The Aphelion - 2024 - Nascence
(47:29; The Aphelion)
Formed in 2014, this Ottawa-based quartet are back with their second album, following on from 2018’s ‘The Labour Division’, Apparently this is the first part of a double release, as this will soon be followed by ‘Senescence’, the two combining to tell the story of a man’s descent into madness and his own mind in response to the mundanity and repetitiveness of the world around him. The line-up is the same as on the debut so we have James Cabral (keyboards, guitar), Tyler Davis (guitar, vocals), Evan Haydon-Selkirk (lead vocals, bass) and Nathanael Livingstone (drums, percussion). The guys do also have a few guests who provide additional colour with violin, cello, saxophone, trumpet and flugelhorn, and there is no doubt they have been influenced by Devin Townsend, Haken, Leprous, and particularly Opeth yet there is often a feeling they are somehow missing the mark.
I am having difficulty putting my finger on it and am not sure if it is the arrangements, production or performance, but for every section of brilliance (the organ passage on ”The Seed of Doubt” is inspired) there are others where the band take their foot off the gas, and everything slows down somewhat and does not have the same intensity. Haydon-Selkirk has an interesting vocal style, packed full of depth and breadth, but there are times where he is trying too hard and performing gymnastics which are not needed, and one can only wonder what this album would have sounded like if there had been more external forces at play such as a strong producer. Overall this is an interesting prog metal release, but it is not really indispensable, and it will be interesting to see where they go from here – a band to keep an eye on.
Kev Rowland, January 2025
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