AVIANA Strive To Set Themselves Apart From The Pack on ‘As Above, So Below’
The Norse massacre rages on with wild releases blowing up for bands all around the Scandinavian territory. Next in line to fight for the Nordic metalcore throne is Gothenburg’s finest AVIANA, with 3 well recognised studio albums under their belt, they’ll be tough to contend with.
Off to an extremely strong start with premiere album Polarize (2017), the group had an immediate refinement, and professionalism to their sound. Single ‘Solar’ aided in holding the band up will with its clean, melodic guitar and savagely, blood-rushing vocals provided by now ex-vocalist Marcus Vik (currently Invent Animate). Baring heavy influence from Northlane(s) Singularity (2013) with technical/djenty riffs, raw yells (vocals), & heavy reverb/delay backbone. Aviana strive to set themselves ahead of the pack with engineered guitar prowess, choppy, profound undertones, and drums with fills that flow faster than rapids.
After taking the time to conquer the UK & Europe with multiple tours alongside acclaimed artists Crystal Lake and many more, AVIANA came racing back from the studio with a new vocalist and new album ‘Epicenter’. Joel Holmqvist takes charge at the helm of the band introducing a new breed of heaviness to the AVIANA formula. Single ‘My Worst Enemy’ hits with an instant assault of rapid, prog guitars and ferocious growls, switched over by atmospheric cleans, contingent to a frenzied version of In Hearts Wake. Keeping to their new found vain in the prog region, the ‘Heavy Feather’ single reinforced a freer deliverance of Joel’s cleaner vocals for the band, creating cathartic dynamic.
AVIANA laid dormant not long after the sophomore album release leaving Joel Holmqvist the sole member of the band. Now with the band relying on one man’s vision to head forward, the fan’s patience and support was rewarded with an album’s worth of singles released over a 2 year period, which concluded into Corporation (2022). ‘Paradox’ featuring previous vocalist Markus Vik showcased that this combination of artists can mix AVIANA’s dark metalcore technical sound to underworld depths with an even newer breed of heaviness for the band once more.
A new vision for the band has once again been wildly set free on latest single ‘As Above, So Below’. We hear a completely melodic focused instrumental, dominated by ominous synths and an emotional, clean vocal display previously kept locked away in the creative mind of Joel. A classic post-hardcore chorus with alternative nuances separates this tune from the rest of AVIANA’s catalogue. While leaning towards a lighter, mature sound, it introduces more punky rhythms to the band then seen before, also retaining the past brutal influences with a hectic breakdown layered by savage screams.
Now AVIANA are more active with releases and shows thanks to the addition of members ‘Dark’, ‘Death’, and ‘Fear’. We can expect to see a lot more from the Swedish side of the world, and if you’re lucky you’ll see them on tour with their brothers Invent Animate in North America where you can have a chance to catch them perform ‘Paradox’ together. (Fingers crossed it’s on the setlist!)
Words by Ed Atlas (@YourFavouriteMerchGuy)
Listen to ‘As Above, So Below ’ here
