EPK – The Aphelion – Nascence (2024)
Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
“The Aphelion is an outlet for each member to push their technical abilities to the max, while also telling album-spanning stories and composing complex, engaging, creative pieces of music. While the ultimate goal is purely artistic, the hope is that the results bring a challenging but overall satisfying listening experience to fans.
The objective with Nascence, the first of two album, which will be followed by Senescence was to create a cohesive multi-album spanning story while still having each album contain its own unique musical aesthetics and complete listening experience. In a way, Nascence musically has always been the calm before the storm, and while the songs are almost always rooted in metal, the album grows from a more classical-influenced, beautiful prog-rock flavoured sound to a fast, angry, teeth-gnashing finale.” – Evan Haydon-Selkirk – Lead Vocals, Bass – The Aphelion
Band: The Aphelion
Album Title: Nascence
Release Date: August 9th, 2024
Label: Self-Release
For fans of Haken, Leprous, Opeth, Between the Buried and Me, Devin Townsend
Theaphelionband.com | Facebook.com/TheAphelionOfficial | Youtube.com/@theaphelionband | Instagram.com/theaphelionband
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“The name may be kind of similar to a Leprous album from 2021 but The Aphelion are a Canadian prog metal quartet who are about to release their new concept album Nascence on August 9. The upcoming album tells the story of a man’s descent into madness and his mind in response to the mundanity and repetitiveness of the world around him. “Musically, this song takes influence from the 70s prog rock era,” the band state. “It features guest appearances by Brian Asselin on saxophone and Eric Littlewood on trumpet. At this point in the story, the protagonist meets the love of his life, and while their new love is beautiful and for a time he is fulfilled and happy, eventually the relationship sours as he becomes afraid of her hurting him, and grows distrustful and controlling.” – Prog Magazine – Tracks of The Week – August 9th – The Seed of Doubt
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The sonic goal is one of innovation, dramatic flair, and emotional gravity, with unexpected shifts in genre to create contrast and bring levity. With upcoming double album “Nascence” and “Senescence”, The Aphelion are once again telling an album-spanning story inspired by philosophy and the human condition; a tradition that began with their 2018 release “The Labour Division”.” – The ProgSpace
“This song is masterfully handled musically, with soaring vocals and string melodies, all tackled in a minor key, that oozes melancholic hopelessness. It’s a crazy juxtapose of beauty within the instrumentation, and utter painful madness lyrically. Heavy riffs, growls, thunderous drums, and cyclical riffs in crazy time signatures create the soundtrack of sheer madness and terror by the end of the track, along with multi-layered vocals, like voices in the head of the protagonist. A very clever track indeed. 9/5/10″ – Ever Metal
“This Canadian quartet combine a range of styles into a progressive metallic stew where at one end of the spectrum classical and orchestral elements cross swords with aggressive death metal and thrash at the extreme end…. ‘Flight’ sees The Aphelion persevere with an intense passage: almost seven minutes of furious and breakneck release with a suitably harsh vocal, with barely a pause for thought, and perhaps the reason for an intricate passage offered by ‘The Interloper’ where the intensity is provided by an impassioned vocal and impressively complex interplay. The musical climax of ‘Deserter’ is suitably grandiose yet leaves the expectation that the story will find its natural conclusion.” – Powerplay Magazine UK
“For me it’s the Prog record of the year, which is never too cerebral or tiring, but carries you through the entire album. That’s why it’s mine 9 out of 10 Hellfire points worth it, because I’m already really looking forward to it if I can hold the second part of the saga in my hands.” – Hellfire-Magazin
““Fragility!” It’s a wild track that really highlights the bands composing ability, and heavy, yet soulful side.” – Ghost Cult Mag
“The Aphelion’s phenomenal vocal range and enticing clashing of instrumentals will prove to be nothing short of intoxicating.” – Canadian Beats
“What strikes me most about the album is how well the themes fit into the music, as well as the level of care they put into their craft. The music has this thread of tension that runs through it in nearly every song, and the musicianship is outstanding. It can go from calm to on fire in a second, and it keeps the listener actively engaged in both the music and the tale. Bravo. 9/10″ – Metal-Temple
“An album to seek out by those fond of an expressive and expansive take on the progressive metal tradition.” – The Progressor
““The Seed Of Doubt,” breathes into the liminal testing of time. A song that shimmers and shivers into bright sparks.” – The Median Man
“The Aphelion are very different and refreshingly intriguing. The musicianship is complex as you would expect with prog-metal, but that’s where their genre similarities end. The vocals are wonderfully unique and the tracks from their new album “Nascence” (dropping Aug. 9th) are also full of unique metal passages to take you on a conceptual journey. Tune in & catch The Aphelion on your Home for the Best New Rock…” – WJOE – Findlay’s Home for Rock & Roll
“In this single – which I highly recommend – THE APHELION wanted to capture the essence of the vulnerability we all experience. “Fragility” is a testament to the beauty and strength found in our moments of weakness. For them, it is a piece that resonates on a deeply personal level, both musically and lyrically.” – Plus PROG de Vou
s“… a really interesting album, filled to the brim with technical skill and fantastic storytelling. Having that almost conceptual essence helps to drive home the album as a whole. I really enjoy the inclusion of unclean vocals alongside the clean in both “The Heavy Mist” and “Flight”, and those two tracks in particular are standout moments for me… I cannot wait to see how the 2nd album in the series differs from this one. I’m hoping for more of the same, but tweaked.” – Fox Reviews Rock
“Un album limite extrême prog percutant, fabuleux dans le genre. Un son à part, fort, énergique, métal mais progressiste et fabuleux, rien d’autre, c’est excellent 9/10″
“An album bordering on extreme prog, hard-hitting, fabulous in its genre. A sound apart, strong, energetic, metal but progressive and fabulous, nothing else, it’s excellent.9/10” – Profil Prog
“I love the melodic prog metal sound they’re going for, and I’ll be following their career from the sidelines to see how they develop. They’re one of the few groups for which I can say that I’ve been covering them since the beginning, and they’ll always have a special place in my heart because of that.” – The Progressive Subway
[Download Album Cover | Download Album Lyrics]
Band: The Aphelion
Album Title: Nascence
Release Date: August 9th, 2024
Label: Self-Release
Track Listing:
1. Prenascent (2:38)
2. Nascence (6:55)
3. The Seed of Doubt (5:26)
4. Fragility (5:49)
5. The Heavy Mist (5:31)
6. Flight (6:48)
7. The Interloper (6:36)
8. Deserter (7:45)
Album Length (47:28)
Album Recording Credits:
• All songs performed by: The Aphelion
• All songs written by: The Aphelion
• Lyrics written by: Evan Haydon-Selkirk
• Produced by Evan Haydon-Selkirk and Mike Bond
• Mixed by: Evan Haydon-Selkirk
• Mastered by: Tony Lindgren at Fascination Street
• Album Artwork by: Alyssa Kusik
Violin on tracks 1, 2, and 4 performed by Erik Johnson-Scherger
Cello on tracks 1 and 2 performed by Emma Grant-Zypchen
Saxophone on tracks 2, 3, and 4 performed by Brian Asselin
Trumpet and flugelhorn on tracks 2, 3, and 4 performed by Eric Littlewood
• Member of SOCAN
• Canadian Content (MAPL)
Album and Live Band Lineup:
James Cabral – Keyboard, Guitar
Tyler Davis – Guitar, Vocals
Evan Haydon-Selkirk – Lead Vocals, Bass
Nathanael Livingstone – Drums, Percussion
Live Band Lineup:
James Cabral – Keyboard, Guitar, and Backing Vocals
Tyler Davis – Guitar and Backing Vocals
Evan Haydon-Selkirk – Lead Vocals, Bass, and Keyboard
Nathanael Livingstone – Drums
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About The Album Artwork:
All of the pieces for each single and album cover are done by the incredibly talented Thunder Bay artist Alyssa Kusik (@salsafish.art on Instagram). Each piece is oil painted on canvas with mixed media elements such as yarn poked through the canvas, as well as digital layering applied in the final process. Her works were all inspired heavily by the album concept as well as the lyrics, and she worked closely with Evan to create as strong of a visual representation of the story and emotionality as possible.
About the album as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):
EVAN SAYS:
Lyrically Nascence tells 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.
As our protagonist loses his grip, he begins to allow his relationships with those he cares about to deteriorate, and becomes increasingly paranoid; at first suspecting that those who love him are hurting him, being unfaithful, and eventually that they’re merely actors who are staging his life. As he stalks his wife one day, he is confronted by a homeless man who tells him not to trust his reality and that everyone around him is not what they seem. In response, he snaps completely and begins to run from his life. What happens next? You’ll have to wait until Senescence to find out.
While the album is not autobiographical, I made a point of drawing from life experience where I could in order to emotionally charge my writing and performances, as well as to create authenticity while still telling a fictional story.
JAMES SAYS:
Musically, the album begins with a more accessible, prog-rock-influenced sound. Songs towards the beginning of the album (Nascence, The Seed of Doubt) are calmer and catchier, and feature lots of grand pianos, violin, and horns. As the album goes on, the sound slowly becomes more dissonant, heavy, and layered with organs, strings, distorted guitars, and synthesizers. These shifts in genre match progressions in the story told by the lyrics, and the growing dissonance and chaos represent the protagonist losing his mind as the story unfolds.
Track by track (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):
PRENASCENT – Prenascent is an instrumental overture made up of passages from the other songs on the album. It introduces all of the main musical motifs and sets the tone for what’s to come. While it has no lyrics, Prenascent could be considered the birth of our protagonist.
NASCENCE – Nascence is the title track of the album and lyrically represents the beginning of the story and the mental state we find our protagonist in. He is afraid of dying and even more than that, he is afraid of having lived an unremarkable life. Musically, it begins with a beautiful orchestral passage of grand piano, horns, and strings, with soft, somber vocals and jazzy solo passages. However, the song takes a turn for the darker, weaving through extremely intense and technical instrumental passages before arriving at a grandiose operatic chorus and a sweeping guitar masterclass before going out with heavy riffs, blast beats, and a stunning piano finale.
THE SEED OF DOUBT – Musically, this song takes influences from the 70s prog rock era. It features an organ solo and guest appearances from Brian Asselin and Eric Littlewood on saxophone and trumpet. At this point in the story, the protagonist meets the love of his life, and while their new love is beautiful and for a time he is fulfilled and happy, eventually the relationship sours as he becomes afraid of her hurting him, and grows distrustful and controlling.
FRAGILITY – Fragility is where the first real cracks in the protagonist’s psyche begin to form. At first he suspects, and then accuses his wife of cheating, telling her that she is the reason he’s so unhappy and the root of his mental illness. The man awakens the next morning remembering nothing but violence, and yet his wife lays sleeping peacefully next to him and nothing is out of place. He begins to wonder if he has had a vision of death, and whether it was his death or hers that he saw, and fears that the worst has yet to come. Musically, the song is a blend of classical orchestration, art rock sensibilities, and heavy riffs.
THE HEAVY MIST – At this point, the protagonist’s paranoia has begun expanding to his mother and his friends, and he begins to realize he has no memories of his upbringing or much of his past. Musically, this song is of two halves – it begins with a rocky alternating meter riff before soothing the listener into a false sense of security with beautiful chord progressions and vocal layering. From there it brings the energy back up into a more straight-ahead hard rock sound and eventually a death metal reprise of the first verse, setting the stage for Flight.
FLIGHT – Flight is by far the heaviest song on the album, an homage to thrash metal and prog death giants such as Gojira. It moves at a near break-neck pace across its nearly seven-minute track time across blistering solos, thrashy riffs, and pummeling breakdowns. Lyrically, the protagonist has been shaken into fight or flight and tries to escape his life and loved ones. He is chased out onto the street, believing he is being chased by everyone in the neighbourhood. He is tackled to the ground, and forced back inside, where he laments that he is now alone.
THE INTERLOPER – This track is one of the more musically intricate songs on the album. It has tons of keyboard layers, polyrhythms, and time signature changes. At this point in the story he has been left alone and escapes again, but this time decides to stalk his wife and prove that she is unfaithful and plotting against him. Just as he believes he’s got her, he is accosted by a homeless man who starts to tell him detailed things about his past that he had long forgotten.
DESERTER – Deserter is a culmination of all of the sounds across this album and features indulgent non-linear songwriting tied together with catchy choruses. The song pushes each member to their limit at one point or another across its runtime and features complex polymeters and incredibly fast passages. It is the finale of the album, but a cliffhanger of sorts lyrically, as it tells the perspective of our protagonist’s response to a total stranger telling him details about his life and not to trust anything. The protagonist has more questions, but the homeless man disappears before he can answer, which causes the protagonist to snap and begin to run for the forest.
What happens next remains to be seen in the second half, Senescence.
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STORY ANGLES – FUN FACTS:
1. The band’s debut album, The Labour Division was recorded in its entirety in a single weekend. All members of the band worked around the clock recording their parts from the time they arrived at the studio on Friday evening to Sunday late at night taking small breaks to sleep on the studio floor.
2. A long-time staple of the Aphelion’s performances has been their infamous “polka wall of death” which involved the band separating the crowd and preparing them for a wall of death and then surprising them by playing the polka-inspired passage at the end of “Conflict Theory” instead of the heavy breakdown the crowd was expecting.
3. A yellow honey bear accompanies the band on stage at every performance. Location varies.
4. The band once serenaded the crowd with a Napalm Death inspired performance of Happy Birthday upon request from bar staff at a gig in Pembroke. The gig took place at a restaurant and much of the audience was enjoying a quiet dinner with family unaware that they were going to be treated to a metal show.
5. Evan, Tyler, and James have known each other since high school, and the lineup has been steady since 2016. James and Evan have been in bands together since 2013. All four members are incredibly close, creating not just a band, but a close-knit group of friends.
L- R – James Cabral (Guitar/Keyboard), Tyler Davis (Guitar/Backing Vocals), Evan Haydon-Selkirk (Vocals/Bass/Secondary Keyboard), Nathanael Livingstone (Drums)
Photo Credit – Dark Moon Productions
The Aphelion is a hard-hitting progressive metal band from Ottawa, Ontario who have been active since 2015. Members, Evan Haydon-Selkirk (lead vocals, bass guitar, keyboard), James Cabral (guitar, keyboard), Tyler Davis (guitar, backing vocals), and Nathanael Livingstone (drums, percussion) have crafted an image, sound, and musical bond on Canadian stages through nearly a decade of collaboration.
The sonic goal is one of innovation, dramatic flair, and emotional gravity, with unexpected shifts in the genre to create contrast and bring levity. With the upcoming double album Nascence and Senescence, The Aphelion is once again telling an album-spanning story inspired by philosophy and the human condition; a tradition that began with their 2018 release the Labour Division.
On the live stage, The Aphelion brings the drama and bombast of their material to life with energetic and emotional live shows focusing on audience participation and feats of musical gymnastics. Truly a single unit, the members interact, spotlight each other for solo sections, and support one another from the first note to the last. Afterwards, the members can be found at the merch booth, or in the pit supporting their fellow locals and headliners.
The Aphelion have opened for bands such as Protest the Hero, Intervals, Mandroid Echostar, Ne Obliviscaris, Alestorm, and Powerglove, and have begun expanding their reach throughout the galaxy.
Discography:
2024 – Nascence (LP)
2020 – A Grave Mistake (Single)
2018 – The Labour Division (LP)
Shared Stage with: Protest The Hero, Alestorm, Intervals, Ne Obliviscaris, CKY, Allegaeon, Powerglove, Mandroid Echostar, Aephanemer, Falset, Lycanthro, Salem Trials, Pyramid Theorem
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