Guitarist Yan Leviathan, who had been in several local bands over the years, formed Avian (pronounced 'A-VEE-YEN') in November 2002 after being inspired by a metal festival that featured performances by Gamma Ray, Blind Guardian, Edguy, and a number of other bands. On the flight back home, Leviathan decided to concentrate all of his attention and efforts to creating a band that combined all of the best elements of classic European and U.S. metal bands. As soon as he arrived home, Leviathan locked himself in his studio and began writing songs. Before long, he had a couple of songs completed and began looking around for the right studio in which to record them in. The name Avian was chosen by Leviathan from his favorite novel, the "Rama" series by Arthur C. Clarke. In the series, the Avian is a bird like creature with great intelligence and compassion.