The Aphelion

a·phe·li·on əˈfēlēən noun "the point in the orbit of a planet, asteroid, or comet at which it is furthest from the sun."

The Aphelion are a hard hitting progressive metal band from Ottawa, Ontario who have been active since 2015. They cut their teeth playing local shows, working out their image and sound on local Ottawa stages for three years before reaching their current lineup of Evan Haydon-Selkirk (lead vocals, bass guitar), James Cabral (guitar, keyboard), Tyler Davis (guitar, backing vocals), and Nathanael Livingstone (drums, percussion). They take influence from artists such as Devin Townsend, Haken, Leprous, and countless others.

The Aphelion's lyrics focus on telling album-spanning stories inspired by philosophy and the human condition. Musically, the sonic goal is one of innovation, dramatic flair, and emotional gravity, with occasional unexpected shifts in genre to create contrast and bring levity. Their debut album, The Labour Division, was released on August 17th, 2018, and marked the first step towards that goal. However, when attempting innovation, one does not stagnate for long, and the Aphelion certainly have not, and are re-entering the studio in 2020 to record their second full length album.

On the live stage, the Aphelion endeavour to bring 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 each other 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 Ne Obliviscaris, Alestorm, Powerglove, Heaven’s Cry, and Red Handed Denial, and have begun expanding their reach throughout Ontario and Quebec, touring through cities such as Toronto, Montreal, North Bay, Pembroke, and Sudbury. They hope to continue spreading their unique brand of progressive music throughout all of Canada, and the world.