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Review: The Aphelion - The Labour Division
The Aphelion
www.facebook.com/TheAphelionOfficial
The Labour Division

Label: Independent
Year released: 2018
Duration: 58:26
Tracks: 10
Genre: Progressive Metal

Rating:
3.75/5


Review online: October 22, 2018
Reviewed by: Bruno Medeiros
Readers' Rating
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Rated 4.23/5 (84.62%) (13 Votes)
Review

This is The Aphelion's debut record after releasing three singles for the songs "The Labour Division", "The Twilight Basin" and "Malefic World", all of which are featured here. The album has a classic emotional Progressive Metal approach to it and the occasional guttural vocals are thrown in to spice things up. The lyrics are constructed heavily on the subjects of oppression, mental problems and personal struggles, so the songwriting is dark and heavy, rarely shifting to a "happier" sound—and when it does it's mainly in the form of sarcasm.

I would highlight "The Twilight Basin", "Tainted Wisdom" and "Prelude to Dominion" as the best tracks here, as these dudes manage to display some killer instrumental performances. While the bass lines and overall guitar work reminisce the late-2000's Prog/Power and are kind of standard, it is in the atmosphere and the keyboard passages that the band really shines. The keyboards are by far the best asset here and the choice of notes is truly something above average. The vocals, though, did not please me and often sounded a little bit too "grungy", especially when singer Evan Haydon-Selkirk is trying to show sorrow and despair.

If not for a few mishaps in the choice of vocal lines and a few problems with the mixing (which is entirely understandable, giving the fact that the album was recorded in THREE days), I would classify The Labour Division as great. It IS good, however, and Prog fans looking for a darker take on the genre should take a look at this.

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