progressive metal voice — one that merges intricate melodic riffing with heavy, unpredictable breakdowns and expressive, uplifting solos.
Avikari’s 2015 release Enervation of an Ethos established the project’s technical foundation, followed by NCR in 2024, showcasing a matured balance between aggression and atmosphere. Currently, Huang is working on a third full-length album titled A Light in the Void, scheduled for release in 2026.
More than technicality alone, Avikari aims to bring spirituality and emotional resonance into progressive metal — encouraging forward-thinking perspective and envisioning a future shaped by both technological and spiritual advancement. Every guitar part is written, performed and recorded by Huang himself, with drums and bass composed and programmed to serve the project’s evolving sonic architecture.
Avikari stands as both a technical and philosophical exploration — pushing progressive metal beyond genre limitations toward something cinematic, dynamic and deeply human.